1 Corinthians 9
9
1 Corinthians 9
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?
2If I am not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3¶ My answer to those that examine me is this,
4Do we not have authority to eat and to drink?
5Do we not have authority to bring with us a sister, a wife, as also the other apostles and as the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
6Do only Barnabas and I not have authority to forbear working?
7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? or who feeds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?
8Do I say this only according to men? or does not the law say the same also?
9For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain. Does God take care for oxen?
10Or does he say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows should plow in hope, and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap material things from you?
12If others are partakers of this authority over you, why not us? Nevertheless we have not used this authority, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13Do ye not know that those who work with sacred things live of the things of the sanctuary? and those who serve at the altar partake of the altar?
14Even so the Lord has ordained that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
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 anyone should make this my glory void.
16For though I preach the gospel, I have no reason to glory, for it is an obligation laid upon me; for woe is me, if I do not preach the gospel!
17For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, the stewardship of the gospel is committed unto me.
18What reward, then, shall I have? That preaching the gospel, I may make the gospel of the Christ without charge, that I abuse not my authority in the gospel.
19¶ Therefore, though I am free regarding everyone, yet I have made myself slave unto all, that I might gain the more.
20And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to those that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those that are under the law;
21to those that are without law, as without law (being not without law of God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain those that are without law.
22To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to everyone, that I might by all means save some.
23And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker together of it.
24¶ Know ye not that those who run in a race indeed all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain it.
25And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible one.
26I therefore so run, not as unto an uncertain thing; so I fight, not as one that beats the air;
27but I keep my body under, and bring it into subjection, lest preaching to others, I myself should become reprobate.
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International
1 Corinthians 9
9
Paul Is like the Other Apostles
1I am a free man. I am an apostle. I have seen Jesus our Lord. You people are all an example of my work in the Lord. 2If others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do, because you are proof that I am an apostle in the Lord.
3This is the answer I give people who want to judge me: 4Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5Do we not have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter? 6Are Barnabas and I the only ones who must work to earn our living? 7No soldier ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. No one ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes. No person takes care of a flock without drinking some of the milk.
8I do not say this by human authority; God’s law also says the same thing. 9It is written in the law of Moses: “When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating.” When God said this, was he thinking only about oxen? No. 10He was really talking about us. Yes, that Scripture was written for us, because it goes on to say: “The one who plows and the one who works in the grain should hope to get some of the grain for their work.” 11Since we planted spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we should harvest material things? 12If others have the right to get something from you, surely we have this right, too. But we do not use it. No, we put up with everything ourselves so that we will not keep anyone from believing the Good News of Christ. 13Surely you know that those who work at the Temple get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar get part of what is offered at the altar. 14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who tell the Good News should get their living from this work.
15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this now to get anything from you. I would rather die than to have my reason for bragging taken away. 16Telling the Good News does not give me any reason for bragging. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. And how terrible it will be for me if I do not tell the Good News. 17If I preach because it is my own choice, I have a reward. But if I preach and it is not my choice to do so, I am only doing the duty that was given to me. 18So what reward do I get? This is my reward: that when I tell the Good News I can offer it freely. I do not use my full rights in my work of preaching the Good News.
19I am free and belong to no one. But I make myself a slave to all people to win as many as I can. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. I myself am not ruled by the law. But to those who are ruled by the law I became like a person who is ruled by the law. I did this to win those who are ruled by the law. 21To those who are without the law I became like a person who is without the law. I did this to win those people who are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ruled by Christ’s law.) 22To those who are weak, I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible. 23I do all this because of the Good News and so I can share in its blessings.
24You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! 25All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed. 26So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air. 27I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.