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 an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work 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 I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

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

3. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,

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

4. Have we not power to eat and to 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. Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and [as] the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

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

6. Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?

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 goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

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. Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?

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, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

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. Or saith he [it] altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, [this] is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

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 unto you spiritual things, [is it] a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

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 be partakers of [this] power over you, [are] not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder 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 ye not know that they which minister about holy things live [of the things] of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?

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

14. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of 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 used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for [it were] better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

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 though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not 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 thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation [of the gospel] is committed unto me.

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 is my reward then? [Verily] that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power 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 be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain 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. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are 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 them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without 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 became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made 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. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with [you].

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. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

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

25. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

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

26. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth 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 keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.