1 Corinthians 9

Modern

Literal

The Rights of an Apostle

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

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

²Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

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

³This is my defense to those who scrutinize me:

³This is my defense to those examining me:

⁴Have we no right to food and to drink?

⁴Have we no authority to eat and to drink?

⁵Have we no right to take along a believing wife,^a as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?^b

⁵Have we no authority to take along a sister—a wife—as also the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

⁶Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?^a

⁶Or do only I and Barnabas have no authority to work?

⁷Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?

⁷Who serves as a soldier at his own expense at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock?

⁸Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?

⁸Do I not speak these things according to man, or does the law not also say these things?

⁹For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^a Is it about oxen that God is concerned?

⁹For in the law of Moses it has been written: “You shall not muzzle an ox treading out grain.” Is there care for the oxen with God?

¹⁰Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.

¹⁰Or does He speak because of us entirely? For it was written because of us, because in hope the one plowing ought to plow, and the one threshing—in hope to partake.

¹¹If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?

¹¹If we sowed spiritual things among you, is it too much if we will reap fleshly things from you?

¹²If others have this right to your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

¹²If others partake of the authority over you, should we not more? But we did not use this authority. But we bear all things, so that we should not give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

¹³Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings?

¹³Do you not know that those working in the temple eat the things of the temple, and those attending at the altar partake in the altar?

¹⁴In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

¹⁴So also, the Lord directed those proclaiming the gospel to live from the gospel.

¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast.

¹⁵But I have not used any of these. And neither did I write these things so that it should be thus with me; for it is good for me rather to die than that anyone will make void my boasting.

¹⁶Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, there is no boasting to me, for necessity is laid upon me. But woe be to me if I should not preach the gospel!

¹⁷If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility.

¹⁷For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

¹⁸What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.

¹⁸What then is my reward? That preaching the gospel, I should lay down the gospel free of charge, so as not to use up my authority in the gospel.

Paul the Servant to All

¹⁹Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

¹⁹For being free from all, I myself became a slave to all, so that I might gain the more.

²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law.

²⁰And I became to the Jews as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews; to those under the law, as under the law (myself not being under the law), so that I might gain those under the law;

²¹To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law.

²¹to those without the law, as without the law (not being without the law of God, but within the law of Christ), so that I might gain those without the law.

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

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

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

²³Now I do all because of the gospel, so that I might become a fellow partaker of it.

Run Your Race to Win

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.

²⁴Do you not know that those running in a race indeed all run, but one receives the prize? Run thus, so that you might obtain it.

²⁵Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.

²⁵Now everyone striving controls himself in all things; these indeed then so that they might receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable.

²⁶Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.

²⁶Therefore I run thus, not as aimlessly; I fight thus, not as beating the air.

²⁷No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

²⁷But I batter my body and bring it into servitude, lest somehow, having preached to others, I myself might be disqualified.