1 Corinthians 9

1 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?

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

If I am not an apostle to others—yet doubtless I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the LORD.

3 This is my defense to those who examine me.

My defense to those who examine me in this:

4 Do we not have a right to eat and to drink?

do we not have authority to eat and to drink?

5 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?

Do we not have authority to lead about a sister—a wife—as also the other apostles, and the brothers of the LORD, and Cephas?

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

Or do only Barnabas and I have no authority not to work?

7 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?

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

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

Do I speak these things according to man? Or does the Law not also say these things?

9 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?

For in the Law of Moses it has been written: “you will not muzzle an ox treading out grain”; does God care for the oxen?

10 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.

Or by all means does He say [it] because of us? Yes, because of us it was written, because in hope ought the plower to plow, and he who is treading [ought] of his hope to partake in hope.

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

If we sowed to you the spiritual things—[is it] great if we reap your fleshly things?

12 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.

If others partake of the authority over you—[do] we not more? But we did not use this authority, but we bear all things, that we may give no hindrance to the good news of the Christ.

13 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?

Have you not known that those working about the things of the temple eat of the temple, and those waiting at the altar are partakers with the altar?

14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

So also the LORD directed to those proclaiming the good news to live of the good news.

15 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.

And I have used none of these things; neither did I write these things that it may be so done in my case, for [it is] good for me rather to die, than that anyone may make my glorying void;

16 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.

for if I may proclaim good news, it is no glorying for me, for necessity is laid on me, and woe is to me if I may not proclaim good news;

17 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.

for if I do this willingly, I have a reward; and if unwillingly—I have been entrusted with a stewardship!

18 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.

What, then, is my reward? That proclaiming good news, without charge I will make the good news of the Christ, not to abuse my authority in the good news;

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

for being free from all men, I made myself servant to all men, that the more I might gain;

20 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.

and to the Jews I became like a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those under law as under law, that I might gain those under law;

21 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.

to those without law, as without law—(not being without law to God, but within law to Christ)—that I might gain those without law;

22 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.

to the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; to all men I have become all things, that by all means I may save some.

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

And I do this because of the good news, that I may become a fellow-partaker of it;

24 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.

have you not known that those running in a race—all indeed run, but one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain;

25 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.

and everyone who is striving is temperate in all things; these, indeed, then, that they may receive a corruptible garland, but we an incorruptible;

26 Therefore I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air;

I, therefore, thus run, not as uncertainly, thus I fight, as not beating air;

27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, lest somehow after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

but I bruise my body, and bring [it] into servitude, lest by any means, having preached to others—I myself may become disapproved.