1 Corinthians 9

¹ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord?

οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος; οὐχὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἑόρακα; οὐ τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ;

² Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

εἰ ἄλλοις οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλά γε ὑμῖν εἰμι· ἡ γὰρ σφραγίς τῆς ἀποστολῆς ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ.

³ This is my defense to those who scrutinize me:

ἡ ἐμὴ ἀπολογία τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀνακρίνουσίν αὕτη·

⁴ Have we no right to food and to drink?

μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ πεῖν;

⁵ Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?

μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ Κηφᾶς;

⁶ Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?

ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρναβᾶς οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι;

⁷ Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?

τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα καὶ ἐκ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; ἢ τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης οὐκ ἐσθίει;

⁸ Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?

μὴ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ταῦτα λαλῶ; ἢ καὶ ὁ νόμος ταῦτα λέγει;

⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?

ἐν γὰρ τῷ Μωϋσέως νόμῳ γέγραπται· οὐ κημώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα. μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ θεῷ;

¹⁰ Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.

ἢ δι᾽ ἡμᾶς πάντως λέγει; δι᾽ ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγράφη ὅτι ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾶν, καὶ ὁ ἀλοῶν τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι

¹¹ If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?

εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐσπείραμεν, μέγα εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν τὰ σαρκικὰ θερίσομεν;

¹² If others have this right to your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

εἰ ἄλλοι τῆς ἐξουσίας μετέχουσιν, οὐ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς; ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀλλὰ πάντα στέγομεν ἵνα μή ἐγκοπὴν δῶμεν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.

¹³ Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings?

Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ ἐργαζόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσθίουσιν; οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύοντες τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζονται;

¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

οὕτως καὶ ὁ κύριος διέταξεν τοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσιν ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ζῆν.

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast.

ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδενὶ τούτων· οὐκ ἔγραψα δὲ ταῦτα ἵνα οὕτως γένηται ἐν ἐμοί· καλὸν γάρ μοι μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου ἵνα

¹⁶ Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ μοί ἐστιν ἐὰν μὴ

¹⁷ If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility.

εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι.

¹⁸ What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.

τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ μισθός; ἵνα εὐαγγελιζόμενος ἀδάπανον θήσω τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸ μὴ καταχρήσασθαι τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.

¹⁹ Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

Ἐλεύθερος γὰρ ὢν ἐκ πάντων πᾶσιν ἐμαυτὸν ἐδούλωσα ἵνα τοὺς πλείονας κερδήσω·

²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law.

καὶ ἐγενόμην τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὡς Ἰουδαῖος ἵνα Ἰουδαίους κερδήσω· τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον ὡς ὑπὸ νόμον, ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον κερδήσω·

²¹ To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law.

τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος, μὴ ὢν ἄνομος ἀλλ᾽ ἔννομος ἵνα κερδάνω ἀνόμους.

²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν ὡς ἀσθενὴς ἵνα τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς κερδήσω· τοῖς πᾶσιν γέγονα τὰ πάντα ἵνα πάντως τινὰς σώσω.

²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

δὲ ποιῶ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.

Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἐν σταδίῳ τρέχοντες πάντες μὲν τρέχουσιν, εἷς δὲ λαμβάνει τὸ βραβεῖον; οὕτως τρέχετε ἵνα καταλάβητε.

²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.

πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβωσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄφθαρτον.

²⁶ Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.

ἐγὼ τοίνυν οὕτως τρέχω ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως, οὕτως πυκτεύω ὡς οὐκ ἀέρα δέρων·

²⁷ No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

ἀλλ᾽ ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι.