I Corinthians 9-10

I Corinthians 9

¹Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are not *ye* my work in the Lord?

²If I am not an apostle to others, yet at any rate I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are *ye* in the Lord.

³My defence to those who examine me is this:

⁴Have we not a right to eat and to drink?

⁵have we not a right to take round a sister as wife, as also the other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

⁶Or *I* alone and Barnabas, have we not a right not to work?

⁷Who ever carries on war at his own charges? who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? or who herds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

⁸Do I speak these things as a man, or does not the law also say these things?

⁹For in the law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that is treading out corn. Is God occupied about the oxen,

¹⁰or does he say it altogether for our sakes? For for our sakes it has been written, that the plougher should plough in hope, and he that treads out corn, in hope of partaking of it.

¹¹If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if *we* shall reap your carnal things?

¹²If others partake of this right over you, should not rather *we*? But we have not used this right, but we bear all things, that we may put no hindrance in the way of the glad tidings of the Christ.

¹³Do ye not know that they who labour at sacred things eat of the offerings offered in the temple; they that attend at the altar partake with the altar?

¹⁴So also the Lord has ordained to those that announce the glad tidings to live of the glad tidings.

¹⁵But *I* have used none of these things. Now I have not written these things that it should be thus in my case; for it were good for me rather to die than that any one should make vain my boast.

¹⁶For if I announce the glad tidings, I have nothing to boast of; for a necessity is laid upon me; for it is woe to me if I should not announce the glad tidings.

¹⁷For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with an administration.

¹⁸What is the reward then that I have? That in announcing the glad tidings I make the glad tidings costless to others, so as not to have made use, as belonging to me, of my right in announcing the glad tidings.

¹⁹For being free from all, I have made myself bondman to all, that I might gain the most possible.

²⁰And I became to the Jews as a Jew, in order that I might gain the Jews: to those under law, as under law, not being myself under law, in order that I might gain those under law:

²¹to those without law, as without law, (not as without law to God, but as legitimately subject to Christ,) in order that I might gain those without law.

²²I became to the weak, as weak, in order that I might gain the weak. To all I have become all things, in order that at all events I might save some.

²³And I do all things for the sake of the glad tidings, that I may be fellow-partaker with them.

²⁴Know ye not that they who run in the race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order that ye may obtain.

²⁵But every one that contends for a prize is temperate in all things: *they* then indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but *we* an incorruptible.

²⁶*I* therefore thus run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air.

²⁷But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest after having preached to others I should be myself rejected.

I Corinthians 10

¹For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

²and all were baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

³and all ate the same spiritual food,

⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them: (now the rock was the Christ;)

⁵yet God was not pleased with the most of them, for they were strewed in the desert.

⁶But these things happened as types of us, that we should not be lusters after evil things, as they also lusted.

⁷Neither be ye idolaters, as some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

⁸Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

⁹Neither let us tempt the Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished by serpents.

¹⁰Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.

¹¹Now all these things happened to them as types, and have been written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

¹²So that let him that thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

¹³No temptation has taken you but such as is according to man's nature; and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able to bear, but will with the temptation make the issue also, so that ye should be able to bear it.

¹⁴Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

¹⁵I speak as to intelligent persons: do *ye* judge what I say.

¹⁶The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of the Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Christ?

¹⁷Because we, being many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf.

¹⁸See Israel according to flesh: are not they who eat the sacrifices in communion with the altar?

¹⁹What then do I say? that what is sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

²⁰But that what the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. Now I do not wish you to be in communion with demons.

²¹Ye cannot drink the Lord's cup, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the Lord's table, and of the table of demons.

²²Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

²³All things are lawful, but all are not profitable; all things are lawful, but all do not edify.

²⁴Let no one seek his own advantage, but that of the other.

²⁵Everything sold in the shambles eat, making no inquiry for conscience sake.

²⁶For the earth is the Lord's and its fulness.

²⁷But if any one of the unbelievers invite you, and ye are minded to go, all that is set before you eat, making no inquiry for conscience sake.

²⁸But if any one say to you, This is offered to holy purposes, do not eat, for his sake that pointed it out, and conscience sake;

²⁹but conscience, I mean, not thine own, but that of the other: for why is my liberty judged by another conscience?

³⁰If *I* partake with thanksgiving, why am I spoken evil of for what *I* give thanks for?

³¹Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all things to God's glory.

³²Give no occasion to stumbling, whether to Jews, or Greeks, or the assembly of God.

³³Even as *I* also please all in all things; not seeking my own profit, but that of the many, that they may be saved.