1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Aren’t you my work in the Lord?

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 If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

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 My defense to those who examine me is this:

My answer to those who are judging me is this.

4 Have we no right to eat and to drink?

Have we no right to take food and drink?

5 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?

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 Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?

Or I only and Barnabas, have we no right to take a rest from work?

7 What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and doesn’t eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and doesn’t drink from the flock’s milk?

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 Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

Am I talking as a man? does not the law say the same?

9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it for the oxen that God cares,

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 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 hope should partake of his hope.

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 If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?

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 If others partake of this right over you, don’t we yet more? Nevertheless we didn’t use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.

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 Don’t you 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?

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 Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News.

Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news.

15 But I have used none of these things, and I don’t 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.

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 For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about, for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me if I don’t preach the Good News.

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 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.

But if I do it gladly, I have a reward; and if not, I am under orders to do it.

18 What then is my reward? That when I preach the Good News, I may present the Good News of Christ without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.

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 For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.

For though I was free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that more might have salvation.

20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;

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 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.

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 To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.

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 Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.

And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it.

24 Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, so that you may win.

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 Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

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 I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air,

So then I am running, not uncertainly; so I am fighting, not as one who gives blows in the air:

27 but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

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.