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 an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? 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 to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

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

This is my defense to those who examine me.

4 Have we not a right to eat and drink?

Do we not have a right to eat and to 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?

Do we not have a right to take along a wife who is a sister in Christ, as do the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

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

Or is it only Barnabas and I who must work to support ourselves?

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?

Who at any time serves as a soldier while supplying his own provisions? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?

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

Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same thing?

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 is written, “Yoʋ shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned?

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 entirely for our sake? Yes, this was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope ought to partake of his hope.

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 spiritual blessings among you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

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 have a share in this right over you, do not we have it even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure everything so that we may not give any 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 who perform sacred services eat of the temple sacrifices, and those who attend to the altar have a share in the altar sacrifices?

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

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should earn their living by 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 not used any of these rights, and I am not writing this so that such may be done in my case. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my reason for 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;

If I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach, and woe to me if I do 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!

If I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if I do it under compulsion, it is because I have been entrusted with a responsibility.

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.

What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may present the gospel of Christ free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

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

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, in order to win as many as possible.

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;

To the Jews I became like a Jew, so that I might win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law, so that I might win 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 outside the law I became like one outside the law (though I am not outside the law of God but under the law of Christ), so that I might win those outside the 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 like one who is weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some.

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

I do this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

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 who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain 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!

Every athlete who competes exercises self-control in all things. They do so to receive a perishable wreath, but we do so to receive an imperishable crown.

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

Therefore I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though 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 discipline my body and make it my slave, lest somehow after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.