1 Corinthians 4:13-21
New American Standard Bible
14I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
16Therefore I urge you, be imitators of me.
17For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
18Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power.
20For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power.
21What do you desire? That I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
King James Version
14I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
15For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
17For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
18Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
20For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
21What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
Christian Standard Bible
14I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.
15For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
17This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
18Now some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk, but the power of those who are arrogant.
20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
21What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
New Living Translation
14I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.
15For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.
16So I urge you to imitate me.
18Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again.
19But I will come — and soon — if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power.
20For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.
21Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?
English Standard Version
14I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
17That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
18Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
20For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
21What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
New International Version
14I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.
15Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
17For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
18Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.
19But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.
20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
21What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?
New King James Version
14I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.
15For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
17For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
18Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.
19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
20For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
21What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
