Προς Κορινθιους Α΄ 9
1 Οὐκ εἰμὶ ⸂ἐλεύθερος; οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος⸃; οὐχὶ ⸀Ἰησοῦν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἑόρακα; οὐ τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ;
Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord?
2 εἰ ἄλλοις οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλά γε ὑμῖν εἰμι, ἡ γὰρ σφραγίς ⸂μου τῆς ἀποστολῆς ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ.
If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle.
3 Ἡ ἐμὴ ἀπολογία τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀνακρίνουσίν ⸂ἐστιν αὕτη.
My answer to those who are judging me is this.
4 μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ ⸀πεῖν
Have we no right to take food and drink?
5 μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ Κηφᾶς;
Have we no right to take about with us a Christian wife, like the rest of the Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρναβᾶς οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ⸀μὴἐργάζεσθαι;
Or I only and Barnabas, have we no right to take a rest from work?
7 τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα καὶ ⸂τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; ⸀τίςποιμαίνει ποίμνην καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης οὐκ ἐσθίει;
Who ever goes to war without looking to someone to be responsible for his payment? who puts in vines and does not take the fruit of them? or who takes care of sheep without drinking of their milk?
8 Μὴ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ταῦτα λαλῶ ἢ ⸂καὶ ὁ νόμος ταῦτα οὐ λέγει;
Am I talking as a man? does not the law say the same?
9 ἐν γὰρ τῷ Μωϋσέως νόμῳ γέγραπται· Οὐ ⸀κημώσειςβοῦν ἀλοῶντα. μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ θεῷ,
For it says in the law of Moses, It is not right to keep the ox from taking the grain when he is crushing it. Is it for the oxen that God is giving orders?
10 ἢ διʼ ἡμᾶς πάντως λέγει; διʼ ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγράφη, ὅτι ⸂ὀφείλει ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾶν, καὶ ὁ ἀλοῶν ⸂ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι τοῦ μετέχειν.
Or has he us in mind? Yes, it was said for us; because it is right for the ploughman to do his ploughing in hope, and for him who is crushing the grain to do his work hoping for a part in the fruits of it.
11 εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐσπείραμεν, μέγα εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν τὰ σαρκικὰ θερίσομεν;
If we have been planting the things of the Spirit for you, does it seem a great thing for you to give us a part in your things of this world?
12 εἰ ἄλλοι τῆς ⸂ὑμῶν ἐξουσίας μετέχουσιν, οὐ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς; Ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀλλὰ πάντα στέγομεν ἵνα μή ⸂τινα ἐγκοπὴν⸃ δῶμεν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
If others have a part in this right over you, have we not even more? But we did not make use of our right, so that we might put nothing in the way of the good news of Christ.
13 οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ τὰἱερὰ ἐργαζόμενοι ⸀τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσθίουσιν, οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ ⸀παρεδρεύοντεςτῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζονται;
Do you not see that the servants of the holy things get their living from the Temple, and the servants of the altar have their part in the food which is offered on the altar?
14 οὕτως καὶ ὁ κύριος διέταξεν τοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσιν ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ζῆν.
Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news.
15 Ἐγὼ δὲ ⸂οὐ κέχρημαι οὐδενὶ τούτων. οὐκ ἔγραψα δὲ ταῦτα ἵνα οὕτως γένηται ἐν ἐμοί, καλὸν γάρ μοι μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν ἤ— τὸ καύχημά μου ⸂οὐδεὶς κενώσει.
But I have not made use of any of these things: and I am not writing this in the hope that it may be so for me: for it would be better for me to undergo death, than for any man to make this pride of mine of no effect.
16 ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα, ἀνάγκη γάρμοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ ⸀γάρ μοί ἐστιν ἐὰν μὴ ⸀εὐαγγελίσωμαι
For if I am a preacher of the good news, I have no cause for pride in this; because I am forced to do so, for a curse is on me if I do not.
17 εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι.
But if I do it gladly, I have a reward; and if not, I am under orders to do it.
18 τίς οὖν ⸀μούἐστιν ὁ μισθός; ἵνα εὐαγγελιζόμενος ἀδάπανον θήσω τὸ ⸀εὐαγγέλιον εἰς τὸ μὴ καταχρήσασθαι τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.
What then is my reward? This, that when I am giving the good news, I may give it without payment, not making use of my rights as a preacher of the good news.
19 Ἐλεύθερος γὰρ ὢν ἐκ πάντων πᾶσιν ἐμαυτὸν ἐδούλωσα, ἵνα τοὺς πλείονας κερδήσω·
For though I was free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that more might have salvation.
20 καὶ ἐγενόμην τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὡς Ἰουδαῖος, ἵνα Ἰουδαίους κερδήσω· τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον ὡς ὑπὸ νόμον, ⸂μὴ ὢν αὐτὸς ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον κερδήσω·
And to the Jews I was as a Jew, so that I might give the good news to them; to those under the law I was the same, not as being myself under the law, but so that I might give the good news to those under the law.
21 τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος, μὴ ὢν ἄνομος ⸀θεοῦἀλλʼ ἔννομος ⸀Χριστοῦ ἵνα ⸀κερδάνω⸀τοὺςἀνόμους·
To those without the law I was as one without the law, not as being without law to God, but as under law to Christ, so that I might give the good news to those without the law.
22 ἐγενόμην τοῖς ⸀ἀσθενέσινἀσθενής, ἵνα τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς κερδήσω· τοῖς πᾶσιν ⸀γέγοναπάντα, ἵνα πάντως τινὰς σώσω.
To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation.
23 ⸀πάνταδὲ ποιῶ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.
And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it.
24 Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἐν σταδίῳ τρέχοντες πάντες μὲν τρέχουσιν, εἷς δὲ λαμβάνει τὸ βραβεῖον; οὕτως τρέχετε ἵνα καταλάβητε.
Do you not see that in a running competition all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward.
25 πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται, ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβωσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄφθαρτον.
And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown.
26 ἐγὼ τοίνυν οὕτως τρέχω ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως, οὕτως πυκτεύω ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέρων·
So then I am running, not uncertainly; so I am fighting, not as one who gives blows in the air:
27 ἀλλὰ ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι.
But I give blows to my body, and keep it under control, for fear that, after having given the good news to others, I myself might not have God's approval.
