1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have not I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Are not 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.

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

3 My defense to those who examine me is this:

This is my reply to my critics.

4 Have we no right to eat and to drink?

Have I no right to claim 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 I no right to take a believing wife with me on my journey, as the rest of the apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter do?

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

Are we the only ones, Barnabas and I, who have no right to give up manual labor?

7 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?

What soldier ever serves at his own expense? What farmer ever plants a vineyard and his flock and does not taste the milk?

8 Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or does not the law also say the same thing?

Am I saying this on human authority only, or does not the Law also 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,

Yea, in the Law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while he is treading out the grain.

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.

Is it the oxen that God is thinking about, or is it really said for our sakes? It was written for us; because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher in hope of getting a share of the crop.

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

If I have sown for you the seeds of spiritual good, is it a great thing if I reap from you temporal goods?

12 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.

If others share this authority over you, do not I far more? Yet I have not availed myself of it, but am patiently enduring; so that I may not in any way hinder the progress of Christ’s gospel.

13 Do not 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?

You know, do you not, that those who minister in the temple, and those who serve at the altar, get their portion of the sacrifices?

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

Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15 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.

But for my part, I have never availed myself of any of these rights. I do not say this to bring it about in my own case. I would rather die than let any one make void this boast of mine.

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 do not preach the Good News.

Proclaiming the gospel gives me no ground of boasting; for necessity is laid upon me; woe is me if I preach not the gospel.

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.

For if I do this of my own accord, I have my pay; but if unwilling, I have at least discharged my stewardship.

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 wage? This, that I can make the gospel free where I carry it; and that I can refrain from using my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

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

Though free from all men, I make myself the slave of all, that I may win the more.

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;

To the Jews I am become like a Jew, that I may win Jews; to those under the Law, like one under the Law, though I am not under the Law, myself;

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 outside the Law, as one outside the Law, to win those outside the Law (though I am not outside the law of God, but inside the law of Christ).

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.

I am become weak to the weak, to win the weak. I am become all these things to all men that, by any and by all means, I may save some.

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

And I am doing it all for the gospel’s sake, that I may become a copartner in it.

24 Do not 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 know that in a foot-race, though all run, only one receives the prize? So run that you may win.

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.

Every man who contends in the games continually trains himself by all manner of self-restraint. Now they do it to get a fading garland, but we, one that is unfading.

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

For my part, then, I run with no wavering to the goal. I box not as one beating 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 bruise my body and keep it in subjection, lest having called others to the contest, I should myself be disqualified.