1 Corinthians, 9

1. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

1. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?

2. Even if to others I am not an apostle, to you at any rate I am, for you are the seal of my apostolate in the Lord.

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

3. To those who want to interrogate me, this is my answer.

3. This is my defense to those who would examine me.

4. Have we not every right to eat and drink?

4. Do we not have the right to our food and drink?

5. And every right to be accompanied by a Christian wife, like the other apostles, like the brothers of the Lord, and like Cephas?

5. Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

6. Are Barnabas and I the only ones who have no right to stop working?

6. Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?

7. What soldier would ever serve in the army at his own expense? And who is there who would plant a vineyard and never eat the fruit from it; or would keep a flock and not feed on the milk from his flock?

7. Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

8. Do not think that this is merely worldly wisdom. Does not the Law say exactly the same? It is written in the Law of Moses:

8. Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law say the same?

9. You must not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it about oxen that God is concerned here,

9. For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned?

10. or is it not said entirely for our sake? Clearly it was written for our sake, because it is right that whoever ploughs should plough with the expectation of having his share, and whoever threshes should thresh with the expectation of having his share.

10. Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of a share in the crop.

11. If we have sown the seed of spiritual things in you, is it too much to ask that we should receive from you a crop of material things?

11. If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits?

12. Others have been given such rights over you and do we not deserve more? In fact, we have never exercised this right; on the contrary, we have put up with anything rather than obstruct the gospel of Christ in any way.

12. If others share this rightful claim upon you, do not we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

13. Do you not realise that the ministers in the Temple get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar can claim their share from the altar?

13. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?

14. In the same way, the Lord gave the instruction that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel.

14. In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15. However, I have never availed myself of any rights of this kind; and I have not written this to secure such treatment for myself; I would rather die than that . . . No one shall take from me this ground of boasting.

15. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have any one deprive me of my ground for boasting.

16. In fact, preaching the gospel gives me nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion and I should be in trouble if I failed to do it.

16. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

17. If I did it on my own initiative I would deserve a reward; but if I do it under compulsion I am simply accepting a task entrusted to me.

17. For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.

18. What reward do I have, then? That in my preaching I offer the gospel free of charge to avoid using the rights which the gospel allows me.

18. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel.

19. So though I was not a slave to any human being, I put myself in slavery to all people, to win as many as I could.

19. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.

20. To the Jews I made myself as a Jew, to win the Jews; to those under the Law as one under the Law (though I am not), in order to win those under the Law;

20. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law -- though not being myself under the law -- that I might win those under the law.

21. to those outside the Law as one outside the Law, though I am not outside the Law but under Christ's law, to win those outside the Law.

21. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law -- not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ -- that I might win those outside the law.

22. To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak. I accommodated myself to people in all kinds of different situations, so that by all possible means I might bring some to salvation.

22. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

23. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may share its benefits with others.

23. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

24. Do you not realise that, though all the runners in the stadium take part in the race, only one of them gets the prize? Run like that -- to win.

24. Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

25. Every athlete concentrates completely on training, and this is to win a wreath that will wither, whereas ours will never wither.

25. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

26. So that is how I run, not without a clear goal; and how I box, not wasting blows on air.

26. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air;

27. I punish my body and bring it under control, to avoid any risk that, having acted as herald for others, I myself may be disqualified.

27. but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.