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1 Corinthians Chapter 9

The apostle did not make use of his power of being maintained at the charges of those to whom he preached, that he might give no hindrance to the gospel. Of running in the race and striving for the mastery.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 Am I not I free? Am not I an apostle? Have not I seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord? 2 And if unto others I be not an apostle, but yet to you I am. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defence with them that do examine me is this. 4 Have not we power to eat and to drink? 5 Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister as well as the rest of the apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? A woman, a sister... Some erroneous translators have corrupted this text by rendering it, a sister, a wife: whereas, it is certain, St. Paul had no wife (1 Corinthians 7:7-8) and that he only speaks of such devout women, as, according to the custom of the Jewish nation, waited upon the preachers of the gospel, and supplied them with necessaries. 6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this? 7 Who serveth as a soldier, at any time, at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth the flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock? 8 Speak I these things according to man? Or doth not the law also say; these things? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses: Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10 Or doth he say this indeed for our sakes? For these things are written for our sakes: that he that plougheth, should plough in hope and he that thrasheth, in hope to receive fruit. 11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things? 12 If others be partakers of this power over you, why not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power: but we bear all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Know you not that they who work in the holy place eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar partake with the altar? 14 So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel should live by the gospel. 15 But I have used none of these things. Neither have I written these things, that they should be so done unto me: for it is good for me to die rather than that any man should make my glory void. 16 For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me: for a necessity lieth upon me. For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. It is no glory... That is, I have nothing to glory of. 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me. 18 What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

19 For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more. 20 And I became to the Jews a Jew, that I might gain the Jews: 21 To them that are under the law, as if I were under the law, (whereas myself was not under the law), that I might gain them that were under the law. To them that were without the law, as if I were without the law, (whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in the law of Christ), that I might gain them that were without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all. 23 And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be made partaker thereof. 24 Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may obtain. 25 And every one that striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from all things. And they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown: but we an incorruptible one. 26 I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air. 27 But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. I chastise, etc... Here St. Paul shows the necessity of self-denial and mortification, to subdue the flesh, and its inordinate desires.

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Non sum liber? non sum Apostolus? nonne Christum Jesum Dominum nostrum vidi? nonne opus meum vos estis in Domino? 2 Et si aliis non sum Apostolus, sed tamen vobis sum: nam signaculum apostolatus mei vos estis in Domino. 3 Mea defensio apud eos qui me interrogant, hæc est: 4 Numquid non habemus potestatem manducandi et bibendi? 5 numquid non habemus potestatem mulierem sororem circumducendi sicut et ceteri Apostoli, et fratres Domini, et Cephas? 6 aut ego solus, et Barnabas, non habemus potestatem hoc operandi? 7 Quis militat suis stipendiis umquam? quis plantat vineam, et de fructu ejus non edit? quis pascit gregem, et de lacte gregis non manducat? 8 Numquid secundum hominem hæc dico? an et lex hæc non dicit? 9 Scriptum est enim in lege Moysi: Non alligabis os bovi trituranti. Numquid de bobus cura est Deo? 10 an propter nos utique hoc dicit? Nam propter nos scripta sunt: quoniam debet in spe qui arat, arare: et qui triturat, in spe fructus percipiendi. 11 Si nos vobis spiritualia seminavimus, magnum est si nos carnalia vestra metamus? 12 Si alii potestatis vestræ participes sunt, quare non potius nos? Sed non usi sumus hac potestate: sed omnia sustinemus, ne quod offendiculum demus Evangelio Christi. 13 Nescitis quoniam qui in sacrario operantur quæ de sacrario sunt, edunt: et qui altari deserviunt, cum altari participant? 14 Ita et Dominus ordinavit iis qui Evangelium annuntiant, de Evangelio vivere. 15 Ego autem nullo horum usus sum. Non autem scripsi hæc ut ita fiant in me: bonum est enim mihi magis mori, quam ut gloriam meam quis evacuet. 16 Nam si evangelizavero, non est mihi gloria: necessitas enim mihi incumbit: væ enim mihi est, si non evangelizavero. 17 Si enim volens hoc ago, mercedem habeo: si autem invitus, dispensatio mihi credita est. 18 Quæ est ergo merces mea? ut Evangelium prædicans, sine sumptu ponam Evangelium, ut non abutar potestate mea in Evangelio.

19 Nam cum liber essem ex omnibus, omnium me servum feci, ut plures lucrifacerem. 20 Et factus sum Judæis tamquam Judæus, ut Judæos lucrarer: 21 iis qui sub lege sunt, quasi sub lege essem (cum ipse non essem sub lege) ut eos qui sub lege erant, lucrifacerem: iis qui sine lege erant, tamquam sine lege essem (cum sine lege Dei non essem: sed in lege essem Christi) ut lucrifacerem eos qui sine lege erant. 22 Factus sum infirmis infirmus, ut infirmos lucrifacerem. Omnibus omnia factus sum, ut omnes facerem salvos. 23 Omnia autem facio propter Evangelium: ut particeps ejus efficiar. 24 Nescitis quod ii qui in stadio currunt, omnes quidem currunt, sed unus accipit bravium? Sic currite ut comprehendatis. 25 Omnis autem qui in agone contendit, ab omnibus se abstinet, et illi quidem ut corruptibilem coronam accipiant: nos autem incorruptam. 26 Ego igitur sic curro, non quasi in incertum: sic pugno, non quasi aërem verberans: 27 sed castigo corpus meum, et in servitutem redigo: ne forte cum aliis prædicaverim, ipse reprobus efficiar.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition