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?
ουκ ειμι αποστολος ουκ ειμι ελευθερος ουχι ιησουν χριστον τον κυριον ημων εωρακα ου το εργον μου υμεις εστε εν κυριω
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.
ει αλλοις ουκ ειμι αποστολος αλλα γε υμιν ειμι η γαρ σφραγις της εμης αποστολης υμεις εστε εν κυριω
3 That is how I vindicate myself to those who criticize me.
η εμη απολογια τοις εμε ανακρινουσιν αυτη εστιν
4 Have we not a right to claim food and drink?
μη ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν φαγειν και πιειν
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?
μη ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν αδελφην γυναικα περιαγειν ως και οι λοιποι αποστολοι και οι αδελφοι του κυριου και κηφας
6 Or again, is it only Barnabas and myself who are not at liberty to give up working with our hands?
η μονος εγω και βαρναβας ουκ εχομεν εξουσιαν του μη εργαζεσθαι
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?
τις στρατευεται ιδιοις οψωνιοις ποτε τις φυτευει αμπελωνα και εκ του καρπου αυτου ουκ εσθιει η τις ποιμαινει ποιμνην και εκ του γαλακτος της ποιμνης ουκ εσθιει
8 Am I making use of merely worldly illustrations? Does not the Law speak in the same tone?
μη κατα ανθρωπον ταυτα λαλω η ουχι και ο νομος ταυτα λεγει
9 For in the Law of Moses it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."
εν γαρ τω μωσεως νομω γεγραπται ου φιμωσεις βουν αλοωντα μη των βοων μελει τω θεω
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.
η δι ημας παντως λεγει δι ημας γαρ εγραφη οτι επ ελπιδι οφειλει ο αροτριων αροτριαν και ο αλοων της ελπιδος αυτου μετεχειν επ ελπιδι
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?
ει ημεις υμιν τα πνευματικα εσπειραμεν μεγα ει ημεις υμων τα σαρκικα θερισομεν
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.
ει αλλοι της εξουσιας υμων μετεχουσιν ου μαλλον ημεις αλλ ουκ εχρησαμεθα τη εξουσια ταυτη αλλα παντα στεγομεν ινα μη εγκοπην τινα δωμεν τω ευαγγελιω του χριστου
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?
ουκ οιδατε οτι οι τα ιερα εργαζομενοι εκ του ιερου εσθιουσιν οι τω θυσιαστηριω προσεδρευοντες τω θυσιαστηριω συμμεριζονται
14 In the same way the Lord also directed those who proclaim the Good News to maintain themselves by the Good News.
ουτως και ο κυριος διεταξεν τοις το ευαγγελιον καταγγελλουσιν εκ του ευαγγελιου ζην
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.
εγω δε ουδενι εχρησαμην τουτων ουκ εγραψα δε ταυτα ινα ουτως γενηται εν εμοι καλον γαρ μοι μαλλον αποθανειν η το καυχημα μου ινα τις κενωση
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!
εαν γαρ ευαγγελιζωμαι ουκ εστιν μοι καυχημα αναγκη γαρ μοι επικειται ουαι δε μοι εστιν εαν μη ευαγγελιζωμαι
17 And if I preach willingly, I receive my wages; but if against my will, a stewardship has nevertheless been entrusted to me.
ει γαρ εκων τουτο πρασσω μισθον εχω ει δε ακων οικονομιαν πεπιστευμαι
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.
τις ουν μοι εστιν ο μισθος ινα ευαγγελιζομενος αδαπανον θησω το ευαγγελιον του χριστου εις το μη καταχρησασθαι τη εξουσια μου εν τω ευαγγελιω
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.
ελευθερος γαρ ων εκ παντων πασιν εμαυτον εδουλωσα ινα τους πλειονας κερδησω
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;
και εγενομην τοις ιουδαιοις ως ιουδαιος ινα ιουδαιους κερδησω τοις υπο νομον ως υπο νομον ινα τους υπο νομον κερδησω
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.
τοις ανομοις ως ανομος μη ων ανομος θεω αλλ εννομος χριστω ινα κερδησω ανομους
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.
εγενομην τοις ασθενεσιν ως ασθενης ινα τους ασθενεις κερδησω τοις πασιν γεγονα τα παντα ινα παντως τινας σωσω
23 And I do everything for the sake of the Good News, that I may share with my hearers in its benefits.
τουτο δε ποιω δια το ευαγγελιον ινα συγκοινωνος αυτου γενωμαι
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.
ουκ οιδατε οτι οι εν σταδιω τρεχοντες παντες μεν τρεχουσιν εις δε λαμβανει το βραβειον ουτως τρεχετε ινα καταλαβητε
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.
πας δε ο αγωνιζομενος παντα εγκρατευεται εκεινοι μεν ουν ινα φθαρτον στεφανον λαβωσιν ημεις δε αφθαρτον
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,
εγω τοινυν ουτως τρεχω ως ουκ αδηλως ουτως πυκτευω ως ουκ αερα δερων
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.
αλλ υπωπιαζω μου το σωμα και δουλαγωγω μηπως αλλοις κηρυξας αυτος αδοκιμος γενωμαι
