1 Corinthians 9
1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are ye not my work in the Lord?
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen our Lord Jesus? Aren’t you yourselves my work achieved in union with the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you, for ye are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal that stamps me as an apostle in union with the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this.
The defense that I make to my critics is this:
4 Have we no, not a right to eat and to drink?
Haven’t we a right to food and drink?
5 Have we no, not a right to lead about a sister wife, as also the other apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Haven’t we a right to take a wife with us, if she is a Christian, as the other apostles and the Master’s brothers and Cephas all do?
6 Or have only I and Barnabas no right not to be occupied earning a living?
Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to give up working for our bread?
7 Who ever enlists in an army at his own wage? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat from the fruit of it? Or who feeds a flock and does not eat from the milk of the flock?
Does anyone ever serve as a soldier at his own expense? Does anyone plant a vineyard and not eat its produce? Or does anyone look after a herd and not drink the milk?
8 Do I say these things according to man, or does not the law also say these things?
Am I, in all this, speaking only from the human standpoint? Does not the Law also say the same?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses thou shall not muzzle an ox threshing grain. Is God concerned about oxen,
For in the Law of Moses it is said – ‘You should not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it the bullocks that God is thinking of?
10 or does he speak altogether for our sake? For our sake, for it was written, He who plows ought to plow with hope, and he who threshes with his hope, with hope to share.
Or is not is said entirely for our sakes? Surely it was written for our sakes, for the plowman ought not to plow, nor the thrasher to thrash, without expecting a share of the grain.
11 If we sowed spiritual things to you, is it a great thing if we will reap your carnal things?
Since we, then, sowed spiritual seed for you, is it too much that we should reap from you an earthly harvest?
12 If others are partakers of the right from you, are not we more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we cover all things, so that we may not give any hindrance to the good news of the Christ.
If others share in this right over you, don’t we even more? Still we did not avail ourselves of this right. No, we endure anything rather than impede the progress of the good news of the Christ.
13 Know ye not that those being employed at the sacred things eat from the temple, and those who serve at the altar are partakers at the altar?
Don’t you know that those who do the work of the Temple live on what comes from the Temple, and that those who serve at the altar share the offerings with the altar?
14 And so the Lord commanded those who proclaim the good news to live from the good news.
So, too, the Master has appointed that those who tell the good news should get their living from the good news.
15 But I have used none of these things, and I did not write these things so that it should be done to me this way. For it is good for me rather to die, than that any man should make my boasting empty.
I, however, have not availed myself of any of these rights. I am not saying this to secure such an arrangement for myself; indeed, I would far rather die – Nobody will make my boast a vain one!
16 For if I preach the good news, it is not a source of pride for me, for an obligation is laid upon me. And woe is to me if I do not preach the good news.
If I proclaim the good news, I have nothing to boast of, for I am compelled to do so. Woe is me if I do not share it!
17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if involuntarily, I have been entrusted with a commission.
If I do this work willingly, I have a reward; but, if unwillingly, I have been charged to perform a duty.
18 What then is my reward? That, while preaching the good news, I may make the good news of the Christ without charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the good news.
What is my reward, then? To present the good news free of all cost, and so make but a sparing use of the rights which it gives me.
19 For although being free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that I might gain the more.
Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone’s slave.
20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain Jews, to those under law, as under law, so that I might gain those under law,
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews. To those who are subject to Law I became like a man subject to Law – though I was not myself subject to Law – to win those who are subject to Law.
21 to those without law, as without law (not being without law to God, but within law to Christ), so that I might gain men without law.
To those who have no Law I became like a man who has no Law – not that I am free from God’s Law; no, for I am under Christ’s Law – to win those who have no law.
22 To the weak I became as weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that by all means I might save some.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so as at all costs to save some.
23 And I do this for sake of the good news, so that I might become a fellow participant of it.
And I do everything for the sake of the good news, so that with them I may share in its blessings.
24 Know ye not that those who run in an arena, indeed all run, but one receives the prize? So run that ye may seize it.
Don’t you know that on a racecourse, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25 And every man who strives for mastery exercises self-control in all things. Indeed therefore those men do it so that they might obtain a perishable crown, but we an imperishable.
Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.
26 I therefore run this way, not as aimlessly. I fight this way, not as flaying air.
I, therefore, do not run aimlessly. I do not box like a man hitting the air.
27 But I give my body a black eye and subdue it, lest somehow having preached to others, I myself might become disqualified.
No, I bruise my body and make it my slave, so that I, who have called others to the contest, will not myself be rejected.
