I Corinthians 9

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

²And if I am not an Apostle to others, yet still I am to you. For you are the seal of my Apostleship in the Lord.

³My defense with those who question me is this:

⁴Do we not have the authority to eat and to drink?

⁵Do we not have the authority to travel around with a woman who is a sister, just as do the other Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

⁶Or is it only myself and Barnabas who do not have the authority to act in this way?

⁷Who has ever served as a soldier and paid his own stipend? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat from its produce? Who pastures a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock?

⁸Am I saying these things according to man? Or does the law not also say these things?

⁹For it is written in the law of Moses: “You shall not bind the mouth of an ox, while it is treading out the grain.” Is God here concerned with the oxen?

¹⁰Or is he saying this, indeed, for our sake? These things were written specifically for us, because he who plows, ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes, too, in hope of receiving the produce.

¹¹If we have sown spiritual things in you, is it important if we harvest from your worldly things?

¹²If others are sharers in this authority over you, why are we not more entitled? And yet we have not used this authority. Instead, we bear all things, lest we give any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ.

¹³Do you not know that those who work in the holy place eat the things that are for the holy place, and that those who serve at the altar also share with the altar?

¹⁴So, too, has the Lord ordained that those who announce the Gospel should live by the Gospel.

¹⁵Yet I have used none of these things. And I have not written so that these things may be done for me. For it is better for me to die, rather than to let anyone empty out my glory.

¹⁶For if I preach the Gospel, it is not glory for me. For an obligation has been laid upon me. And woe to me, if I do not preach the Gospel.

¹⁷For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if I do this reluctantly, a dispensation is granted to me.

¹⁸And what, then, would be my reward? So, when preaching the Gospel, I should give the Gospel without taking, so that I may not misuse my authority in the Gospel.

¹⁹For when I was a free man to all, I made myself the servant of all, so that I might gain all the more.

²⁰And so, to the Jews, I became like a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews.

²¹To those who are under the law, I became as if I were under the law, (though I was not under the law) so that I might gain those who were under the law. To those who were without the law, I became as if I were without the law, (though I was not without the law of God, being in the law of Christ) so that I might gain those who were without the law.

²²To the weak, I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. To all, I became all, so that I might save all.

²³And I do everything for the sake of the Gospel, so that I may become its partner.

²⁴Do you not know that, of those who run in a race, all of them, certainly, are runners, but only one achieves the prize. Similarly, you must run, so that you may achieve.

²⁵And one who competes in a contest abstains from all things. And they do this, of course, so that they may achieve a corruptible crown. But we do this, so that we may achieve what is incorruptible.

²⁶And so I run, but not with uncertainty. And so I fight, but not by flailing in the air.

²⁷Instead, I chastise my body, so as to redirect it into servitude. Otherwise, I might preach to others, but become myself an outcast.

I Corinthians 9

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

²And if unto others I be not an apostle, but yet to you I am. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³My defence with them that do examine me is this.

⁴Have not we power to eat and to drink?

⁵Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister as well as the rest of the apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas?

⁶Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this?

⁷Who serveth as a soldier, at any time, at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth the flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

⁸Speak I these things according to man? Or doth not the law also say; these things?

⁹For 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?

¹⁰Or doth he say this indeed for our sakes? For these things are written for our sakes: that he that plougheth, should plough in hope and he that thrasheth, in hope to receive fruit.

¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?

¹²If others be partakers of this power over you, why not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power: but we bear all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

¹³Know you not that they who work in the holy place eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar partake with the altar?

¹⁴So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel should live by the gospel.

¹⁵But I have used none of these things. Neither have I written these things, that they should be so done unto me: for it is good for me to die rather than that any man should make my glory void.

¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me: for a necessity lieth upon me. For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

¹⁷For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me.

¹⁸What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

¹⁹For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more.

²⁰And I became to the Jews a Jew, that I might gain the Jews:

²¹To them that are under the law, as if I were under the law, (whereas myself was not under the law,) that I might gain them that were under the law. To them that were without the law, as if I were without the law, (whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in the law of Christ,) that I might gain them that were without the law.

²²To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all.

²³And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be made partaker thereof.

²⁴Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may obtain.

²⁵And every one that striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from all things. And they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown: but we an incorruptible one.

²⁶I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air.

²⁷But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.