Parallel Bible results for "1 corinthians 9"

1 Corinthians 9

New International Reader's Version NIRV

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren't you the result of my work for the Lord?

2 Even though others may not think of me as an apostle, I am certainly one to you! You are the proof that I am the Lord's apostle.

3 That is what I say to stand up for myself when people judge me.

4 Don't we have the right to eat and drink?

5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife with us when we travel? The other apostles do. The Lord's brothers do. Peter does.

6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for a living?

7 Who serves as a soldier but doesn't get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn't eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn't drink any of the milk?

8 Do I say that from only a human point of view? The Law says the same thing.

9 Here is what is written in the Law of Moses. "Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw."(Deuteronomy 25:4) Is it oxen that God is concerned about?

10 Doesn't he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. When a farmer plows and separates the grain, he does it because he hopes to share in the crop.

11 We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some of the things we need?

12 Others have the right to receive help from you. Don't we have even more right to do so? But we didn't use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn't want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading.

13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple? Don't you know that those who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar?

14 In the same way, those who preach the good news should receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.

15 But I haven't used any of those rights. And I'm not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than have anyone take away my pride in my work.

16 But when I preach the good news, I can't brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news!

17 If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I'm only doing my duty.

18 Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do it without making use of my rights when I preach it.

19 I am free. I don't belong to anyone. But I make myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ.

20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law, even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law.

21 To those who don't have the law I became like one who doesn't have the law. I am not free from God's law. I am under Christ's law. Now I can win those who don't have the law.

22 To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that in all possible ways I might save some.

23 I do all of that because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.

24 In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don't you? So run in a way that will get you the prize.

25 All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

26 So I do not run like someone who doesn't run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air.

27 No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules and fail to win the prize.

New International Version NIV

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?

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

3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.

4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink?

5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas ?

6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

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

8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?

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?

10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.

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

12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?

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

15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.

16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.

18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

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), so as to win those under the law.

21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.

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.

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

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

25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.