1. You should think of us as Christ's servants, who have been put in charge of God's secret truths.
2. The one thing required of such servants is that they be faithful to their master.
3. Now, I am not at all concerned about being judged by you or by any human standard; I don't even pass judgement on myself.
4. My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am really innocent. The Lord is the one who passes judgement on me.
5. So you should not pass judgement on anyone before the right time comes. Final judgement must wait until the Lord comes; he will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people's minds. And then all will receive from God the praise they deserve.
6. For your sake, my brothers and sisters, I have applied all this to Apollos and me, using the two of us as an example, so that you may learn what the saying means, “Observe the proper rules.” None of you should be proud of one person and despise another.
7. Who made you superior to others? Didn't God give you everything you have? Well, then, how can you boast, as if what you have were not a gift?
8. Do you already have everything you need? Are you already rich? Have you become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we could be kings together with you.
9. For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of humanity.
10. For Christ's sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honoured!
11. To this very moment we go hungry and thirsty; we are clothed in rags; we are beaten; we wander from place to place;
12. we wear ourselves out with hard work. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;