1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not free? Am I not an Apostle? Can it be denied that I have seen Jesus, our Lord? Are not you yourselves my work in the Lord?

Am not I free? Am not I an apostle? Have not I seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord?

2 If to other men I am not an Apostle, yet at any rate I am one to you; for your very existence as a Christian Church is the seal of my Apostleship.

And if unto others I be not an apostle, but yet to you I am. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 That is how I vindicate myself to those who criticize me.

My defence with them that do examine me is this.

4 Have we not a right to claim food and drink?

Have not we power to eat and to drink?

5 Have we not a right to take with us on our journeys a Christian sister as our wife, as the rest of the Apostles do--and the Lord's brothers and Peter?

Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

6 Or again, is it only Barnabas and myself who are not at liberty to give up working with our hands?

Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this?

7 What soldier ever serves at his own cost? Who plants a vineyard and yet does not eat any of the grapes? Or who tends a herd of cattle and yet does not taste their milk?

Who serveth as a soldier at any time, at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

8 Am I making use of merely worldly illustrations? Does not the Law speak in the same tone?

Speak I these things according to man? Or doth not the law also say these things?

9 For in the Law of Moses it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."

For it is written in the law of Moses: Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

10 Is God simply thinking about the oxen? Or is it really in our interest that He speaks? Of course, it was written in our interest, because it is His will that when a plough-man ploughs, and a thresher threshes, it should be in the hope of sharing that which comes as the result.

Or doth he say this indeed for our sakes? For these things are written for our sakes: that he that plougheth, should plough in hope; and he that thrasheth, in hope to receive fruit.

11 If it is we who sowed the spiritual grain in you, is it a great thing that we should reap a temporal harvest from you?

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

12 If other teachers possess that right over you, do not we possess it much more? Yet we have not availed ourselves of the right, but we patiently endure all things rather than hinder in the least degree the progress of the Good News of the Christ.

If others be partakers of this power over you, why not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power: but we bear all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

13 Do you not know that those who perform the sacred rites have their food from the sacred place, and that those who serve at the altar all alike share with the altar?

Know you not, that they who work in the holy place, eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar, partake with the altar?

14 In the same way the Lord also directed those who proclaim the Good News to maintain themselves by the Good News.

So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel, should live by the gospel.

15 But I, for my part, have not used, and do not use, my full rights in any of these things. Nor do I now write with that object so far as I myself am concerned, for I would rather die than have anybody make this boast of mine an empty one.

But I have used none of these things. Neither have I written these things, that they should be so done unto me: for it is good for me to die, rather than that any man should make my glory void.

16 If I go on preaching the Good News, that is nothing for me to boast of; for the necessity is imposed upon me; and alas for me, if I fail to preach it!

For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity lieth upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

17 And if I preach willingly, I receive my wages; but if against my will, a stewardship has nevertheless been entrusted to me.

For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me:

18 What are my wages then? The very fact that the Good News which I preach will cost my hearers nothing, so that I cannot be charged with abuse of my privileges as a Christian preacher.

What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

19 Though free from all human control, I have made myself the slave of all in the hope of winning as many converts as possible.

For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more.

20 To the Jews I have become like a Jew in order to win Jews; to men under the Law as if I were under the Law--although I am not--in order to win those who are under the Law;

And I became to the Jews, a Jew, that I might gain the Jews:

21 to men without Law as if I were without Law--although I am not without Law in relation to God but am abiding in Christ's Law--in order to win those who are without Law.

To them that are under the law, as if I were under the law, (whereas myself was not under the law, ) that I might gain them that were under the law. To them that were without the law, as if I were without the law, (whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in the law of Christ, ) that I might gain them that were without the law.

22 To the weak I have become weak, so as to gain the weak. To all men I have become all things, in the hope that in every one of these ways I may save some.

To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all.

23 And I do everything for the sake of the Good News, that I may share with my hearers in its benefits.

And I do all things for the gospel’s sake: that I may be made partaker thereof.

24 Do you not know that in the foot-race the runners all run, but that only one gets the prize? You must run like him, in order to win with certainty.

Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain.

25 But every competitor in an athletic contest practices abstemiousness in all directions. They indeed do this for the sake of securing a perishable wreath, but we for the sake of securing one that will not perish.

And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one.

26 That is how I run, not being in any doubt as to my goal. I am a boxer who does not inflict blows on the air,

I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air:

27 but I hit hard and straight at my own body and lead it off into slavery, lest possibly, after I have been a herald to others, I should myself be rejected.

But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.