1 A m I not a missionary? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not Christians because of the work I have done for the Lord?

Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are not ye my work in Lord?

2 O ther people may not think of me as a missionary, but you do. It proves I am a missionary because you are Christians now.

If I am not an apostle to others, yet at any rate I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in Lord.

3 W hen people ask questions about me, I say this:

My defence to those who examine me is this:

4 D o we not have the right to have food and drink when we are working for the Lord?

Have we not a right to eat and to drink?

5 D o we not have the right to take a Christian wife along with us? The other missionaries do. The Lord’s brothers do and Peter does.

have we not a right to take round a sister wife, as also the other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

6 A re Barnabas and I the only ones who should keep working for a living so we can preach?

Or I alone and Barnabas, have we not a right not to work?

7 H ave you ever heard of a soldier who goes to war and pays for what he needs himself? Have you ever heard of a man planting a field of grapes and not eating some of the fruit? Have you ever heard of a farmer who feeds cattle and does not drink some of the milk?

Who ever carries on war at his own charges? who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? or who herds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

8 T hese things are not just what men think are right to do. God’s Law speaks about this.

Do I speak these things as a man, or does not the law also say these things?

9 G od gave Moses the Law. It says, “When the cow is made to walk on the grain to break it open, do not stop it from eating some.” Does God care about the cow?

For in the law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that is treading out corn. Is God occupied about the oxen,

10 D id not God speak about this because of us. For sure, this was written for us. The man who gets the fields ready and the man who gathers in the grain should expect some of the grain.

or does he say altogether for our sakes? For for our sakes it has been written, that the plougher should plough in hope, and he that treads out corn, in hope of partaking of.

11 W e have planted God’s Word among you. Is it too much to expect you to give us what we need to live each day?

If we have sown to you spiritual things, great if we shall reap your carnal things?

12 I f other people have the right to expect this from you, do we not have more right? But we have not asked this of you. We have suffered many things. We did this so the Good News of Christ would not be held back.

If others partake of this right over you, should not rather we? But we have not used this right, but we bear all things, that we may put no hindrance in the way of the glad tidings of the Christ.

13 Y ou must know that those who work in the house of God get their food there. Those who work at the altar in the house of God get a part of the food that is given there.

Do ye not know that they who labour sacred things eat of the temple; they that attend at the altar partake with the altar?

14 T he Lord has said also that those who preach the Good News should get their living from those who hear it.

So also the Lord has ordained to those that announce the glad tidings to live of the glad tidings.

15 I have not used any of these things. I am not writing now to get anything. I would rather die than lose the joy of preaching to you without you paying me.

But I have used none of these things. Now I have not written these things that it should be thus in my case; for good for me rather to die than that any one should make vain my boast.

16 I cannot be proud because I preach the Good News. I have been told to do it. It would be bad for me if I do not preach the Good News.

For if I announce the glad tidings, I have nothing to boast of; for a necessity is laid upon me; for it is woe to me if I should not announce the glad tidings.

17 I f I do this because I want to, I will get my reward. If I do not want to do it, I am still expected to do it.

For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with an administration.

18 T hen what is my reward? It is when I preach the Good News without you paying me. I do not ask you to pay me as I could. Learning to Get Along

What is the reward then that I have? That in announcing the glad tidings I make the glad tidings costless, so as not to have made use, as belonging to me, of my right in the glad tidings.

19 N o man has any hold on me, but I have made myself a workman owned by all. I do this so I might lead more people to Christ.

For being free from all, I have made myself bondman to all, that I might gain the most.

20 I became as a Jew to the Jews so I might lead them to Christ. There are some who live by obeying the Jewish Law. I became as one who lives by obeying the Jewish Law so I might lead them to Christ.

And I became to the Jews as a Jew, in order that I might gain the Jews: to those under law, as under law, not being myself under law, in order that I might gain those under law:

21 T here are some who live by not obeying the Jewish law. I became as one who lives by not obeying the Jewish law so I might lead them to Christ. This does not mean that I do not obey God’s Law. I obey the teachings of Christ.

to those without law, as without law, (not as without law to God, but as legitimately subject to Christ,) in order that I might gain without law.

22 S ome are weak. I have become weak so I might lead them to Christ. I have become like every person so in every way I might lead some to Christ.

I became to the weak, weak, in order that I might gain the weak. To all I have become all things, in order that at all events I might save some.

23 E verything I do, I do to get the Good News to men. I want to have a part in this work. Live a Life That Pleases Christ

And I do all things for the sake of the glad tidings, that I may be fellow-partaker with them.

24 Y ou know that only one person gets a crown for being in a race even if many people run. You must run so you will win the crown.

Know ye not that they who run in race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order that ye may obtain.

25 E veryone who runs in a race does many things so his body will be strong. He does it to get a crown that will soon be worth nothing, but we work for a crown that will last forever.

But every one that contends is temperate in all things: they then indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

26 I n the same way, I run straight for the place at the end of the race. I fight to win. I do not beat the air.

I therefore thus run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air.

27 I keep working over my body. I make it obey me. I do this because I am afraid that after I have preached the Good News to others, I myself might be put aside.

But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest having preached to others I should be myself rejected.