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1 Corinthians 9:3-12
New International Version
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
New International Version
3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink?(A) 5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife(B) along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers(C) and Cephas[a]?(D) 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas(E) who lack the right to not work for a living?
7 Who serves as a soldier(F) at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard(G) and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”[b](H) Is it about oxen that God is concerned?(I) 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us,(J) because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.(K) 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?(L) 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right.(M) On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder(N) the gospel of Christ.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 That is, Peter
- 1 Corinthians 9:9 Deut. 25:4
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
English Standard Version
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
English Standard Version
3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 (A)Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 (B)Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife,[a] as do the other apostles and (C)the brothers of the Lord and (D)Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 (E)Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? (F)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, (G)“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 (H)for our sake, because (I)the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 (J)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, (K)we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything (L)rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Greek a sister as wife
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
New American Standard Bible
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
New American Standard Bible
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 [a](A)Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 5 [b](B)Do we not have a right to take along a [c]believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the (C)brothers of the Lord, and [d](D)Cephas? 6 Or do only [e](E)Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from [f]working? 7 Who at any time serves (F)as a soldier at his own expense? Who (G)plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not [g]consume some of the milk of the flock?
8 I am not just asserting these things (H)according to human judgment, am I? Or does the Law not say these things as well? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “(I)You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing.” God is not concerned about (J)oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written (K)for our sake, because (L)the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing in the crops. 11 (M)If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we (N)did not use this right, but we endure all things (O)so that we will cause no hindrance to the (P)gospel of Christ.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 9:4 Lit It is not that we have no right to eat and drink, is it?
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Lit It is not that we have no right to take along...Cephas, is it?
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Lit sister, as a wife
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Peter’s Aramaic name
- 1 Corinthians 9:6 Lit I and Barnabas
- 1 Corinthians 9:6 I.e., to support themselves
- 1 Corinthians 9:7 Lit eat from
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
King James Version
1 Corinthians 9:3-12
King James Version
3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,
4 Have we not power to eat and to drink?
5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
8 Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.