1 Corinthians 9

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

²And 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.

³My defence with them that do examine me is this.

⁴Have not we power to eat and to drink?

⁵Have 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?

⁶Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this?

⁷Who 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?

⁸Speak I these things according to man? Or doth not the law also say these things?

⁹For 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?

¹⁰Or 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.

¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?

¹²If 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.