1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? haue I not seene Iesus Christ our Lord? are ye not my worke 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 be not an Apostle vnto other, yet doutlesse I am vnto you: for ye are the seale of mine 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 defence to them that examine mee, is this,

The defence that I make to my critics is this:

4 Haue we not power to eat and to drinke?

Haven’t we a right to food and drink?

5 Or haue we not power to lead about a wife being a sister, as well as the rest of the Apostles, and as the brethren 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 I only and Barnabas, haue not we power not to worke?

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to give up working for our bread?

7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his owne coste? who planteth a vineyarde, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flocke, and eateth not of the milke of the flocke?

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 Say I these thinges according to man? saith not the Lawe the same also?

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 Lawe of Moses, Thou shalt not mussell the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne: doeth God take care for 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 Either saith hee it not altogether for our sakes? For our sakes no doubt it is written, that he which eareth, should eare in hope, and that he that thresheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope.

Or is not is said entirely for our sakes? Surely it was written for our sakes, for the ploughman ought not to plough, nor the thrasher to thrash, without expecting a share of the grain.

11 If wee haue sowen vnto you spirituall thinges, is it a great thing if we reape your carnall thinges?

Since we, then, sowed spiritual seed for you, is it too much that we should reap from you an earthly harvest?

12 If others with you bee partakers of this power, are not we rather? neuerthelesse, we haue not vsed this power: but suffer all things, that we should not hinder the Gospel of 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 Doe ye not knowe, that they which minister about the holy things, eate of the things of the Temple? and they which waite at the altar, are partakers with 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 So also hath the Lord ordeined, that they which preach ye Gospel, should liue of the Gospel.

So, too, the Master has appointed that those who tell the good news should get their living from the good news.

15 But I haue vsed none of these things: neither wrote I these things, that it should be so done vnto me: for it were better for me to die, then that any man should make my reioycing vaine.

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 though I preach the Gospel, I haue nothing to reioyce of: for necessitie is laid vpon me, and woe is vnto me, if I preach not the Gospel.

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 it willingly, I haue a reward, but if I do it against my will, notwithstanding the dispensation is committed vnto me.

If I do this work willingly, I have a reward; but, if unwillingly, I have been charged to perform a duty.

18 What is my reward then? verely that when I preach the Gospel, I make the Gospel of Christ free, that I abuse not mine authoritie in ye Gospel.

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 though I bee free from all men, yet haue I made my selfe seruant vnto all men, that I might winne the moe.

Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone’s slave.

20 And vnto the Iewes, I become as a Iewe, that I may winne the Iewes: to them that are vnder the Lawe, as though I were vnder the Lawe, that I may winne them that are vnder the Lawe:

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 them that are without Lawe, as though I were without Lawe, (when I am not without Lawe as pertaining to God, but am in the Lawe through Christ) that I may winne them that are without Lawe:

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 weake I become as weake, that I may winne the weake: I am made all thinges to all men, that I might by all meanes saue 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 this I doe for the Gospels sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

And I do everything for the sake of the good news, so that with them I may share in its blessings.

24 Knowe ye not, that they which runne in a race, runne all, yet one receiueth the price? so runne that ye may obtaine.

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 euery man that proueth masteries, abstaineth from all things: and they do it to obtaine a corruptible crowne: but we for an vncorruptible.

Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.

26 I therefore so runne, not as vncertainely: so fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre.

I, therefore, do not run aimlessly. I do not box like a man hitting the air.

27 But I beate downe my body, and bring it into subiection, lest by any meanes after that I haue preached to other, I my selfe should be reproued.

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.