|
Chapter 9 |
| 1 | Am I not an
apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my
work in the Lord? |
|
2 | If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I
am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. |
| 3 | Mine
answer to them that do examine me is this, |
|
4 | Have we not power to eat
and to drink? |
|
5 | Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as
well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? |
| 6 |
Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? |
| 7 | Who
goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and
eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the
milk of the flock? |
| 8 | Say I these things as a man? or saith not the
law the same also? |
| 9 | For 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? |
|
10 | Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our
sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and
that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. |
| 11 | If
we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap
your carnal things? |
| 12 | If others be partakers of this power over
you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer
all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. |
| 13 | Do ye not
know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the
temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
|
| 14 | Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should
live of the gospel. |
| 15 | But I have used none of these things:
neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it
were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying
void. |
| 16 |
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:
for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the
gospel! |
| 17
| For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if
against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. |
| 18 |
What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the
gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
|
| 19 | For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto
all, that I might gain the more. |
| 20 | And unto the Jews I became as
a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the
law, that I might gain them that are under the law; |
| 21 | To them that
are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the
law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. |
| 22 | To
the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to
all men, that I might by all means save some. |
| 23 | And this I
do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. |
| 24 |
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?
So run, that ye may obtain. |
|
25 | And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible. |
| 26 | I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: |
| 27 | But I
keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when
I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. |
