The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

⭑ Unlocked Literal Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 9 -

(Deuteronomy 18:1–8)

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord?

If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you. For you are the proof of my apostleship in the Lord.

This is my defense to those who examine me:

Do we not have the right to eat and drink?

Do we not have the right to take along with us a wife who is a believer, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

Or is it only Barnabas and I who must work?

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink milk from it?

Do I say these things based on human authority? Does not the law also say this?

For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not put a muzzle on an ox when it is treading out the grain.” Is it really the oxen that God cares about?

Is he not speaking about us? It was written for us, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in the expectation of sharing in the harvest.

If we sowed spiritual things among you, is it too much for us to reap material things from you?

If others exercised this right from you, do we not have even more? Nevertheless, we did not claim this right. Instead, we endured everything rather than be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple? Do you not know that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?

In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel.

But I have not claimed any of these rights. And I do not write this so something might be done for me. I would rather die than anyone deprive me of this boast.

For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I must do this. And woe be to me if I do not preach the gospel!

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if not willingly, I still have a responsibility that was entrusted to me.

What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may offer the gospel without charge and so not take full use of my right in the gospel.

Paul the Servant to All

For though I am free from all, I became a servant to all, in order that I might win more.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law in order to win those under the law.

To those outside the law, I became like one outside the law, although I was not outside the law of God myself, but under the law of Christ. I did this so that I may win those outside the law.

To the weak I became weak, so that I may win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some.

I do all things for the gospel’s sake, so that I may participate in its blessings.

Run Your Race to Win

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run the race, but that only one receives the prize? So run to win the prize.

An athlete exercises self-control in all his training. They do it to receive a wreath that is perishable, but we run so that we might receive an imperishable wreath.

Therefore, I do not run without purpose or box by beating the air.

But I subdue my body and make it a slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself may not be disqualified.

(Deuteronomy 18:1–8)

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Aren’t you my work in the Lord?

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

My defense to those who examine me is this:

Have we no right to eat and to drink?

Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?

What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and doesn’t eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and doesn’t drink from the flock’s milk?

Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.”(a) Is it for the oxen that God cares,

or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope.

If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?

If others partake of this right over you, don’t we yet more? Nevertheless we didn’t use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.

Don’t you know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar?

Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News.

But I have used none of these things, and I don’t write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void.

For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about, for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me if I don’t preach the Good News.

For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

What then is my reward? That when I preach the Good News, I may present the Good News of Christ without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.

Paul the Servant to All

For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.

To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law,(b) that I might gain those who are under the law;

to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.

To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.

Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.

Run Your Race to Win

Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, so that you may win.

Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air,

but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

Footnotes

(a)9:9 ℘ Deuteronomy 25:4

(b)9:20 NU adds: though I myself am not under the law