¹Mtu na atuone sisi kuwa ni watumishi wa Kristo tuliokabidhiwa siri za mungu.

¹Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

²Kinachotakiwa kwa yeyote yule aliyekabidhiwa kazi ni kuwa mwaminifu.

²Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

³Kwangu mimi si kitu nikihukumiwa na ninyi, au na mahakama ya kibinadamu; wala sijihukumu.

³But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

⁴Dhamiri yangu hainishtaki kwa jambo lolote, lakini hiyo haionyeshi kwamba sina lawama. Bwana ndiye anayenihukumu.

⁴For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

⁵Basi, msihukumu kabla ya wakati wake acheni mpaka Bwana atakapokuja. Yeye atayafichua mambo ya giza yaliyofichika, na kuonyesha wazi nia za mioyo ya watu. Ndipo kila mmoja atapata sifa anayostahili kutoka kwa Mungu.

⁵Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God.

⁶Ndugu, hayo yote niliyosema juu ya Apolo na juu yangu, ni kielelezo kwenu: kutokana na mfano wangu mimi na Apolo nataka mwelewe maana ya msemo huu: "Zingatieni yaliyoandikwa." Kati yenu pasiwe na mtu yeyote anayejivunia mtu mmoja na kumdharau mwingine.

⁶Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not [to go] beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

⁷Nani amekupendelea wewe? Una kitu gani wewe ambacho hukupewa? Na ikiwa umepewa, ya nini kujivunia kana kwamba hukukipewa?

⁷For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?

⁸Haya, mmekwisha shiba! Mmekwisha kuwa matajiri! Mmekuwa wafalme bila ya sisi! Naam, laiti mngekuwa kweli watawala, ili nasi pia tuweze kutawala pamoja nanyi.

⁸Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have come to reign without us: yea and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

⁹Nafikiri Mungu ametufanya sisi mitume tuwe watu wa mwisho kabisa, kama watu waliohukumiwa kuuawa, maana tumekuwa tamasha mbele ya ulimwengu wote, mbele ya malaika na watu.

⁹For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.

¹⁰Sisi ni wapumbavu kwa ajili ya Kristo, lakini ninyi ni wenye busara katika kuungana na Kristo! Sisi ni dhaifu, ninyi ni wenye nguvu. Ninyi mnaheshimika, sisi tunadharauliwa.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor.

¹¹Mpaka dakika hii, sisi tuna njaa na kiu, hatuna nguo, twapigwa makofi, hatuna malazi.

¹¹Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place;

¹²Tena twataabika na kufanya kazi kwa mikono yetu wenyewe. Tukitukanwa, tunawatakia baraka; tukidhulumiwa, tunavumilia;

¹²and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

¹³tukisingiziwa, tunajibu kwa adabu. Mpaka sasa tumetendewa kama uchafu wa dunia; na kwa kila mtu sisi ni takataka!

¹³being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

¹⁴Siandiki mambo haya kwa ajili ya kuwaaibisha ninyi, bali kwa ajili ya kuwafundisheni watoto wangu wapenzi.

¹⁴I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

¹⁵Maana hata kama mnao maelfu ya walezi katika maisha yenu ya Kikristo, baba yenu ni mmoja tu, kwani katika maisha ya Kikristo mimi ndiye niliyewazaeni kwa kuihubiri Habari Njema.

¹⁵For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.

¹⁶Kwa hiyo, nawasihi: fuateni mfano wangu.

¹⁶I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.

¹⁷Ndiyo maana nimemtuma Timetheo kwenu. Yeye ni mtoto wangu mpenzi na mwaminifu katika Bwana. Atawakumbusheni njia ninayofuata katika kuishi maisha ya Kikristo; njia ninayofundisha kila mahali katika makanisa yote.

¹⁷For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸Baadhi yenu wameanza kuwa na majivuno wakidhani kwamba sitakuja tena kwenu.

¹⁸Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

¹⁹Lakini, Bwana akipenda, nitakuja kwenu upesi; na hapo ndipo nitakapojionea mwenyewe, sio tu kile wanachoweza kusema hao wenye majivuno, bali pia kila wanachoweza kufanya.

¹⁹But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of them that are puffed up, but the power.

²⁰Maana Utawala wa Mungu si shauri la maneno matupu, bali ni nguvu.

²⁰For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

²¹Mnapendelea lipi? Nije kwenu na fimbo, ama nije na moyo wa upendo na upole?

²¹What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?