1 Corinthians 9:4-18

New American Standard Bible

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? ⁶Or do only ^[e]^(E)Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from ^[f]working? ⁷Who 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?

⁸I am not just asserting these things ^(H)according to human judgment, am I? Or does the Law not say these things as well? ⁹For 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? ¹⁰Or 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? ¹²If 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. ¹³^(Q)Do you not know that those who ^(R)perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share ^[h]from the altar? ¹⁴So also ^(S)the Lord directed those who proclaim the ^(T)gospel to ^(U)get their living from the gospel.

¹⁵But I have ^(V)used none of these things. And I have not written these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than that. No one shall make ^(W)my boast an empty one! ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for ^(X)I am under compulsion; for woe to me if I do not preach ^(Y)the gospel. ¹⁷For if I do this voluntarily, I have a ^(Z)reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a ^(AA)commission nonetheless. ¹⁸What, then, is my ^(AB)reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel ^(AC)without charge, so as ^(AD)not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

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Footnotes

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 9:13 Lit with

1 Corinthians 9:4-18

New International Version

⁴Don’t we have the right to food and drink?^(A) ⁵Don’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) ⁶Or is it only I and Barnabas^(E) who lack the right to not work for a living?

⁷Who 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? ⁸Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹For 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) ¹⁰Surely 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) ¹¹If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?^(L) ¹²If 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.

¹³Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?^(O) ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.^(P)

¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights.^(Q) And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.^(R) ¹⁶For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach.^(S) Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward;^(T) if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.^(U) ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge,^(V) and so not make full use of my rights^(W) as a preacher of the gospel.