Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in al-Masih. 2I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready, 3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,“ and another, “I follow Apollos,“ aren’t you fleshly? 5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him? 6I planted. Apollos watered. But Allah gave the increase. 7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but Allah who gives the increase. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9For we are Allah’s fellow workers. You are Allah’s farming, Allah’s building. 10According to the grace of Allah which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is ‘Isa al-Masih. 12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; 13each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is. 14If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 15If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
16Don’t you know that you are a temple of Allah, and that Allah’s Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys the temple of Allah, Allah will destroy him; for Allah’s temple is holy, which you are. 18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with Allah. For it is written, “He takes the wise in their own craftiness.“[1] 20And again, “Allah knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is futile.“[2] 21Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, 23and you are al-Masih’s, and al-Masih is Allah’s.
[1] 3:19 Quoting Ayub 5:13 from the Taurat.
[2] 3:20 Quoting the Zabur 94:11.