1 Corinthians 9
9
1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Aren’t you my work in the Lord? 2If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4Have we no right to eat and to drink? 5Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work? 7What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and doesn’t eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and doesn’t drink from the flock’s milk?
8Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or doesn’t the law also say the same thing? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.”#Deuteronomy 25:4 Is it for the oxen that God cares, 10or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope. 11If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things? 12If others partake of this right over you, don’t we yet more?
Nevertheless we didn’t use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ. 13Don’t you know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar? 14Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News.
15But I have used none of these things, and I don’t write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void. 16For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about, for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me if I don’t preach the Good News. 17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18What then is my reward? That when I preach the Good News, I may present the Good News of Christ without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.
19For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law,#9:20 NU adds: though I myself am not under the law that I might gain those who are under the law; 21to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law. 22To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. 23Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it. 24Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, so that you may win. 25Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air, 27but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
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1 Corinthians 9
9
Paul Gives Up His Rights as an Apostle
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? 2If to others I am not an apostle, yet indeed I am to you, for you are my seal of apostleship in the Lord. 3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5Do we not have the right to take along a sister as wife, like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right to refrain from working#Literally “not to work”? 7Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who#Some manuscripts have “Or who” shepherds a flock and does not drink#Literally “eat” from the milk of the flock? 8I am not saying these things according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these things? 9For in the law of Moses it is written, “You must not muzzle an ox while it#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“threshing”) which is understood as temporal is threshing.”#A quotation from Deut 25:4 It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here 10Or doubtless does he speak for our sake#Literally “for the sake of us”? For it is written for our sake#Literally “for the sake of us”, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes ought to do so in hope of a share. 11If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too great a thing if we reap material things from you? 12If others share this right over you, do we not do so even more? Yet we have not made use of this right, but we endure all things, in order that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.
13Do you not know that those performing the holy services eat the things from the temple, and those attending to the altar have a share with the altar? 14In the same way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel. 15But I have not made use of any of these rights. And I am not writing these things in order that it may be thus with me. For it would be better to me rather to die than for anyone to deprive me of my reason for boasting. 16For if I proclaim the gospel, it is not to me a reason for boasting, for necessity is imposed on me. For woe is to me if I do not proclaim the gospel. 17For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if I do so unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18What then is my reward? That when I#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“proclaim the gospel”) which is understood as temporal proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19For although I#*Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am”) which is understood as concessive am free from all people, I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more. 20I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law I became as under the law (although I#*Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am”) which is understood as concessive myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as outside the law (although I#*Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am”) which is understood as concessive am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law. 22To the weak I became weak, in order that I may gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, in order that by all means I may save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.
24Do you not know that those who run in the stadium all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25And everyone who competes exercises self-control in all things. Thus those do so in order that they may receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26Therefore I run in this way, not as running aimlessly; I box in this way, not as beating the air. 27But I discipline my body and subjugate it, lest somehow after#*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“preaching”) which is understood as temporal preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified.
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