⁷Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who^b shepherds a flock and does not drink^c from the milk of the flock? ⁸I am not saying these things according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these things? ⁹For in the law of Moses it is written, “You must not muzzle an ox while it^* is threshing.”^d It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it?^* ¹⁰Or doubtless does he speak for our sake^e? For it is written for our sake^f, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes ought to do so in hope of a share. ¹¹If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too great a thing if we reap material things from you?

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Footnotes

bSome manuscripts have “Or who”
cLiterally “eat”
*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“threshing”) which is understood as temporal
dA quotation from Deut 25:4
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
eLiterally “for the sake of us”
fLiterally “for the sake of us”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?

Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain. Is God really concerned about oxen? Isn’t he really saying it for our sake? Yes, this is written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

NLTNew Living Translation

What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing? For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.

Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink?

KJV 1900King James Version

Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? 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? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

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