1 Corinthians 9
English Standard Version
Paul Surrenders His Rights
9 (A)Am I not free? (B)Am I not an apostle? (C)Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? (D)Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are (E)the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 (F)Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 (G)Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife,[a] as do the other apostles and (H)the brothers of the Lord and (I)Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 (J)Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? (K)Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, (L)“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written (M)for our sake, because (N)the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 (O)If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, (P)we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything (Q)rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that (R)those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that (S)those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But (T)I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone (U)deprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For (V)necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with (W)a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching (X)I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For (Y)though I am free from all, (Z)I have made myself a servant to all, that I might (AA)win more of them. 20 (AB)To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To (AC)those outside the law I became (AD)as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but (AE)under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 (AF)To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. (AG)I have become all things to all people, that (AH)by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, (AI)that I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives (AJ)the prize? So (AK)run that you may obtain it. 25 Every (AL)athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we (AM)an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I (AN)do not box as one (AO)beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and (AP)keep it under control,[b] lest after preaching to others (AQ)I myself should be (AR)disqualified.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Greek a sister as wife
- 1 Corinthians 9:27 Greek I pummel my body and make it a slave
1 Corinthians 9
Legacy Standard Bible
Paul Gives Up His Rights
9 Am I not (A)free? Am I not an (B)apostle? Have I not (C)seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not (D)my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the (E)seal of my (F)apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 (G)Do we not have authority to eat and drink? 5 (H)Do we not have authority to take along a [a]believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the (I)brothers of the Lord and (J)Cephas? 6 Or do only [b](K)Barnabas and I not have authority to refrain from working? 7 Who at any time serves (L)as a soldier at his own expense? Who (M)plants a vineyard and does not [c]consume the fruit of it? Or who shepherds a flock and does not [d]consume the milk of the flock?
8 Am I speaking these things (N)according to [e]human judgment? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “(O)You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing.” Is God merely concerned about (P)oxen? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, (Q)for our sake it was written, because (R)the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 (S)If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this authority over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we (T)did not use this authority, but we endure all things (U)so that we will cause no hindrance to the (V)gospel of Christ. 13 (W)Do you not know that those who (X)perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share [f]from the altar? 14 So also (Y)the Lord directed those who proclaim the (Z)gospel to (AA)get their living from the gospel.
15 But I have (AB)used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case, for it would be better for me to die than have anyone make (AC)my boast an empty one. 16 For if I proclaim the gospel, I have nothing to boast, for (AD)I am under compulsion. For woe is me if I do not proclaim (AE)the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a (AF)reward; but if against my will, I have a (AG)stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then is my (AH)reward? That, when I proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel (AI)without charge, so as (AJ)not to make full use of my authority in the gospel.
19 For though I am (AK)free from all, I have made myself (AL)a slave to all, so that I may (AM)win more. 20 (AN)And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews. To those who are under [g]the Law, as under [h]the Law though (AO)not being myself under [i]the Law, so that I might win those who are under [j]the Law. 21 To those who are (AP)without law, (AQ)as without law, though not being without the law of God but (AR)under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the (AS)weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become (AT)all things to all men, (AU)so that I may by all means save some. 23 So I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
24 (AV)Do you not know that those who run in a [k]race all run, but only one receives (AW)the prize? (AX)Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Now everyone who (AY)competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a corruptible (AZ)crown, but we an incorruptible. 26 Therefore I (BA)run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not (BB)beating the air; 27 but I [l]discipline (BC)my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Lit sister, as wife
- 1 Corinthians 9:6 Lit I and Barnabas
- 1 Corinthians 9:7 Lit eat of
- 1 Corinthians 9:7 Lit eat of
- 1 Corinthians 9:8 Lit man
- 1 Corinthians 9:13 Lit with
- 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
- 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
- 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
- 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
- 1 Corinthians 9:24 Lit stadium
- 1 Corinthians 9:27 Lit bruise
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