1 Corinthians 9 - New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

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.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 9:4 Lit It is not that we have no right to eat and drink, is it?
  2. 1 Corinthians 9:5 Lit It is not that we have no right to take along...Cephas, is it?
  3. 1 Corinthians 9:5 Lit sister, as wife
  4. 1 Corinthians 9:6 Lit I and Barnabas
  5. 1 Corinthians 9:7 Lit eat of
  6. 1 Corinthians 9:8 Lit man
  7. 1 Corinthians 9:13 Lit with
  8. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  9. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  10. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  11. 1 Corinthians 9:20 Or law
  12. 1 Corinthians 9:27 Lit bruise

Cross references

  1. 1 Corinthians 9:1 : 1 Cor 9:19; 10:29
  2. 1 Corinthians 9:1 : Acts 14:14; Rom 1:1; 2 Cor 12:12; 1 Thess 2:6; 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11
  3. 1 Corinthians 9:1 : Acts 9:3, 17; 18:9; 22:14, 18; 23:11; 1 Cor 15:8
  4. 1 Corinthians 9:1 : 1 Cor 3:6; 4:15
  5. 1 Corinthians 9:2 : John 3:33; 2 Cor 3:2f
  6. 1 Corinthians 9:2 : Acts 1:25
  7. 1 Corinthians 9:4 : 1 Cor 9:14; 1 Thess 2:6, 9; 2 Thess 3:8f
  8. 1 Corinthians 9:5 : 1 Cor 7:7f
  9. 1 Corinthians 9:5 : Matt 12:46
  10. 1 Corinthians 9:5 : Matt 8:14; John 1:42
  11. 1 Corinthians 9:6 : Acts 4:36
  12. 1 Corinthians 9:7 : 2 Cor 10:4; 1 Tim 1:18; 2 Tim 2:3f
  13. 1 Corinthians 9:7 : Deut 20:6; Prov 27:18; 1 Cor 3:6, 8
  14. 1 Corinthians 9:8 : Rom 3:5
  15. 1 Corinthians 9:9 : Deut 25:4; 1 Tim 5:18
  16. 1 Corinthians 9:9 : Deut 22:1-4; Prov 12:10
  17. 1 Corinthians 9:10 : Rom 4:23f
  18. 1 Corinthians 9:10 : 2 Tim 2:6
  19. 1 Corinthians 9:11 : Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:14
  20. 1 Corinthians 9:12 : Acts 18:3; 20:33; 1 Cor 9:15, 18
  21. 1 Corinthians 9:12 : 2 Cor 6:3; 11:12
  22. 1 Corinthians 9:12 : 1 Cor 4:15; 9:14, 16, 18, 23; 2 Cor 2:12
  23. 1 Corinthians 9:13 : Rom 6:16
  24. 1 Corinthians 9:13 : Lev 6:16, 26; 7:6, 31ff; Num 5:9f; 18:8-20, 31; Deut 18:1
  25. 1 Corinthians 9:14 : Matt 10:10; Luke 10:7; 1 Tim 5:18
  26. 1 Corinthians 9:14 : 1 Cor 4:15; 9:12, 16, 18, 23; 2 Cor 2:12
  27. 1 Corinthians 9:14 : Luke 10:8; 1 Cor 9:4
  28. 1 Corinthians 9:15 : Acts 18:3; 20:33; 1 Cor 9:12, 18
  29. 1 Corinthians 9:15 : 2 Cor 11:10
  30. 1 Corinthians 9:16 : Acts 9:15; Rom 1:14
  31. 1 Corinthians 9:16 : 1 Cor 4:15; 9:12, 14, 18, 23; 2 Cor 2:12
  32. 1 Corinthians 9:17 : John 4:36; 1 Cor 3:8; 9:18
  33. 1 Corinthians 9:17 : 1 Cor 4:1; Gal 2:7; Eph 3:2; Phil 1:16; Col 1:25
  34. 1 Corinthians 9:18 : John 4:36; 1 Cor 3:8; 9:17
  35. 1 Corinthians 9:18 : Acts 18:3; 2 Cor 11:7; 12:13
  36. 1 Corinthians 9:18 : 1 Cor 7:31; 9:12
  37. 1 Corinthians 9:19 : 1 Cor 9:1
  38. 1 Corinthians 9:19 : 2 Cor 4:5; Gal 5:13
  39. 1 Corinthians 9:19 : Matt 18:15; 1 Pet 3:1
  40. 1 Corinthians 9:20 : Acts 16:3; 21:23-26; Rom 11:14
  41. 1 Corinthians 9:20 : Gal 2:19
  42. 1 Corinthians 9:21 : Rom 2:12, 14
  43. 1 Corinthians 9:21 : Gal 2:3; 3:2
  44. 1 Corinthians 9:21 : 1 Cor 7:22; Gal 6:2
  45. 1 Corinthians 9:22 : Rom 14:1; 15:1; 2 Cor 11:29
  46. 1 Corinthians 9:22 : 1 Cor 10:33
  47. 1 Corinthians 9:22 : Rom 11:14
  48. 1 Corinthians 9:24 : 1 Cor 9:13
  49. 1 Corinthians 9:24 : Phil 3:14; Col 2:18
  50. 1 Corinthians 9:24 : Gal 2:2; 2 Tim 4:7; Heb 12:1
  51. 1 Corinthians 9:25 : Eph 6:12; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 2:5; 4:7
  52. 1 Corinthians 9:25 : 2 Tim 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Pet 5:4; Rev 2:10; 3:11
  53. 1 Corinthians 9:26 : Gal 2:2; 2 Tim 4:7; Heb 12:1
  54. 1 Corinthians 9:26 : 1 Cor 14:9
  55. 1 Corinthians 9:27 : Rom 8:13

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