1 Corinthians 9

1 Am not free? Am I not an apostle? Jesus our Lord, have I not seen? Are not, ye, my work, in the Lord?

Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen the Lord Jesus? are you not my work in the Lord?

2 If, unto others, I am not an apostle, certainly at least, unto you, I am; for, the seal of my apostleship, ye, are in the Lord.

If I am not an apostle to others, but I am to you at least: for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 My defence, unto them who are examining me, is this:

My defence to those calling me in question is this.

4 Have we not a right to eat and drink?

Have we not a right to eat and drink?

5 Have we not a right to take round, a sister wife, —as even the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

Have we not a right to lead about a sister as a wife, as the other apostles also, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

6 Or have, only I and Barnabas, not a right to forbear working?

Have I and Barnabas alone not the right to forbear working?

7 Who serveth as a soldier, at his own charges, at any time? Who planteth a vineyard, —and, the fruit thereof, doth not eat? [Or] who shepherdeth a flock, —and, of the milk of the flock, doth not eat?

Whoever goes to war at his own charges? who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? or who shepherdizes a flock, and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

8 Is it, after the manner of men, that these things I am saying? Or doth not, even the law, the same things, say?

Whether do I speak these things according to a man? or does not the law indeed say these things?

9 For, in the law of Moses, it is written—Thou shalt not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn: —Is it, for the oxen, God is caring?

For in the law of Moses it has been written, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that plows. Is there a care to God for oxen,

10 Or, for our sakes altogether, is he saying it? For our sakes, it was written; because, he that ploweth, ought, to plow, in hope, —and, he that thresheth, [to thresh] in hope of partaking.

or does he speak it altogether on account of us? For it was written on account of us, That the one plowing ought to plow in hope, and the one threshing in hope of partaking.

11 If, we, unto you, the things of the Spirit have sown, is it a great matter, if, we, of you, the things of the flesh shall reap?

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

12 If, others, of this right, over you, are partaking, [should] not rather, we? nevertheless, we used not this right; but, all [such] things, do we conceal, —lest we should cause any hindrance unto the glad message of the Christ.

If others partake of your bounty, shall not we the more? But we have not used this privilege, but we bear all things, in order that we may not give a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

13 Know ye not that, they who labour in the holy rites, do eat the provisions out of the holy place? They who at the altar wait, do, with the altar, share?

Do you not know that those working in the sacrifices eat those things of the temple; and those serving the altar partake of the altar?

14 Thus, also, hath the Lord, appointed—that, they who the glad message tell, should, of the glad-message, live.

So also the Lord has commanded those preaching the gospel to live of the gospel.

15 I, however, have not used any of these things; and have not written these things, in order that, so it should be done, in my case; for it were, good for me, rather to die than——my boast, shall, no man, make void!

But I have used none of these things. But I have not written these things that it may be so in me: for it is good for me rather to die than that any one shall make void my boasting.

16 For, if I be telling the glad-message, it is, with me, no matter of boasting; for, necessity, upon me, lieth, —for it is, Woe to me, if I should not be telling the glad-message;

For if I preach the gospel, there is no boasting to me; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me, if I may not preach the gospel.

17 For, if, by choice, this thing I am doing, I have, a reward; but, if not by choice, with a stewardship, have I been entrusted!

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward: but if unwillingly, I have been intrusted with a dispensation.

18 What, then, is my reward? that, in telling the glad-message, free of cost, I should put the glad-message, —to the end I should not use to the full my right in the glad-message.

Then what is my reward? that preaching the gospel, I may render the gospel free from charge, in order that I may not use my right in the gospel.

19 For, though free from all, unto all, myself, I enslaved, —that, the larger number, I might win:

For being free from all, I rendered myself servant to all, that I may gain the more.

20 Therefore became I, to the Jews, as, a Jew, —that, Jews, I might win; to them who were under law, as, under law, not being, myself, under law, —that, them who were under law, I might win;

And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I may gain the Jews; to those under the law, as under the law, not myself being under law, that I may gain those under the law;

21 To them who were without law, as, without law, —not being without law to God, but lawfully subject to Christ, —that I might win them who were without law.

to those without law, I became as without law, not being without the law of God, but under the law of Christ, that I may gain those without law.

22 I became, unto the weak, weak, —that, the weak, I might win; —to all men, have I become all things, that, by all means, some, I might save.

To the weak I became as weak, that I may gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I may indeed save some.

23 But, all things, am I doing, for the sake of the glad-message, that a joint-partaker thereof, I may become.

But I do all these things for the sake of the gospel, that I may be its fellow-partaker.

24 Know ye not that, they who, in a racecourse, run, all, indeed, run, —but, one, receiveth the prize? So, be running, that ye may lay hold.

Do you not know that those running in the stadium, indeed all run, and one receives the prize? So run, that you may receive it.

25 But, every man who striveth in the games, in all things, useth self-control; —they, indeed, then, that a corruptible crown, they may receive; but, we, an incorruptible!

But every one contesting is abstinent in all things, they indeed also that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

26 I, therefore, so, am running, as, not uncertainly, so, am boxing, as not thrashing air;

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, do I thus fight not as beating the air:

27 But am beating my body under, and leading it captive, lest, by any means, —unto others, having proclaimed, [the contest], I myself, should be rejected.

but I keep my body under, and enslave it, lest having preached the gospel to others, I myself may become disapproved.