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1 Corinthians 9
New English Translation

The Rights of 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 I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the confirming sign[a] of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to financial support?[b] 5 Do we not have the right to the company of a believing wife, like the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?[c] 6 Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work? 7 Who ever serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not consume its milk? 8 Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense,[d] or does the law not say this as well? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”[e] God is not concerned here about oxen, is he? 10 Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest. 11 If we sowed spiritual blessings among you, is it too much to reap material things from you? 12 If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving?

But we have not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple[f] eat food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar receive a part of the offerings? 14 In the same way the Lord commanded those who proclaim the gospel to receive their living by the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me.[g] In fact, it would be better for me to die than—no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting![h] 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I am compelled to do this. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward. But if I do it unwillingly, I am entrusted with a responsibility. 18 What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may offer the gospel free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights in the gospel.

19 For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people.[i] 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law)[j] to gain those under the law. 21 To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law. 22 To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.

23 I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it.

24 Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. 25 Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.

26 So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. 27 Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 9:2 tn Grk “the seal.”
  2. 1 Corinthians 9:4 tn Grk “the right to eat and drink.” In the context this is a figurative reference to financial support.
  3. 1 Corinthians 9:5 sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211). Both the Aramaic name “Cephas” and the Greek name “Peter” are related to words in each language which mean “rock.”
  4. 1 Corinthians 9:8 tn Or “only according to human authority”; Grk “saying these things according to men.”
  5. 1 Corinthians 9:9 sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.
  6. 1 Corinthians 9:13 tn Grk “working the sacred things.”
  7. 1 Corinthians 9:15 tn Grk “so that it will happen in this way in my case.”
  8. 1 Corinthians 9:15 tc The reading ἤ—τὸ καύχημά μου οὐδεὶς κενώσει (ē—to kauchēma mou oudeis kenōsei, “than—no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!”) is syntactically abrupt, but fully in keeping with Pauline style. It is supported by P46 א* B D*,c 33 1739 1881 as well as early patristic authors. Most witnesses, especially the later ones (א2 C D2 Ψ M lat), have a significantly smoother reading than this: ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου ἵνα τις κενώσῃ (or κενώσει); ē to kauchēma mou hina tis kenōsē (or kenōsei), “than that anyone should deprive me of my boasting.” The simple replacement of οὐδείς with ἵνα essentially accomplishes the smoothing out of the text, and as such the ἵνα reading is suspect. Not only is the harder reading in keeping with Pauline style, but it is also found in the earlier and better witnesses.sn Paul breaks off his thought at mid-sentence (indicated by the dash in the translation) and it is somewhat difficult to determine his reason for boasting. Most likely Paul would rather die than be deprived of the boast that he had offered the gospel free of charge even though as an apostle he had the right to such support (9:14). Did he say this as a way of criticizing his opponents? Perhaps only indirectly. His focus has more to do with not hindering the gospel than what his opponents were doing (9:12).
  9. 1 Corinthians 9:19 tn Or “more converts.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning.
  10. 1 Corinthians 9:20 tc The Byzantine text, as well as a few other witnesses (D2 [L] Ψ 1881 M) lack this parenthetical material, while geographically widespread, early, and diverse witnesses have the words (so א A B C D* F G P 33 104 365 1175 1505 1739 al latt). The phrase may have dropped out accidentally through homoioteleuton (note that both the preceding phrase and the parenthesis end in ὑπὸ νόμον [hupo nomon, “under the law”]), or intentionally by overscrupulous scribes who felt that the statement “I myself am not under the law” could have led to license.
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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 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 [k]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. 1 Corinthians 9:5 Lit sister, as wife
  2. 1 Corinthians 9:6 Lit I and Barnabas
  3. 1 Corinthians 9:7 Lit eat of
  4. 1 Corinthians 9:7 Lit eat of
  5. 1 Corinthians 9:8 Lit man
  6. 1 Corinthians 9:13 Lit with
  7. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  8. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  9. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  10. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  11. 1 Corinthians 9:27 Lit bruise
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