1 Corinthians 9:1-21 ▼

1 Am I not an Apostle? am I not fre? have I not sene Iesus Christ oure lorde?

2 Are not ye my worke in the lorde. Yf I be not an Apostle vnto other yet am I vnto you. For the seale of myne Apostleshippe are ye in the lorde.

3 Myne answer to them that axe me is this.

4 Have we not power to eate and to drynke?

5 Ether have we not power to leade about a sister to wyfe as wel as other Apostles and as the brethren of the lorde and Cephas?

6 Ether only I and Barnabas have not power this to do?

7 who goeth a warfare eny tyme at his awne cost? who planteth a vynearde and eateth not of the frute? Who fedeth a flocke and eateth not of the mylke?

8 Saye I these thinges after the manner of men? Or sayth not the lawe the same also?

9 For it ys written in the lawe of Moses. Thou shall not mosell the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne. Doth God take thought for oxen?

10 Ether sayth he it not all to gedder for oure sakes? For oure sakes no doute this is written: that he which eareth shuld eare in hope: and that he which thressheth in hope shuld be parttaker of his hope.

11 Yf we sowe vnto you spirituall thynges: is it a greate thynge yf we reepe youre carnall thynges

12 Yf other be parttakers of this power o ver you? wherfore are not we rather.Neverthelesse we have not vsed this power: but suffre all thinges lest we shuld hynder the gospell of Christ.

13 Do ye not vnderstoder how that they which minister in the temple have their fyndynge of the temple? And they which wayte at the aulter are partakers with ye aultre?

14 Even so also dyd ye lorde ordayne that they which preache ye gospell shuld live of the gospell.

15 But I have vsed none of these thinges. Nether wrote I these thinges that it shuld be so done vnto me. For it were better for me to dye the yt eny man shnld take this reioysinge from me.

16 In that I preache the gospell I have nothinge to reioyce of. For necessite is put vnto me. Wo is it vnto me yf I preache not the gospell.

17 If I do it with a good will I have a rewarde. But yf I do it agaynst my will an office is committed vnto me.

18 What is my rewarde then? Verely that whe I preache the gospell I make the gospell of Christ fre yt I misvse not myne auctorite in ye gospel

19 For though I be fre from all men yet have I made my silfe servaunt vnto all men that I myght wynne the moo.

20 Vnto the Iewes I became as a Iewe to winne ye Iewes. To the that were vnder the lawe was I made as though I had bene vnder the lawe to wynne the that were vnder the lawe.

21 To them that were without lawe be ca I as though I had bene without lawe (whe I was not without lawe as perteyninge to god but vnder a lawe as concerninge Christ) to wynne the that were without lawe.