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 our Lord Jesus? Are not you yourselves my work achieved in union with 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, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal that stamps me as an Apostle in union with the Lord.
3 My defence, unto them who are examining me, is this:
The defence that I make to my critics is this:
4 Have we not a right to eat and drink?
Have not we a right to food 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 not we a right to take a wife with us, if she is a Christian, as the other Apostles and the Master’s brothers and Kephas all do?
6 Or have, only I and Barnabas, not a right to forbear working?
Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to give up working for our bread?
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?
Does any one ever serve as a soldier at his own expense? Does any one plant a vineyard and not eat its produce? Or does any one look after a herd and not drink the 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?
Am I, in all this, speaking only from the human standpoint? Does not the Law also say the same?
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 said — ‘Thou shalt not muzzle a bullock while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it the bullocks that God is thinking of?
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 is not is said entirely for our sakes? Surely it was written for our sakes, for the ploughman ought not to plough, nor the thrasher to thrash, without expecting a share of the grain.
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?
Since we, then, sowed spiritual seed for you, is it too much that we should reap from you an earthly harvest?
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 share in this right over you, do not we even more? Still we did not avail ourselves of this right. No, we endure anything rather than impede the progress of the Good News of the 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 not you know that those who do the work of the Temple live on what comes from the Temple, and that those who serve at the altar share the offerings with the altar?
14 Thus, also, hath the Lord, appointed—that, they who the glad message tell, should, of the glad-message, live.
So, too, the Master has appointed that those who tell the Good News should get their living from the Good News.
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!
I, however, have not availed myself of any of these rights. I am not saying this to secure such an arrangement for myself; indeed, I would far rather die — Nobody shall make my boast a vain one!
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 tell the Good News, I have nothing to boast of, for I can but do so. Woe is me if I do not tell it!
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 work willingly, I have a reward; but, if unwillingly, I have been charged to perform a duty.
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 is my reward, then? To present the Good News free of all cost, and so make but a sparing use of the rights which it gives me.
19 For, though free from all, unto all, myself, I enslaved, —that, the larger number, I might win:
Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone’s slave.
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, to win Jews. To those who are subject to Law I became like a man subject to Law — though I was not myself subject to Law — to win those who are subject to 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 who have no Law I became like a man who has no Law — not that I am free from God’s Law; no, for I am under Christ’s Law — to win those who have no 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 weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so as at all costs to save some.
23 But, all things, am I doing, for the sake of the glad-message, that a joint-partaker thereof, I may become.
And I do everything for the sake of the Good News, that with them 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 not you know that on a race-course, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
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 exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.
26 I, therefore, so, am running, as, not uncertainly, so, am boxing, as not thrashing air;
I, therefore, run with no uncertain aim. I box — not like a man hitting 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.
No, I bruise my body and make it my slave, lest I, who have called others to the contest, should myself be rejected.
