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 free? Am I not an apostle? Jesus our Lord, have I not seen? Are not, ye, 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.
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.
3 That is how I vindicate myself to those who criticize me.
My defence, unto them who are examining me, is this:
4 Have we not a right to claim food and drink?
Have we not a right to eat and 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 a right to take round, a sister wife, —as even 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 have, only I and Barnabas, not a right to forbear working?
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 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?
8 Am I making use of merely worldly illustrations? Does not the Law speak in the same tone?
Is it, after the manner of men, that these things I am saying? Or doth not, even the law, the same things, say?
9 For in the Law of Moses it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."
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?
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, 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.
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, 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?
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, 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.
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 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?
14 In the same way the Lord also directed those who proclaim the Good News to maintain themselves by the Good News.
Thus, also, hath the Lord, appointed—that, they who the glad message tell, should, of the glad-message, live.
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.
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!
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 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;
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, by choice, this thing I am doing, I have, a reward; but, if not by choice, with a stewardship, have I been entrusted!
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, 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.
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, though free from all, unto all, myself, I enslaved, —that, the larger number, I might win:
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;
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;
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 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.
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.
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.
23 And I do everything for the sake of the Good News, that I may share with my hearers in its benefits.
But, all things, am I doing, for the sake of the glad-message, that a joint-partaker thereof, I may become.
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 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.
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.
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!
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, am running, as, not uncertainly, so, am boxing, as not thrashing 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 am beating my body under, and leading it captive, lest, by any means, —unto others, having proclaimed, [the contest], I myself, should be rejected.
