1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not 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 doubtless I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship 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 defense to those who examine me in this:

This is my reply to my critics.

4 do we not have authority to eat and to drink?

Have I no right to claim food and drink?

5 Do we not have authority to lead about a sister—a wife—as also the other apostles, and the brothers 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 do only Barnabas and I have no authority not to work?

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

7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds 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 according to man? Or does the Law not 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 has been written: “you will not muzzle an ox treading out grain”; does God care for 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 by all means does He say [it] because of us? Yes, because of us it was written, because in hope ought the plower to plow, and he who is treading [ought] of his hope to partake in hope.

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 sowed to you the spiritual things—[is it] great if we reap your fleshly 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 the authority over you—[do] we not more? But we did not use this authority, but we bear all things, that we may give no hindrance to the good news 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 Have you not known that those working about the things of the temple eat of the temple, and those waiting at the altar are partakers 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 directed to those proclaiming the good news to live of the good news.

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

15 And I have used none of these things; neither did I write these things that it may be so done in my case, for [it is] good for me rather to die, than that anyone may make my glorying void;

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 may proclaim good news, it is no glorying for me, for necessity is laid on me, and woe is to me if I may not proclaim good news;

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 willingly, I have a reward; and if unwillingly—I have been entrusted with a stewardship!

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, then, is my reward? That proclaiming good news, without charge I will make the good news of the Christ, not to abuse my authority in the good news;

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 men, I made myself servant to all men, that the more I might gain;

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

20 and to the Jews I became like a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those under law as under law, 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 being without law to God, but within law to Christ)—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 to the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; to all men I have become all things, that by all means I may 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 this because of the good news, that I may become a fellow-partaker of it;

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

24 have you not known that those running in a race—all indeed run, but one receives the prize? So run that you 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 and everyone who is striving is temperate in all things; these, indeed, then, that they may receive a corruptible garland, 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, not as uncertainly, thus I fight, as not beating air;

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

27 but I bruise my body, and bring [it] into servitude, lest by any means, having preached to others—I myself may become disapproved.

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