1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are not ye my work in [the] Lord?

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet at any rate I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in [the] Lord.

Even if I am not an apostle to others, to you at least I am; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 My defence to those who examine me is this:

This is my reply to my critics.

4 Have we not a right to eat and to drink?

Have I no right to claim food and drink?

5 have we not a right to take round a sister [as] wife, as also the other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

Have I no right to take a believing wife with me on my journey, as the rest of the apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter do?

6 Or I alone and Barnabas, have we not a right not to work?

Are we the only ones, Barnabas and I, who have no right to give up manual labor?

7 Who ever carries on war at his own charges? who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? or who herds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

What soldier ever serves at his own expense? What farmer ever plants a vineyard and his flock and does not taste the milk?

8 Do I speak these things as a man, or does not the law also say these things?

Am I saying this on human authority only, or does not the Law also say the same?

9 For in the law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that is treading out corn. Is God occupied about the oxen,

Yea, in the Law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while he is treading out the grain.

10 or does he say [it] altogether for our sakes? For for our sakes it has been written, that the plougher should plough in hope, and he that treads out corn, in hope of partaking of [it].

Is it the oxen that God is thinking about, or is it really said for our sakes? It was written for us; because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher in hope of getting a share of the crop.

11 If we have sown to you spiritual things, [is it a] great [thing] if we shall reap your carnal things?

If I have sown for you the seeds of spiritual good, is it a great thing if I reap from you temporal goods?

12 If others partake of this right over you, should not rather we? But we have not used this right, but we bear all things, that we may put no hindrance in the way of the glad tidings of the Christ.

If others share this authority over you, do not I far more? Yet I have not availed myself of it, but am patiently enduring; so that I may not in any way hinder the progress of Christ’s gospel.

13 Do ye not know that they who labour [at] sacred things eat of the [offerings offered in the] temple; they that attend at the altar partake with the altar?

You know, do you not, that those who minister in the temple, and those who serve at the altar, get their portion of the sacrifices?

14 So also the Lord has ordained to those that announce the glad tidings to live of the glad tidings.

Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15 But I have used none of these things. Now I have not written these things that it should be thus in my case; for [it were] good for me rather to die than that any one should make vain my boast.

But for my part, I have never availed myself of any of these rights. I do not say this to bring it about in my own case. I would rather die than let any one make void this boast of mine.

16 For if I announce the glad tidings, I have nothing to boast of; for a necessity is laid upon me; for it is woe to me if I should not announce the glad tidings.

Proclaiming the gospel gives me no ground of boasting; for necessity is laid upon me; woe is me if I preach not the gospel.

17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with an administration.

For if I do this of my own accord, I have my pay; but if unwilling, I have at least discharged my stewardship.

18 What is the reward then that I have? That in announcing the glad tidings I make the glad tidings costless [to others], so as not to have made use, as belonging to me, of my right in [announcing] the glad tidings.

What then is my wage? This, that I can make the gospel free where I carry it; and that I can refrain from using my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

19 For being free from all, I have made myself bondman to all, that I might gain the most [possible].

Though free from all men, I make myself the slave of all, that I may win the more.

20 And I became to the Jews as a Jew, in order that I might gain the Jews: to those under law, as under law, not being myself under law, in order that I might gain those under law:

To the Jews I am become like a Jew, that I may win Jews; to those under the Law, like one under the Law, though I am not under the Law, myself;

21 to those without law, as without law, (not as without law to God, but as legitimately subject to Christ, ) in order that I might gain [those] without law.

to those outside the Law, as one outside the Law, to win those outside the Law (though I am not outside the law of God, but inside the law of Christ).

22 I became to the weak, [as] weak, in order that I might gain the weak. To all I have become all things, in order that at all events I might save some.

I am become weak to the weak, to win the weak. I am become all these things to all men that, by any and by all means, I may save some.

23 And I do all things for the sake of the glad tidings, that I may be fellow-partaker with them.

And I am doing it all for the gospel’s sake, that I may become a copartner in it.

24 Know ye not that they who run in [the] race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order that ye may obtain.

Do you not know that in a foot-race, though all run, only one receives the prize? So run that you may win.

25 But every one that contends [for a prize] is temperate in all things: they then indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

Every man who contends in the games continually trains himself by all manner of self-restraint. Now they do it to get a fading garland, but we, one that is unfading.

26 I therefore thus run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air.

For my part, then, I run with no wavering to the goal. I box not as one beating the air,

27 But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest [after] having preached to others I should be myself rejected.

but I bruise my body and keep it in subjection, lest having called others to the contest, I should myself be disqualified.