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 a free man? Or, am I not a legate? Or, have I not seen Jesus Messiah our Lord? Or, have ye not been my work in my Lord?

2 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.

And if I have not been a legate to others, yet I have been so to you; and ye are the seal of my legateship.

3 My defense to those who examine me is this.

And my apology to my judgers, is this:

4 Have we no right to eat and to drink?

Have we not authority, to eat and to drink?

5 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 Cephas?

Or have we not authority to carry about with us a sister as a wife; just as the other legates, and the brothers of our Lord, and as Cephas?

6 Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?

Or I only, and Barnabas, have we no right to forbear labor?

7 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?

Who, that serveth in war, doth so at his own expense? Or who, that planteth a vineyard, eateth not of its fruits? Or who, that tendeth sheep, eateth not of the milk of his flocks?

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

Is it as a man, I say these things? Behold, the law also saith them.

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

For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that thresheth. Hath God regard for oxen?

10 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.

But manifest it is, for whose sake he said it. And indeed, for our sakes it was written: because the plougher ought to plough in hope, and the thresher in hope of fruit.

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

If we have sowed among you the things of the Spirit, is it a great matter, if we reap from you the things of the body?

12 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 Christ.

And if others have this prerogative over you, doth it not belong still more to us? Yet we have not used this prerogative; but we have endured every thing, that we might in nothing impede the announcement of the Messiah.

13 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?

Know ye not, that they who serve in a temple, are fed from the temple? And they who serve at the altar, participate with the altar?

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

Thus also hath our Lord commanded, that they who proclaim his gospel, should live by his gospel.

15 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.

But I have used none of these things: and I write not, that it may be so done to me; for it would be better for me to actually die, than that any one should make void my glorying.

16 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.

For while I preach, I have no ground of glorying; because necessity is laid upon me, and woe to me, if I preach not.

17 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.

For if I do this voluntarily, there is a reward for me: but if involuntarily, a stewardship is intrusted to me.

18 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.

What then is my reward? It is, that when I preach, I make the announcement of the Messiah without cost, and use not the prerogative given me in the gospel.

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

Being free from them all, I have made myself servant to every man; that I might gain many:

20 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;

and with the Jews, I was as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; and with those under the law, I was as under the law, that I might gain them who are under the law;

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

and to those who have not the law, I was as without the law, (although I am not without law to God, but under the law of the Messiah, ) that I might gain them that are without the law.

22 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.

I was with the weak, as weak, that I might gain the weak: I was all things to all men, that I might vivify every one.

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

And this I do, that I may participate in the announcement.

24 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.

Know ye not that they who run in the stadium, run all of them; yet it is one who gaineth the victory. Run ye, so as to attain.

25 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.

For every one who engageth in the contest, restraineth his desires in every thing. And they run, to obtain a crown that perisheth; but we, one that perisheth not.

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

I therefore so run, not as for something unknown; and I so struggle, not as struggling against air;

27 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.

but I subdue my body, and reduce it to servitude; lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a reprobate.