Am I not afree
? Am
I not an bapostle
? Have I not cseen
Jesus
our Lord
? Are you not dmy work
in the Lord
?
If to others
I am
not an apostle
, at least
I am
to you; for you are the aseal
of my bapostleship
in the Lord
.
My defense to those
who examine
me is this
:
1 aDo we not have a right
to eat
and drink
?
1 aDo we not have a right
to take
along
a 2believing
wife
, even
as the rest
of the apostles
and the bbrothers
of the Lord
and cCephas
?
Or do only
1 aBarnabas
and I not have
a right
to refrain
from working
?
Who at any
time
serves
aas a soldier
at his own
expense
? Who
bplants
a vineyard
and does not eat
the fruit
of it? Or
who
tends
a flock
and does not 1use
the milk
of the flock
?
I am not speaking these
things
aaccording
to 1human
judgment
, am I? Or
does not the Law
also
say
these
things
?
For it is written in the Law
of Moses
, " aYOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE
THE OX
WHILE HE IS THRESHING
." God
is not concerned
about boxen
, is He?
Or is He speaking
altogether
for our sake
? Yes
, afor our sake
it was written
, because
bthe plowman
ought
to plow
in hope
, and the thresher
to thresh in hope
of sharing
the crops.
aIf we sowed
spiritual
things
in you, is it too
much
if
we reap
material
things
from you?
If others
share
the right
over you, do we not more
? Nevertheless
, we adid not use
this
right
, but we endure
all
things
bso
that we will cause
no
hindrance
to the cgospel
of Christ
.
aDo you not know that those
who bperform
sacred
services
eat
the food of the temple
, and those
who attend
regularly
to the altar
have
their share
1from the altar
?
So also
athe Lord
directed
those
who proclaim
the bgospel
to cget
their living
from the gospel
.
But I have aused none
of these
things
. And I am not writing
these
things
so
that it will be done
so
in my case
; for it would be better
for me to die
than
have any
man make
bmy boast
an empty
one.
For if I preach
the gospel
, I have nothing
to boast
of, for aI am
under
compulsion
; for woe
is me if
I do not preach
bthe gospel
.
For if I do
this
voluntarily
, I have
a areward
; but if
against
my will
, I have a bstewardship
entrusted
to me.
What then
is my areward
? That, when I preach
the gospel
, I may offer
the gospel
bwithout
charge
, so
as cnot to make
full
use
of my right
in the gospel
.
For though I am afree
from all
men, I have made
myself
ba slave
to all
, so
that I may cwin
more
.
aTo the Jews I became
as a Jew
, so
that I might win
Jews
; to those
who
are under
1the Law
, as under
1the Law
though bnot being
myself
under
1the Law
, so
that I might win
those
who
are under
1the Law
;
to those who are awithout
law
, bas without
law
, though not being
without
the law
of God
but cunder
the law
of Christ
, so
that I might win
those
who are without
law
.
To the aweak I became
weak
, that I might win
the weak
; I have become
ball
things
to all
men
, cso
that I may by all
means
save
some
.
I do all
things
for the sake
of the gospel
, so
that I may become
a fellow
partaker
of it.
aDo you not know that those
who run
in a race
all
run
, but only one
receives
bthe prize
? cRun
in such
a way
that you may win
.
Everyone who acompetes
in the games
exercises
self-control
in all
things
. They then
do it to receive
a perishable
bwreath
, but we an imperishable
.
Therefore I arun
in such
a way
, as not without
aim
; I box
in such
a way
, as not bbeating
the air
;
but I 1discipline amy body
and make
it my slave
, so that, after I have preached
to others
, I myself
will not be disqualified
.