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?

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.

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.