First Corinthians

«   Chapter 9   »

1
Am I not free? Am I not a messenger? Did I not see our mawla Isa? Are you not the fruit of my effort for the sake of our mawla?
أَلَسْتُ حُرًّا؟ أَلَسْتُ مُرْسَلًا؟ أَلَمْ أَرَ مَوْلَانَا عِيسَى؟ أَلَسْتُمْ ثَمَرَةَ جُهْدِي فِي سَبِيلِ مَوْلَانَا؟
2
If some deny that I am a messenger, I certainly am a messenger to you. Your belonging to our mawla is the completion of my message.
إِنْ أَنْكَرَ الْبَعْضُ أَنَّنِي مُرْسَلٌ، فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا مُرْسَلٌ إِلَيْكُمْ، إِذْ أَنَّ خَاتِمَ رِسَالَتِي هُوَ انْتِمَاؤُكُمْ إِلَى مَوْلَانَا.
3
This is my defense in front of those who accuse me:
هَذَا هُوَ دِفَاعِي أَمَامَ الَّذِينَ يَتَّهِمُونَنِي:
4
Do we not have the right to eat and drink?
أَلَيْسَ لَنَا حَقٌّ أَنْ نَأْكُلَ وَنَشْرَبَ؟
5
Do we not have the right to have believing wives to accompany us? This is what the rest of the messengers, the brothers of our mawla, and Peter do!
أَلَيْسَ لَنَا حَقٌّ أَنْ تُرَافِقَنَا زَوْجَاتٌ مُؤْمِنَاتٌ كَمَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ سَائِرُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ وَإِخْوَةُ مَوْلَانَا وَصَخْرٌ؟
6
Are the Ibn Naba and I the only two among the messengers who do not have the right not to work but instead be financed in our service by others?
هَلْ أَنَا وَابْنُ نَابَا الْوَحِيدَانِ مِنْ بَيْنِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ اللَّذَانِ لَيْسَ لَنَا الْحَقُّ أَلَّا نَشْتَغِلَ وَيُمَوِّلَ غَيْرُنَا خِدْمَتَنَا؟
7
Who serves in an army at his own personal expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not taste its fruit? Who herds sheep and does not drink their milk?
مَنْ يَخْدِمُ فِي جَيْشٍ عَلَى حِسَابِهِ الْخَاصِّ؟ مَنْ يَزْرَعُ كَرْمًا وَلَا يَذُوقُ مِنْ ثَمَرِهِ؟ وَمَنْ يَرْعَى غَنَمًا وَلَا يَشْرَبُ مِنْ لَبَنِهَا؟
8
Are these only human examples? Does the sharia of the Tawrat not say the same thing?
هَلْ هَذِهِ الْأَمْثِلَةُ بَشَرِيَّةٌ فَحَسْبُ؟ أَلَا تَقُولُ شَرِيعَةُ التَّوْرَاةِ نَفْسَ الشَّيْءِ؟
9
Allah revealed his sharia to Musa that "Do not muzzle an ox that is threshing heads of grain in the threshing floor." Is Allah concerned for oxen?
لَقَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَى مُوسَى شَرِيعَتَهُ أَنْ «لَا تَكُمَّ الثَّوْرَ الَّذِي يَدْرُسُ السَّنَابِلَ فِي الْبَيْدَرِ.» هَلِ اللهُ مُهْتَمٌّ بِالثِّيرَانِ؟
10
Does he not rather refer to us? Yes, he does refer to us. The plower must plow, and the thresher must thresh, hoping to share in the goodness of the crop.
أَلَا يَقْصِدُنَا نَحْنُ بِالْأَحْرَى؟ بَلَى، يَقْصِدُنَا نَحْنُ، لِأَنَّ الْحَارِثَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَحْرُثَ، وَالدَّارِسُ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَدْرُسَ آمِلَيْنِ الْمُشَارَكَةَ فِي خَيْرَاتِ الْمَحْصُولِ.
11
If we planted spiritual goodness among you, do you think it is too excessive for us to reap material goodness from you?
إِنْ زَرَعْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ الْخَيْرَاتِ الرُّوحِيَّةَ، فَهَلْ تَسْتَكْثِرُونَ عَلَيْنَا إِنْ حَصَدْنَا مِنْكُمُ الْخَيْرَاتِ الْمَادِّيَّةَ؟
12
If others benefited from financial support from you, should we not benefit even more? But we have not benefited from this right, but rather we endured everything so that we would not be a hindrance in the path of the good news of Al-Masih.
وَإِنِ اسْتَفَادَ غَيْرُنَا بِحَقِّ الدَّعْمِ الْمَادِّيِّ مِنْكُمْ، أَلَسْنَا أَحْرَى بِالِاسْتِفَادَةِ؟ لَكِنَّنَا لَمْ نَسْتَفِدْ مِنْ هَذَا الْحَقِّ، بَلْ تَحَمَّلْنَا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، حَتَّى لَا نَكُونَ عَرْقَلَةً فِي سَبِيلِ بُشْرَى الْمَسِيحِ،
13
Do you not know that the sadins who serve in the house of Allah get their living from that, and that the ahbar who present offerings receive a portion of what they sacrifice?
أَلَا تَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ السَّدَنَةَ الَّذِينَ يَخْدِمُونَ فِي بَيْتِ اللهِ يَسْتَرْزِقُونَ مِنْهُ، وَأَنَّ الْأَحْبَارَ الَّذِينَ يُقَدِّمُونَ الْقَرَابِينَ يَسْتَلِمُونَ حِصَّةً مِمَّا يَذْبَحُونَ؟
14
Our mawla has destined that those who announce the good news should get their living from it.
وَقَدْ قَضَى مَوْلَانَا أَنَّ مُعْلِنِي الْبُشْرَى يَسْتَرْزِقُونَ مِنْهَا.
15
But I have not benefited from any of these rights, and I do not intend in this letter to demand them from you. I would prefer to die rather than to have anyone deprive me of this boasting!
لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ أَسْتَفِدْ مِنْ أَيِّ حَقٍّ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْحُقُوقِ، وَلَا أَقْصِدُ فِي هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةِ مُطَالِبَتَكُمْ بِهِ. فَأَنَا أُفَضِّلُ الْمَوْتَ عَلَى أَنْ يَحْرِمَنِي أَحَدٌ مِنْ هَذَا الِافْتِخَارِ!
16
But there is no boasting in my spreading the good news. It is a command and an obligation. Woe to me if I do not give good news!
وَلَكِنْ لَيْسَ فِي نَشْرِي لِلْبُشْرَى افْتِخَارٌ، بَلْ هُوَ عَلَيَّ أَمْرٌ وَاجِبٌ، فَوَيْلِي إِنْ لَمْ أُبَشِّرْ!
17
If I were to give the good news by my own free will, I would have the right to be paid. But if I am obligated, I have become a trustee of the good news.
لَوْ كُنْتُ أُبَشِّرُ بِإِرَادَتِي الْحُرَّةِ، لَكَانَ لِي حَقُّ أُجْرَةٍ، وَإِذْ كُنْتُ مُجْبَرًا، فَقَدْ أَصْبَحْتُ وَكِيلًا عَلَى الْبُشْرَى،
18
So where is my pay? My pay is to give good news without pay and not to use all my rights as an announcer of the good news.
فَأَيْنَ أُجْرَتِي؟ أُجْرَتِي هِيَ أَنْ أُبَشِّرَ دُونَ مُقَابِلٍ وَأَلَّا أَسْتَخْدِمَ كَامِلَ حُقُوقِي كَمُعْلِنٍ لِلْبُشْرَى.
19
Even though I am free and not a slave to anyone, I have made myself a slave to everyone so that I can gain the largest number of them to faith:
وَمَعَ أَنَّنِي حُرٌّ وَلَسْتُ عَبْدًا لِأَحَدٍ، فَقَدِ اسْتَعْبَدْتُ نَفْسِي لِلْجَمِيعِ لِأَكْسِبَ أَكْبَرَ عَدَدٍ مِنْهُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ:
20
To Al-Yahud I became as a Yahudi so that I can win the Yahud. To those who are under the sharia, I became as one under the sharia, even though I am not under the sharia, so that I can win those who are under the sharia.
لِلْيَهُودِ أَصْبَحْتُ كَيَهُودِيٍّ لِأَكْسِبَ الْيَهُودَ، وَلِلَّذِينَ تَحْتَ الشَّرِيعَةِ، أَصْبَحْتُ كَالَّذِي تَحْتَ الشَّرِيعَةِ، مَعَ أَنَّنِي لَسْتُ تَحْتَ الشَّرِيعَةِ، لِأَكْسِبَ الَّذِينَ تَحْتَ الشَّرِيعَةِ،
21
To the jahil people who have no sharia, I became as one who does not have a sharia, even though I am not outside of the sharia of Allah, but under the sharia of Al-Masih, so that I can win the jahil people.
وَلِلْجَاهِلِينَ الَّذِينَ لَا شَرِيعَةَ لَهُمْ، أَصْبَحْتُ كَمَنْ لَا شَرِيعَةَ لَهُ، مَعَ أَنَّنِي لَسْتُ خَارِجًا عَنْ شَرِيعَةِ اللهِ بَلْ تَحْتَ شَرِيعَةِ الْمَسِيحِ، لِأَكْسِبَ الْجَاهِلِينَ،
22
To the weak I became weak so that I can win the weak. I became like all people in everything, so that I can guide some of them in any method.
وَلِلضُّعَفَاءِ أَصْبَحْتُ ضَعِيفًا لِأَكْسِبَ الضُّعَفَاءَ، وَأَصْبَحْتُ مِثْلَ كُلِّ النَّاسِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، لِأُرْشِدَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِكُلِّ وَسِيلَةٍ،
23
I do all this for the sake of the good news, so that I can have a share in its barakat.
وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ أَفْعَلُهُ فِي سَبِيلِ الْبُشْرَى، حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِي نَصِيبٌ فِي بَرَكَاتِهَا.
24
Do you not know that all the runners on the race track run, but only the winner gets the prize? So run to win!
أَلَا تَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ جَمِيعَ الْعَدَّائِينَ فِي حَلْبَةِ السِّبَاقِ يَرْكُضُونَ، وَلَكِنَّ لَا جَائِزَةَ إِلَّا لِلْفَائِزِ؟ فَإِذًا، اُرْكُضُوا حَتَّى تَفُوزُوا!
25
Every competitor is trained to discipline himself in everything so he can win win a perishable wreath, but we do so to win a wreath that remains.
وَكُلُّ مُبَارٍ يَتَدَرَّبُ عَلَى ضَبْطِ نَفْسِهِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لِكَيْ يَفُوزَ بِإِكْلِيلٍ فَانٍ، أَمَّا نَحْنُ، فَلِكَيْ نَفُوزَ بِإِكْلِيلٍ بَاقٍ.
26
I do not run without a purpose, and I do not box like someone who hits air.
لَا أَرْكُضُ دُونَ هَدَفٍ وَلَا أُلَاكِمُ كَمَنْ يَضْرِبُ الْهَوَاءَ،
27
But I subdue my body harshly and make it my slave, so that I will not be counted among the losers after I have given good news to others.
بَلْ أُخْضِعُ جَسَدِي بِقَسَاوَةٍ وَأَسْتَعْبِدُهُ، لِئَلَّا أُحْسَبَ مَعَ الْخَاسِرِينَ بَعْدَ أَنْ بَشَّرْتُ الْآخَرِينَ.