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1 Corinthians 9 - King James 1611 bible

1 Corinthians 9

¹Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? haue I not seene Iesus Christ our Lord? Are not you my worke in the Lord?

²If I bee not an Apostle vnto others, yet doubtlesse I am to you: for the seale of mine Apostleship are yee in the Lord.

³Mine answere to them that doe examine me, is this:

⁴Haue wee not power to eate and to drinke?

⁵Haue we not power to lead about a sister a wife aswel as other Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

⁶Or I onely and Barnabas, haue not we power to forbeare working?

⁷Who goeth a warfare any time at his owne charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruite thereof? or who feedeth a flocke, and eateth not of the milke of the flocke?

⁸Say I these things as a man? or saith not the Law the same also?

⁹For it is written in the Law of Moyses, Thou shalt not muzzell the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne: doth God take care for oxen?

¹⁰Or saith hee it altogether for our sakes? for our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that hee that ploweth, should plow in hope: and that hee that thresheth in hope, should bee partaker of his hope.

¹¹If we haue sowen vnto you spirituall things, is it a great thing if wee shall reape your carnall things?

¹²If others bee partakers of this power ouer you, are not we rather? Neuerthelesse, we haue not vsed this power: but suffer all things, lest wee should hinder the Gospel of Christ.

¹³Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things, liue of the things of the Temple? and they which wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar?

¹⁴Euen so hath the Lord ordeined, that they which preach the Gospel, should liue of the Gospel.

¹⁵But I haue vsed none of these things. Neither haue I written these things, that it should bee so done vnto me: for it were better for me to die, then that any man should make my glorying voyd.

¹⁶For though I preach the Gospel, I haue nothing to glorie of: for necessitie is laid vpon mee, yea, woe is vnto me, if I preach not the Gospel.

¹⁷For if I doe this thing willingly, I haue a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed vnto me.

¹⁸What 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.

¹⁹For though I bee free from all men, yet haue I made my selfe seruant vnto all, that I might gaine the more.

²⁰And vnto the Iewes, I became as a Iew, that I might gaine the Iewes: to them that are vnder the Law, as vnder the Law, that I might gaine them that are vnder the Law:

²¹To them that are without Law, as without Law (being not without Law to God, but vnder the Law to Christ,) that I might gaine them that are without Law.

²²To the weake became I as weake, that I might gaine the weake: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all meanes saue some.

²³And this I doe for the Gospels sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

²⁴Know yee not that they which runne in a race, runne all, but one receiueth the price? So runne, that yee may obtaine.

²⁵And euery man that striueth for the masterie, is temperate in all things: Now they doe it to obtaine a corruptible crowne, but we an incorruptible.

²⁶I therefore so runne, not as vncertainely: so fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre:

²⁷But I keepe vnder my body, and bring it into subiection: lest that by any meanes when I haue preached to others, I my selfe should be a castaway.