1 Corinthians 9

¹AM not I free? Am not I an apostle? Have not I seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord?

²And if unto others I be not an apostle, but yet to you I am. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³My defence with them that do examine me is this.

⁴Have not we power to eat and to drink?

⁵Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

⁶Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this?

⁷Who serveth as a soldier at any time, at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

⁸Speak I these things according to man? Or doth not the law also say these things?

⁹For 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?

¹⁰Or doth he say this indeed for our sakes? For these things are written for our sakes: that he that plougheth, should plough in hope; and he that thrasheth, in hope to receive fruit.

¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?

¹²If others be partakers of this power over you, why not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power: but we bear all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

¹³Know you not, that they who work in the holy place, eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar, partake with the altar?

¹⁴So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel, should live by the gospel.

¹⁵But I have used none of these things. Neither have I written these things, that they should be so done unto me: for it is good for me to die, rather than that any man should make my glory void.

¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity lieth upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

¹⁷For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me:

¹⁸What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

¹⁹For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more.

²⁰And I became to the Jews, a Jew, that I might gain the Jews:

²¹To them that are under the law, as if I were under the law, (whereas myself was not under the law,) that I might gain them that were under the law. To them that were without the law, as if I were without the law, (whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in the law of Christ,) that I might gain them that were without the law.

²²To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all.

²³And I do all things for the gospel's sake: that I may be made partaker thereof.

²⁴Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain.

²⁵And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one.

²⁶I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air:

²⁷But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.