1 Corinthians 9
Lexham English Bible
Paul Gives Up His Rights as an Apostle
9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, yet indeed I am to you, for you are my seal of apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do 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? 6 Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right to refrain from working[a]? 7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who[b] shepherds a flock and does not drink[c] from the milk of the flock? 8 I am not saying these things according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these things? 9 For in the law of Moses it is written, “You must not muzzle an ox while it[d] is threshing.”[e] It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it?[f] 10 Or doubtless does he speak for our sake[g]? For it is written for our sake[h], because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes ought to do so in hope of a share. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too great a thing if we reap material things from you? 12 If 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.
13 Do 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? 14 In the same way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel. 15 But 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. 16 For 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. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if I do so unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That when I[i] proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For although I[j] am free from all people, I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more. 20 I 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[k] myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as outside the law (although I[l] am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law. 22 To 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. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.
24 Do 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. 25 And 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. 26 Therefore I run in this way, not as running aimlessly; I box in this way, not as beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and subjugate it, lest somehow after[m] preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 9:6 Literally “not to work”
- 1 Corinthians 9:7 Some manuscripts have “Or who”
- 1 Corinthians 9:7 Literally “eat”
- 1 Corinthians 9:9 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“threshing”) which is understood as temporal
- 1 Corinthians 9:9 A quotation from Deut 25:4
- 1 Corinthians 9:9 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
- 1 Corinthians 9:10 Literally “for the sake of us”
- 1 Corinthians 9:10 Literally “for the sake of us”
- 1 Corinthians 9:18 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“proclaim the gospel”) which is understood as temporal
- 1 Corinthians 9:19 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am”) which is understood as concessive
- 1 Corinthians 9:20 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am”) which is understood as concessive
- 1 Corinthians 9:21 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am”) which is understood as concessive
- 1 Corinthians 9:27 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“preaching”) which is understood as temporal
1 Corinthians 9
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
9 Am I eimi not ou free eleutheros? Am I eimi not ou an apostle apostolos? Have I horaō not ouchi seen horaō Jesus Iēsous · ho our hēmeis Lord kyrios? Are eimi you hymeis not ou the result of · ho my egō labor ergon in en the Lord kyrios? 2 If ei to others allos I am eimi not ou an apostle apostolos, at least alla I am eimi to you hymeis, for gar you hymeis are eimi the ho proof sphragis of ho my egō apostleship apostolē in en the Lord kyrios.
3 · ho This houtos is eimi my emos defense apologia to those ho who sit in judgment on anakrinō me egō. 4 Do we not ou have echō the right exousia to eat esthiō and kai drink pinō? 5 Do we not ou have echō the right exousia to the company of periagō a believing adelphē wife gynē, as hōs also kai the ho other loipos apostles apostolos, · kai the ho Lord’ s kyrios brothers adelphos, · ho and kai Cephas Kēphas do? 6 Or ē is it only monos I egō and kai Barnabas Barnabas who have echō no ou right exousia to refrain mē from working ergazomai? 7 Who tis ever pote serves in the army at his own idios expense opsōnion? Who tis plants phyteuō a vineyard ampelōn and kai does esthiō not ou eat esthiō · ho its autos fruit karpos? Or ē who tis tends poimainō a flock poimnē and kai does esthiō not ou drink esthiō of ek · ho its poimnē milk gala? · ho
8 Am I saying laleō these things houtos from kata a merely human anthrōpos point of view? Or ē · kai does legō not ou the ho Law nomos say legō the same houtos? 9 For gar in en the ho Law nomos of Moses Mōysēs it is written graphō, “ You shall not ou muzzle kēmoō an ox bous while it is treading out aloaō the grain.” It is not mē for ho oxen bous that God theos is concerned melei, · ho is it? 10 Or ē does he legō not speak legō entirely pantōs for dia our hēmeis sake. To be sure gar, it was written graphō for dia our hēmeis sake, because hoti the ho one plowing arotriaō should opheilō plow arotriaō in epi hope elpis and kai the ho one threshing aloaō thresh in epi hope elpis of ho sharing metechō in the crop. 11 If ei we hēmeis sowed speirō spiritual things pneumatikos among you hymeis, · ho is it too much megas if ei we hēmeis reap therizō material things sarkikos from you hymeis? · ho 12 If ei others allos have a share in metechō this right exousia over ho you hymeis, do not ou we hēmeis even more mallon? Nevertheless alla, we have not ou made chraomai use of · ho this houtos right exousia, but alla endure stegō all pas things lest hina mē we place didōmi some tis obstacle enkopē in the way of the ho gospel euangelion of ho Christ Christos. 13 Do you not ou know oida that hoti those ho who perform ergazomai · ho sacred rites hieros · ho in the temple eat food esthiō from ek the ho temple hieron, and those ho who serve paredreuō at the ho altar thusiastērion share in symmerizō the ho sacrificial thusiastērion offerings ? 14 In the same way houtōs, · kai the ho Lord kyrios gave instructions diatassō to those ho who proclaim katangellō the ho gospel euangelion that they should get their living zaō from ek the ho gospel euangelion.
15 But de I egō have not ou used chraomai any oudeis of these houtos rights. And de I am not ou writing graphō this houtos so that hina something will be done ginomai for en me egō; for gar it would be better kalos for me egō rather mallon to die apothnēskō— no one oudeis shall take away kenoō · ho my egō ground for boasting kauchēma! 16 If ean I preach euangelizō the gospel , I egō do not ou have eimi a ground kauchēma for boasting , for gar I egō am compelled anankē to do so epikeimai. Woe ouai is eimi me egō if ean I do not mē preach euangelizō the gospel ! 17 For gar if ei I do prassō this houtos willingly hekōn, I have echō a reward misthos. But de if ei unwillingly akōn, I have been entrusted with pisteuō a charge oikonomia. 18 What tis then oun is eimi my egō · ho reward misthos? That hina when I preach euangelizō I may present tithēmi the ho gospel euangelion free of charge adapanos, and so eis not mē make full use katachraomai of · ho my egō right exousia in en the ho gospel euangelion.
19 For gar though I am eimi free eleutheros from ek all pas, I have made douloō myself emautou a servant douloō to all pas, so that hina I might win kerdainō · ho as many as possible polys. 20 · kai To the ho Jews Ioudaios I became ginomai as hōs a Jew Ioudaios that hina I might win kerdainō Jews Ioudaios. To those ho under hypo the law nomos I became as hōs one under hypo the law nomos ( though I eimi myself autos am eimi not mē under hypo the law nomos) that hina I might win kerdainō those ho under hypo the law nomos. 21 To those ho outside anomos the law I became as hōs one outside the law anomos ( though I am eimi not mē free from the law anomos of God theos but alla subject to the law ennomos of Christ Christos) that hina I might win kerdainō those ho outside the law anomos. 22 To the ho weak asthenēs I became ginomai weak asthenēs that hina I might win kerdainō the ho weak asthenēs. I have become ginomai all things pas to ho all pas people , that hina by all means pantōs I might save sōzō some tis. 23 I do poieō all pas things · de for the sake dia of the ho gospel euangelion, that hina I may ginomai share with them in its autos benefits synkoinōnos.
24 Do you not ou know oida that hoti all pas who ho run trechō in en the stadium stadion compete trechō but de only one heis receives lambanō the ho prize brabeion? So houtōs run trechō that hina you may win katalambanō. 25 Everyone pas · de who ho competes agōnizomai exercises self-control in enkrateuomai all pas things . They ekeinos do it to hina receive lambanō a perishable phthartos wreath stephanos, but de we hēmeis for an imperishable aphthartos one. 26 So I egō do not ou run trechō aimlessly adēlōs; I do not ou box pykteuō like hōs one flailing derō the air aēr. 27 But alla I discipline hypōpiazō my egō · ho body sōma and kai bring it into subjection doulagōgeō, so that pōs having preached kēryssō to others allos I ginomai myself autos should ginomai not mē be ginomai disqualified adokimos.
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