1 Corinthians 9

New American Standard Bible 1995

Paul’s Use of Liberty

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 [a](G)Do we not have a right to eat and drink? ^5 [b](H)Do we not have a right to take along a ^[c]believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the ^(I)brothers of the Lord and ^(J)Cephas? ⁶ Or do only ^[d](K)Barnabas and I not have a right 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 eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not ^[e]use the milk of the flock?

⁸ I am not speaking these things ^(N)according to ^[f]human judgment, am I? 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 he is threshing.” God is not concerned about ^(P)oxen, is He? 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 the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we ^(T)did not use this right, 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 ^[g]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 any man make ^(AC)my boast an empty one. ¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for ^(AD)I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach ^(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 preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel ^(AI)without charge, so as ^(AJ)not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am ^(AK)free from all men, I have made myself ^(AL)a slave to all, so that I may ^(AM)win more. ^20 (AN)To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under ^[h]the Law, as under ^[i]the Law though ^(AO)not being myself under ^[j]the Law, so that I might win those who are under ^[k]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 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 Everyone who ^(AY)competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable ^(AZ)wreath, but we an imperishable. 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 ^[l]discipline ^(BC)my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.