LO - I Corinthians - 9

9:1  Am I not an Apostle? Am I not a freeman? Have I not seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

9:2  If to others I am not an Apostle, yet, to you, at least, I am; for the seal of my apostleship, are you, in the Lord.

9:3  My answer to them who condemn me, is this:

9:4  Have we not liberty to eat, and to drink?

9:5  Have we not liberty to lead about a sister wife, as the other Apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

9:6  Or, have I, only, and Barnabas, not liberty to forbear working?

9:7  Who, at any time, serves in the wars, on his own charges? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who feeds a flock, and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

9:8  Do I speak these things as a man? Or does not the law also say these things?

9:9  For, in the law of Moses it is written, "You shall not muzzle the ox treading out the corn." Does God take care of the oxen?

9:10  Or, does he command this chiefly for our sakes? For our sakes, certainly, it is written: because, he who plows, ought to plough in hope; and he who threshes in hope, ought to partake of his own hope.

9:11  If we have sown for you spiritual things, is it a great matter, if we shall reap your carnal things?

9:12  If others partake of this authority over you, ought not we, rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power; but we bear all things, that we may not give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

9:13  Do you not know that they who perform sacred offices, eat from the temple? Do not they who wait at the altar share with the altar?

9:14  So also, the Lord has appointed them who announce the gospel, to live by the gospel.

9:15  But I have used none of these privileges ; neither have I written these things that it should be done to me: for it were good for me rather to die, than that any one should make my boasting void.

9:16  For when I declared the gospel, I have nothing to boast of; because necessity is laud upon me: yes, woe awaits me if I declare not the gospel.

9:17  Now, if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but, if against my will, still I am intrusted with the stewardship.

9:18  What, then, is my reward? that, when declaring the gospel, I shall exhibit the gospel of Christ without charge, in order that I may not abuse my power in the gospel.

9:19  For, though I be a freeman, with respect to all; I have made myself a servant to all, that I might gain the more.

9:20  So, to the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews: to those under the law, (though not under the law) as under the law, that I might gain those under the law:

9:21  to those without law, as without law, (not being without law to God, but under law to Christ,) that I might gain those that are without law.

9:22  To the weak, I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. To all, I have become all things, that, by all means, I might same some.

9:23  Now, this I do for the sake of the gospel, and that I may become a joint partaker of its rewards.

9:24  Do you not know that they who run a race, all run, but one only receives the prize? So run, that you may lay hold of the prize?

9:25  Now, every one who contends is temperate in all things: they, indeed, that they may receive a fading crown; but we, one that does not fade.

9:26  I, therefore, so run, as not out of view. So I fight, not as beating the air:

9:27  but, I mortify my body, and keep it in subjection; lest, perhaps, having proclaimed to others, I myself should not be accepted.