1. Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2. If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3. My answer to those who examine me is this:
4. Do we not have authority to eat and to drink?
5. Do we not have authority to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brothers of the Lord do, and Cephas?
6. Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no authority whether not to work?
7. Who serves as a soldier at his own wages at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock and does not partake of the milk of the flock?
8. Do I say these things according to man? Or does not the Law say the same also?
9. For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox threshing grain." Does God take care for oxen?
10. Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? It was written for us, so that he who plows should plow in hope, and so that he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11. If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
12. If others have a share of this authority over you, rather should not we? But we have not used this authority, but we endured all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13. Do you not know that those who minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And those attending the altar are partakers with the altar.
14. Even so, the Lord ordained those announcing the gospel to live from the gospel.
15. But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it is good for me rather to die than that anyone nullify my glorying.
16. For though I preach the gospel, no glory is to me. For necessity is laid on me; yea, woe is to 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, I am entrusted with a stewardship.
18. What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
19. For though I am free from all, yet I have made myself servant to all, so that I might gain the more.
20. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews. To those who are under the Law, I became as under the Law, so that I might gain those who are under the Law.
21. To those who are outside Law, I became as outside Law (not being outside law to God, but under the Law to Christ), so that I might gain those who are outside Law.
22. To the weak I became as the weak, so that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some.
23. And this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I might be partaker of it with you.
24. Do you not know that those running in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.
25. And everyone who strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Then those truly that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
26. So then I run, not as if I were uncertain. And so I fight, not as one who beats the air.
27. But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest proclaiming to others I myself might be rejected.