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

² If I am not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³ My answer to those that examine me is this,

⁴ Do we not have authority to eat and to drink?

⁵ Do we not have authority to bring with us a sister, a wife, as also the other apostles and [as] the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

⁶ Do only Barnabas and I not have authority to forbear working?

⁷ Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? or who feeds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

⁸ Do I say this [only] according to men? or does not the law say the same also?

⁹ For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain. Does God take care for oxen?

¹⁰ Or does he say [it] altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, [this] is written: that he that plows should plow in hope, and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.

¹¹ If we have sown unto you spiritual things, [is it] a great thing if we shall reap material things from you?

¹² If others are partakers of [this] authority over you, why not us? Nevertheless we have not used this authority, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

¹³ Do ye not know that those who work with sacred [things] live [of the things] of the sanctuary? and those who serve at the altar partake of the altar?

¹⁴ Even so the Lord has ordained that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

¹⁵ But I have used none of these things, neither have I written these things that it should be so done unto me; for [it were] better for me to die than that anyone should make this my glory void.

¹⁶ For though I preach the gospel, I have no reason to glory, for it is an obligation laid upon me; for woe is me, if I do not preach the gospel!

¹⁷ For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, the stewardship [of the gospel] is committed unto me.

¹⁸ What reward, then, shall I have? That preaching the gospel, I may make the gospel of the Christ without charge, that I abuse not my authority in the gospel.

¹⁹ Therefore, though I am free regarding everyone, yet I have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

²⁰ And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to those that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those that are under the law;

²¹ to those that are without law, as without law (being not without law of God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain those that are without law.

²² To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to everyone, that I might by all means save some.

²³ And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker together of it.

²⁴ Know ye not that those who run in a race indeed all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain [it].

²⁵ And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible [one].

²⁶ I therefore so run, not as unto an uncertain thing; so I fight, not as one that beats the air;

²⁷ but I keep my body under, and bring [it] into subjection, lest preaching to others, I myself should become reprobate.: