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, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my office of apostle in the Lord.
3 Ἡ ἐμὴ ἀπολογία τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀνακρίνουσίν ἐστιν αὕτη:
My defense to those who examine me is this.
4 μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ πεῖν;
Have we no right to eat and to 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 along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρναβᾶς, οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι;
Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?
7 Τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; Τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; Ἢ τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης, οὐκ ἐσθίει;
What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and does not drink from the flock's milk?
8 Μὴ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, ταῦτα λαλῶ, ἢ καὶ ὁ νόμος ταῦτα οὐ λέγει;
Do I say these things according to human authority? Or does not the Law also say the same thing?
9 Ἐν γὰρ τῷ Μωϋσέως νόμῳ, γέγραπται, “Οὐ φιμώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα.” Μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ ˚Θεῷ;
For it is written in the Law of Moses, "Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it for the oxen that God cares,
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 does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in the hope of having a share.
11 Εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐσπείραμεν, μέγα εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν τὰ σαρκικὰ θερίσομεν;
If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?
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 partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.
13 Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ ἐργαζόμενοι, ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσθίουσιν, οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύοντες, τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζονται;
Do you not know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar?
14 Οὕτως καὶ ὁ ˚Κύριος διέταξεν τοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσιν, ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ζῆν.
Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live 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, ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου οὐδεὶς κενώσει.
But I have used none of these things, and I do not write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void.
16 Ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα, ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ γάρ μοί ἐστιν, ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίζωμαι.
For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about, because I am compelled to do this. Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News.
17 Εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι.
For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.
18 Τίς οὖν μού ἐστιν ὁ μισθός; Ἵνα εὐαγγελιζόμενος ἀδάπανον, θήσω τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, εἰς τὸ μὴ καταχρήσασθαι τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.
What then is my reward? That, when I preach the Good News, I may present the Good News without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.
19 Ἐλεύθερος γὰρ ὢν ἐκ πάντων, πᾶσιν ἐμαυτὸν ἐδούλωσα, ἵνα τοὺς πλείονας κερδήσω.
For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
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·
To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;
21 τοῖς ἀνόμοις, ὡς ἄνομος, μὴ ὢν ἄνομος ˚Θεοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἔννομος ˚Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κερδάνω τοὺς ἀνόμους.
to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.
22 Ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν, ἀσθενής, ἵνα τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς κερδήσω. Τοῖς πᾶσιν γέγονα πάντα, ἵνα πάντως τινὰς σώσω.
To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I may by all means save some.
23 Πάντα δὲ ποιῶ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.
Now I do all things for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.
24 Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἐν σταδίῳ τρέχοντες, πάντες μὲν τρέχουσιν, εἷς δὲ λαμβάνει τὸ βραβεῖον; Οὕτως τρέχετε, ἵνα καταλάβητε.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.
25 Πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος, πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται, ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβωσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄφθαρτον.
Now everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
26 Ἐγὼ τοίνυν οὕτως τρέχω, ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως, οὕτως πυκτεύω, ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέρων·
I therefore run like that, as not uncertainly. I fight like that, as not beating the air,
27 ἀλλὰ ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα, καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι.
but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
