1 Corinthians 9:1-12 ▼

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

2 If I am not an apostle to others—yet doubtless I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the LORD.

3 My defense to those who examine me in this:

4 do we not have authority to eat and to drink?

5 Do we not have authority to lead about a sister—a wife—as also the other apostles, and the brothers of the LORD, and Cephas?

6 Or do only Barnabas and I have no authority not to work?

7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

8 Do I speak these things according to man? Or does the Law not also say these things?

9 For in the Law of Moses it has been written: “you will not muzzle an ox treading out grain”; does God care for the oxen?

10 Or by all means does He say [it] because of us? Yes, because of us it was written, because in hope ought the plower to plow, and he who is treading [ought] of his hope to partake in hope.

11 If we sowed to you the spiritual things—[is it] great if we reap your fleshly things?

12 If others partake of the authority over you—[do] we not more? But we did not use this authority, but we bear all things, that we may give no hindrance to the good news of the Christ.