1 Corinthians 9

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?	1 Am I not free? Am I not an Apostle? Have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 Even if to others I am not an apostle, to you at any rate I am, for you are the seal of my apostolate inthe Lord.	2 And if I am not an Apostle to others, yet still I am to you. For you are the seal of my Apostleship in the Lord.
3 To those who want to interrogate me, this is my answer.	3 My defense with those who question me is this:
4 Have we not every right to eat and drink?	4 Do we not have the authority to eat and to drink?
5 And every right to be accompanied by a Christian wife, like the other apostles, like the brothers of theLord, and like Cephas?	5 Do we not have the authority to travel around with a woman who is a sister, just as do the other Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Are Barnabas and I the only ones who have no right to stop working?	6 Or is it only myself and Barnabas who do not have the authority to act in this way?
7 What soldier would ever serve in the army at his own expense? And who is there who would plant avineyard and never eat the fruit from it; or would keep a flock and not feed on the milk from his flock?	7 Who has ever served as a soldier and paid his own stipend? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat from its produce? Who pastures a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock?
8 Do not think that this is merely worldly wisdom. Does not the Law say exactly the same? It is written inthe Law of Moses:	8 Am I saying these things according to man? Or does the law not also say these things?
9 You must not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it about oxen that God is concernedhere,	9 For it is written in the law of Moses: “You shall not bind the mouth of an ox, while it is treading out the grain.” Is God here concerned with the oxen?
10 or is it not said entirely for our sake? Clearly it was written for our sake, because it is right thatwhoever ploughs should plough with the expectation of having his share, and whoever threshes should threshwith the expectation of having his share.	10 Or is he saying this, indeed, for our sake? These things were written specifically for us, because he who plows, ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes, too, in hope of receiving the produce.
11 If we have sown the seed of spiritual things in you, is it too much to ask that we should receive fromyou a crop of material things?	11 If we have sown spiritual things in you, is it important if we harvest from your worldly things?
12 Others have been given such rights over you and do we not deserve more? In fact, we have neverexercised this right; on the contrary, we have put up with anything rather than obstruct the gospel of Christ in anyway.	12 If others are sharers in this authority over you, why are we not more entitled? And yet we have not used this authority. Instead, we bear all things, lest we give any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not realise that the ministers in the Temple get their food from the Temple, and those whoserve at the altar can claim their share from the altar?	13 Do you not know that those who work in the holy place eat the things that are for the holy place, and that those who serve at the altar also share with the altar?
14 In the same way, the Lord gave the instruction that those who preach the gospel should get their livingfrom the gospel.	14 So, too, has the Lord ordained that those who announce the Gospel should live by the Gospel.
15 However, I have never availed myself of any rights of this kind; and I have not written this to securesuch treatment for myself; I would rather die than that . . . No one shal take from me this ground of boasting.	15 Yet I have used none of these things. And I have not written so that these things may be done for me. For it is better for me to die, rather than to let anyone empty out my glory.
16 In fact, preaching the gospel gives me nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion and I should bein trouble if I failed to do it.	16 For if I preach the Gospel, it is not glory for me. For an obligation has been laid upon me. And woe to me, if I do not preach the Gospel.
17 If I did it on my own initiative I would deserve a reward; but if I do it under compulsion I am simplyaccepting a task entrusted to me.	17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if I do this reluctantly, a dispensation is granted to me.
18 What reward do I have, then? That in my preaching I offer the gospel free of charge to avoid using therights which the gospel al ows me.	18 And what, then, would be my reward? So, when preaching the Gospel, I should give the Gospel without taking, so that I may not misuse my authority in the Gospel.
19 So though I was not a slave to any human being, I put myself in slavery to al people, to win as manyas I could.	19 For when I was a free man to all, I made myself the servant of all, so that I might gain all the more.
20 To the Jews I made myself as a Jew, to win the Jews; to those under the Law as one under the Law(though I am not), in order to win those under the Law;	20 And so, to the Jews, I became like a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews.
21 to those outside the Law as one outside the Law, though I am not outside the Law but under Christ'slaw, to win those outside the Law.	21 To those who are under the law, I became as if I were under the law, (though I was not under the law) so that I might gain those who were under the law. To those who were without the law, I became as if I were without the law, (though I was not without the law of God, being in the law of Christ) so that I might gain those who were without the law.
22 To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak. I accommodated myself to people in all kinds ofdifferent situations, so that by al possible means I might bring some to salvation.	22 To the weak, I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. To all, I became all, so that I might save all.
23 Al this I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may share its benefits with others.	23 And I do everything for the sake of the Gospel, so that I may become its partner.
24 Do you not realise that, though al the runners in the stadium take part in the race, only one of themgets the prize? Run like that -- to win.	24 Do you not know that, of those who run in a race, all of them, certainly, are runners, but only one achieves the prize. Similarly, you must run, so that you may achieve.
25 Every athlete concentrates completely on training, and this is to win a wreath that wil wither, whereasours wil never wither.	25 And one who competes in a contest abstains from all things. And they do this, of course, so that they may achieve a corruptible crown. But we do this, so that we may achieve what is incorruptible.
26 So that is how I run, not without a clear goal; and how I box, not wasting blows on air.	26 And so I run, but not with uncertainty. And so I fight, but not by flailing in the air.
27 I punish my body and bring it under control, to avoid any risk that, having acted as herald for others, Imyself may be disqualified.	27 Instead, I chastise my body, so as to redirect it into servitude. Otherwise, I might preach to others, but become myself an outcast.