1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen our Lord Jesus? Aren’t you yourselves my work achieved in union with the Lord?

Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? and are not ye my work in the Lord?

2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal that stamps me as an apostle in union with the Lord.

If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you: for ye are in the Lord the seal of my apostleship.

3 The defence that I make to my critics is this:

And this is my answer to them that call me to account: have we not power to eat and to drink?

4 Haven’t we a right to food and drink?

have

5 Haven’t we a right to take a wife with us, if she is a Christian, as the other apostles and the Master’s brothers and Cephas all do?

we not power to lead about with us a sister a wife as well as other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to give up working for our bread?

Or is it I only and Barnabas, that have not power to forbear working?

7 Does anyone ever serve as a soldier at his own expense? Does anyone plant a vineyard and not eat its produce? Or does anyone look after a herd and not drink the milk?

Who ever goes a warfare at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and doth not eat of the fruit of it? or who feedeth a flock, and doth not eat of the milk of the flock?

8 Am I, in all this, speaking only from the human standpoint? Does not the Law also say the same?

Do I speak these things as a man only?

9 For in the Law of Moses it is said – “You should not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it the bullocks that God is thinking of?

or saith not the law the same also? for it is written in the law of Moses, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." Now doth God take care for oxen,

10 Or is not is said entirely for our sakes? Surely it was written for our sakes, for the ploughman ought not to plough, nor the thrasher to thrash, without expecting a share of the grain.

or doth He say this indeed for our sakes? For it is certainly written for our sakes, that he, who ploweth, might plow in hope; and that he, who thresheth in hope, should partake of his hope.

11 Since we, then, sowed spiritual seed for you, is it too much that we should reap from you an earthly harvest?

If we then have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?

12 If others share in this right over you, don’t we even more? Still we did not avail ourselves of this right. No, we endure anything rather than impede the progress of the good news of the Christ.

If others partake of this power over you, may not we rather? though we have not used this power; but we bear all things, least we should cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

13 Don’t you know that those who do the work of the Temple live on what comes from the Temple, and that those who serve at the altar share the offerings with the altar?

Do ye not know, that they who are employed about the sacrifices have their food from the temple? and they, who attend at the altar, are partakers with the altar?

14 So, too, the Master has appointed that those who tell the good news should get their living from the good news.

So also the Lord hath ordained, that those who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.

15 I, however, have not availed myself of any of these rights. I am not saying this to secure such an arrangement for myself; indeed, I would far rather die – Nobody will make my boast a vain one!

But I have availed myself of none of these things. Nor have I written these things, that it might be so done as to me: for it were better for me to die, than that any one should make this my glorying void.

16 If I proclaim the good news, I have nothing to boast of, for I am compelled to do so. Woe is me if I do not share it!

For if I preach the gospel, yet I have no ground for boasting; because I am under necessity to do it: and wo is me if I do not preach the Gospel.

17 If I do this work willingly, I have a reward; but, if unwillingly, I have been charged to perform a duty.

Now if I do this willingly, I have a reward; and if unwillingly, yet I am intrusted with the commission, and I must execute it.

18 What is my reward, then? To present the good news free of all cost, and so make but a sparing use of the rights which it gives me.

What is my reward then but this? that when I preach I may make the gospel of Christ not expensive, that so I may not abuse my power in the gospel.

19 Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone’s slave.

For though I am free from all, yet I have made myself a servant to all, that I might gain the more.

20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews. To those who are subject to Law I became like a man subject to Law – though I was not myself subject to Law – to win those who are subject to Law.

And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; that is, to those, who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law:

21 To those who have no Law I became like a man who has no Law – not that I am free from God’s Law; no, for I am under Christ’s Law – to win those who have no law.

and to those without the law as without the law, (not being without law to God, but under the law to Christ) that I might gain those who are without the law.

22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so as at all costs to save some.

To the weak I became as the weak, that I might gain the weak: I became all things to all men, that I might by every means save some.

23 And I do everything for the sake of the good news, so that with them I may share in its blessings.

And this I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may be a fellow partaker of it.

24 Don’t you know that on a racecourse, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Know ye not, that those, who run in a race, do all indeed run, but one only receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain.

25 Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.

And every one that enters the lists is temperate in all things: they indeed do it that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one.

26 I, therefore, do not run aimlessly. I do not box like a man hitting the air.

I therefore so run, not as unobserved: I so fight, not as one that beateth the air:

27 No, I bruise my body and make it my slave, so that I, who have called others to the contest, will not myself be rejected.

but I mortify my body and bring it into subjection, least after having preached to others, I myself should be rejected.