1 Corinthians 9
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος; Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐλεύθερος; Οὐχὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν ἑώρακα; Οὐ τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Κυρίῳ;
2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet certainly I am to you; for the seal of my apostleship are you in the Lord.
Εἰ ἄλλοις οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλά γε ὑμῖν εἰμι· ἡ γὰρ σφραγὶς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀποστολῆς ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Κυρίῳ.
3 My answer to those who examine me is this:
Ἡ ἐμὴ ἀπολογία τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀνακρίνουσιν αὕτη ἐστί.
4 Have we not the right to eat and drink?
Μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν;
5 Have we not the right to lead about a sister wife, as the other apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ Κηφᾶς;
6 Or, have I only, and Barnabas, no right to leave off working?
Ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρνάβας οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι;
7 What man ever serves as a soldier, at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and eats not of its fruit? Or who tends a flock, and eats not of the milk of the flock?
Τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; Τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; Ἢ τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης οὐκ ἐσθίει;
8 Do I speak these things as a man? Or does not the law, also, say the same?
Μὴ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ταῦτα λαλῶ; Ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὁ νόμος ταῦτα λέγει;
9 For it is written in the law of Moses: You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain? Has God a care for oxen?
Ἐν γὰρ τῷ Μωϋσέως νόμῳ γέγραπται, Οὐ φιμώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα. Μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ Θεῷ;
10 or does he say it wholly for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, it was written: that he that plows should plow in hope, and that he that thrashes should thrash in hope of partaking.
Ἢ δι᾽ ἡμᾶς πάντως λέγει; Δι᾽ ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγράφη, ὅτι ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι ὀφείλει ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾷν, καὶ ὁ ἀλοῶν τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτοῦ μετέχειν ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι.
11 If we have sown, for your benefit, things that are spiritual, is it a great thing that we reap your carnal things?
Εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐσπείραμεν, μέγα εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν τὰ σαρκικὰ θερίσομεν;
12 If others partake of this right over you, should not we rather? But we have not used this right: but we endure all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of the Christ.
Εἰ ἄλλοι τῆς ἐξουσίας ὑμῶν μετέχουσιν, οὐ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς; Ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀλλὰ πάντα στέγομεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐγκοπήν τινα δῶμεν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
13 Do you not know that those who are engaged about sacred rites have their living from the temple? and that those who attend upon the altar are partakers with the altar?
Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ ἐργαζόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσθίουσιν, οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσεδρεύοντες τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζονται;
14 So, also, the Lord has ordained that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel.
Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος διέταξε τοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσιν ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ζῇν.
15 But I have availed myself of none of these things; nor do I write these things that it should be so done to me. For it would be better for me to die, than that any one should make my boasting vain.
Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδενὶ ἐχρησάμην τούτων· οὐκ ἔγραψα δὲ ταῦτα ἵνα οὕτω γένηται ἐν ἐμοί· καλὸν γάρ μοι μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου ἵνα τις κενώσῃ.
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have no cause for boasting; for a necessity is laid upon me; yes, alas for me, if I preach not the gospel.
Ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστι μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ δὲ μοί ἐστιν, ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίζωμαι.
17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, an apostolic stewardship has been intrusted to me.
Εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι.
18 What, then, is my reward? That, while I preach, I may make the gospel of Christ to be without charge, in order that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
Τίς οὖν μοί ἐστιν ὁ μισθός; Ἵνα εὐαγγελιζόμενος ἀδάπανον θήσω τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ μὴ καταχρήσασθαι τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.
19 For, though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself a servant to all, that I may gain the more.
Ἐλεύθερος γὰρ ὢν ἐκ πάντων, πᾶσιν ἐμαυτὸν ἐδούλωσα, ἵνα τοὺς πλείονας κερδήσω.
20 And to the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews: to those who are under law, as under law, (not being myself under law, ) that I might gain those who are under law;
Καὶ ἐγενόμην τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὡς Ἰουδαῖος, ἵνα Ἰουδαίους κερδήσω· τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον ὡς ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον κερδήσω·
21 to those who are without law, as without law, (not being myself without law to God, but under law to Christ, ) that I might gain those who are without law:
τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος, μὴ ὢν ἄνομος Θεῷ ἀλλ᾽ ἔννομος Χριστῷ, ἵνα κερδήσω ἀνόμους.
22 to the weak I became like one who was weak, that I might gain the weak: I have become all things to all men, that I may, by all means, save some.
Ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν ὡς ἀσθενής, ἵνα τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς κερδήσω. Τοῖς πᾶσι γέγονα τὰ πάντα, ἵνα πάντως τινὰς σώσω.
23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may share its benefits with you.
Τοῦτο δὲ ποιῶ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.
24 Know you not that all the runners in the race-course run the race, but that one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain the prize.
Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἐν σταδίῳ τρέχοντες πάντες μὲν τρέχουσιν, εἷς δὲ λαμβάνει τὸ βραβεῖον; Οὕτω τρέχετε, ἵνα καταλάβητε.
25 Every combatant in the public games is temperate in all things: they, indeed, that they may obtain a corruptible, but we, that we may obtain an incorruptible crown.
Πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβωσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄφθαρτον.
26 I, therefore, so run, not as with uncertainty; I so aim my blows, not as one that beats the air;
Ἐγὼ τοίνυν οὕτω τρέχω ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως· οὕτω πυκτεύω, ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέρων·
27 but I put my body under severe discipline, and bring it into subjection, lest, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
ἀλλ᾽ ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μήπως, ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι.
