1 Corinthians 9

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

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

2 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.

If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my office of apostle in the Lord.

3 This is my reply to my critics.

My defense to those who examine me is this.

4 Have I no right to claim food and drink?

Have we no right to eat and to drink?

5 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?

Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Kipha?

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

Or have only Bar-Naba and I no right to not work?

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

What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and does not drink from the flock's milk?

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

Do I say these things according to human authority? Or does not the Law also say the same thing?

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

For it is written in the Law of Mushe, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it for the oxen that God cares,

10 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.

or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in the hope of having a share.

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

If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?

12 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.

If others partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Meshikha.

13 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?

Do you not know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar?

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

Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News.

15 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.

But I have used none of these things, and I do not write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void.

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

For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about, because I am compelled to do this. Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News.

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

For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

18 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.

What then is my reward? That, when I preach the Good News, I may present the Good News without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.

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

For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.

20 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;

To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;

21 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).

to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Meshikha), that I might win those who are without law.

22 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.

To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I may by all means save some.

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

Now I do all things for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.

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

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.

25 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.

Now everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

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

I therefore run like that, as not uncertainly. I fight like that, as not beating the air,

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

but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.