1 Kolinitō 4

1 Ko ia ke pehē ʻae lau ʻe he tangata kiate kimautolu, ʻo taau mo e kau tamaioʻeiki ʻa Kalaisi, mo e kau tauhi ʻoe ngaahi meʻa fakalilolilo ʻae ʻOtua.

Let people look on us as Christ’s servants, and as stewards of the hidden truths of God.

2 Ko eni foki, ʻoku ʻamanaki ki he kau tauhi, ke nau fai totonu.

Now what we look for in stewards is that they should be trustworthy.

3 Ka ko e meʻa siʻi ʻaupito kiate au ke fakamaau au ʻekimoutolu, pe ko e fakamaau ʻae tangata: ʻio, ʻoku ʻikai te u fakamaau au ʻeau.

But it weighs very little with me that I am judged by you or by any human tribunal. No, I do not even judge myself;

4 He ʻoku ʻikai te u ʻilo ha meʻa ʻiate au pe; ka ʻoku ʻikai te u tonuhia ai: ka ko ia ʻoku ne fakamaau au, ko e ʻEiki ia.

for, though I am conscious of nothing against myself, that does not prove me innocent. It is the Lord who is my judge.

5 Ko ia ʻoua naʻa fakamaau ha meʻa ʻi he teʻeki hoko hono kuonga, pea ʻoua ke hoko mai ʻae ʻEiki, ʻaia te ne ʻomi ki he maama ʻae ngaahi meʻa fufū ʻoe poʻuli, pea te ne fakahā ʻae ngaahi filioʻi ʻoe loto: pea ʻe toki maʻu ai ʻo taki taha kotoa pē ʻae fakamālō mei he ʻOtua.

Therefore do not pass judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes. He will throw light on what is now dark and obscure, and will reveal the motives in people’s minds; and then everyone will receive due praise from God.

6 Pea ko e meʻa ni, ʻe kāinga, kuo u fakahoko fakatātā kiate au mo ʻApolosi koeʻuhi ko kimoutolu; koeʻuhi ke mou ʻilo ʻiate kimaua ke ʻoua naʻa lahi hoʻomou lau ʻi he meʻa kuo tohi, “Ke ʻoua naʻa ai hamou tokotaha ʻe fielahi ʻi he filifilimānako ki ha taha kae kovi ki ha taha.”

All this, friends, I have, for your sakes, applied to Apollos and myself, so that, from our example, you may learn to observe the precept – ‘Keep to what is written,’ that none of you may speak boastfully of one teacher to the disparagement of another.

7 He ko hai ʻoku ne fakakeheʻi koe? Pea ko e hā ʻoku ʻaʻau, naʻe ʻikai te ke maʻu? Pea kapau naʻa ke maʻu ia, ko e hā ʻoku ke vikiviki ai ʻo hangē naʻe ʻikai te ke maʻu ia?

For who makes any one of you superior to others? And what have you that was not given you? But if you received it as a gift, why do you boast as if you had not?

8 Pea ko eni, ʻoku mou mākona, kuo mou mohu meʻa, kuo mou pule, ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi tuʻi, pea taʻekau ʻakimautolu: pea ʻoku ʻamusiaange ʻeau ʻoku mou pule, koeʻuhi ke tau pule mo kimoutolu foki.

Are you all so soon satisfied? Are you so soon rich? Have you begun to reign without us? Would indeed that you had, so that we also might reign with you!

9 He ʻoku ou ʻilo ʻeau kuo tuku ʻe he ʻOtua ʻakimautolu ʻae kau ʻaposetolo ki mui, ʻo hangē ko e tukupau ki he mate, he kuo ngaohi ʻakimautolu ko e siofiaʻanga ʻo māmani, mo e kau ʻāngelo, mo e kakai.

For, as it seems to me, God has exhibited us, the apostles, last of all, as people doomed to death. We are made a spectacle to the universe, both to angels and to people!

10 Ko e kau vale ʻakimautolu koeʻuhi ko Kalaisi, ka ʻoku poto ʻakimoutolu ʻia Kalaisi; ʻoku mau vaivai, ka ʻoku mālohi ʻakimoutolu; ʻoku ʻapasia ʻakimoutolu, ka ʻoku manukia ʻakimautolu.

We, for Christ’s sake, are fools, but you, by your union with Christ, are people of discernment. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are despised.

11 [ʻIo], ʻo aʻu ki he feituʻulaʻā ni ʻoku mau fiekaia, mo fieinu, ʻoku mau telefua, pea sipiʻi, pea ʻoku ʻikai hamau nofoʻanga maʻu:

To this very hour we go hungry, thirsty, and naked; we are beaten; we are homeless;

12 ‌ʻO ngāue, pea fai ʻaki homau nima ʻomautolu: kuo manukia, ka mau tāpuaki; kuo fakatangaʻi, ka mau kātaki ia:

we work hard, toiling with our own hands. We meet abuse with blessings, we meet persecution with endurance,

13 Kuo lauʻikovi, ka ʻoku mau kole; kuo hoko ʻakimautolu ʻo hangē ko e ʻuli ʻoe fonua, pea mo e efe ʻoe meʻa kotoa pē ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ni.

we meet slander with gentle appeals. We have been treated as the scum of the earth, the vilest of the vile, to this very hour.

14 ‌ʻOku ʻikai te u tohi ʻae ngaahi meʻa ni ke fakamā ʻakimoutolu, ka ko ʻeku valoki ki heʻeku fānau ʻoku ou ʻofa ai.

It is with no wish to shame you that I am writing like this; but to warn you as my own dear children.

15 He neongo ʻoku toko mano hoʻomou akonaki ʻia Kalaisi, ʻoku ʻikai tokolahi ʻae tamai: he ko au ne u fakatupu ʻakimoutolu ia.

Though you may have thousands of instructors in the faith of Christ, yet you have not many fathers. It was I who, through union with Christ Jesus, became your father by means of the good news.

16 Ko ia ʻoku ou kole ai kiate kimoutolu, ke mou faʻifaʻitaki kiate au.

Therefore I entreat you – Follow my example.

17 Ko e meʻa ko ia kuo u fekau atu ai kiate kimoutolu ʻa Timote, ʻaia ko hoku foha ʻofa, mo e angatonu ʻi he ʻEiki, pea te ne fakamanatu kiate kimoutolu hoku ngaahi ʻaluʻanga ʻaia ʻoku ʻia Kalaisi, ʻo hangē ko ia ʻoku ou ako ʻaki ʻi he potu kotoa pē mo e siasi kotoa pē.

This is my reason for sending Timothy to you. He is my own dear faithful child in the Master’s service, and he will remind you of my methods of teaching the faith of Christ Jesus – methods which I follow everywhere in every church.

18 Ka kuo fielahi ʻae niʻihi, ʻo hangē ʻe ʻikai te u ʻalu atu kiate kimoutolu.

Some, I hear, are puffed up with pride, thinking that I am not coming to you.

19 Ka te u ʻalu vave atu kiate kimoutolu, ʻo kapau ko e finangalo ia ʻoe ʻEiki, pea te u ʻeke, kae ʻikai ki he lea pē ʻanautolu ʻoku fakafuofua lahi, ka ko ʻenau mālohi.

But come to you I will, and that soon, if it please the Lord; and then I will find out, not what words these people use who are so puffed up, but what power they possess;

20 He ko e puleʻanga ʻoe ʻOtua ʻoku ʻikai ʻi he lea pe, ka ʻoku ʻi he mālohi.

for the kingdom of God is based, not on words, but on power.

21 Ko e hā homou loto? Te u ʻalu atu kiate kimoutolu mo e meʻa tā, pe ʻi he ʻofa, pe ʻi he loto angavaivai?

What do you wish? Am I to come to you with a rod, or in a loving and gentle spirit?