1 ¿ NO soy apóstol? ¿no soy libre? ¿no he visto á Jesús el Señor nuestro? ¿no sois vosotros mi obra en el Señor?

Am 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?

2 S i á los otros no soy apóstol, á vosotros ciertamente lo soy: porque el sello de mi apostolado sois vosotros en el Señor.

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

3 E sta es mi respuesta á los que me preguntan.

When people ask questions about me, I say this:

4 Q ué, ¿no tenemos potestad de comer y de beber?

Do we not have the right to have food and drink when we are working for the Lord?

5 ¿ No tenemos potestad de traer con nosotros una hermana mujer también como los otros apóstoles, y los hermanos del Señor, y Cefas?

Do 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.

6 ¿ O sólo yo y Bernabé no tenemos potestad de no trabajar?

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

7 ¿ Quién jamás peleó á sus expensas? ¿quién planta viña, y no come de su fruto? ¿ó quién apacienta el ganado, y no come de la leche del ganado?

Have 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?

8 ¿ Digo esto según los hombres? ¿no dice esto también la ley?

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

9 P orque en la ley de Moisés está escrito: No pondrás bozal al buey que trilla. ¿Tiene Dios cuidado de los bueyes?

God 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?

10 ¿ O dícelo enteramente por nosotros? Pues por nosotros está escrito: porque con esperanza ha de arar el que ara; y el que trilla, con esperanza de recibir el fruto.

Did 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.

11 S i nosotros os sembramos lo espiritual, ¿es gran cosa si segáremos lo vuestro carnal?

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

12 S i otros tienen en vosotros esta potestad, ¿no más bien nosotros? Mas no hemos usado de esta potestad: antes lo sufrimos todo, por no poner ningún obstáculo al evangelio de Cristo.

If 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.

13 ¿ No sabéis que los que trabajan en el santuario, comen del santuario; y que los que sirven al altar, del altar participan?

You 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.

14 A sí también ordenó el Señor á los que anuncian el evangelio, que vivan del evangelio.

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

15 M as yo de nada de esto me aproveché: ni tampoco he escrito esto para que se haga así conmigo; porque tengo por mejor morir, antes que nadie haga vana esta mi gloria.

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.

16 P ues bien que anuncio el evangelio, no tengo por qué gloriarme porque me es impuesta necesidad; y ­ay de mí si no anunciare el evangelio!

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.

17 P or lo cual, si lo hago de voluntad, premio tendré; mas si por fuerza, la dispensación me ha sido encargada.

If 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.

18 ¿ Cuál, pues, es mi merced? Que predicando el evangelio, ponga el evangelio de Cristo de balde, para no usar mal de mi potestad en el evangelio.

Then 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

19 P or lo cual, siendo libre para con todos, me he hecho siervo de todos por ganar á más.

No 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.

20 H eme hecho á los Judíos como Judío, por ganar á los Judíos; á los que están sujetos á la ley (aunque yo no sea sujeto á la ley) como sujeto á la ley, por ganar á los que están sujetos á la ley;

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.

21 A los que son sin ley, como si yo fuera sin ley, (no estando yo sin ley de Dios, mas en la ley de Cristo) por ganar á los que estaban sin ley.

There 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.

22 M e he hecho á los flacos flaco, por ganar á los flacos: á todos me he hecho todo, para que de todo punto salve á algunos.

Some 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.

23 Y esto hago por causa del evangelio, por hacerme juntamente participante de él.

Everything 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

24 ¿ No sabéis que los que corren en el estadio, todos á la verdad corren, mas uno lleva el premio? Corred de tal manera que lo obtengáis.

You 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.

25 Y todo aquel que lucha, de todo se abstiene: y ellos, á la verdad, para recibir una corona corruptible; mas nosotros, incorruptible.

Everyone 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.

26 A sí que, yo de esta manera corro, no como á cosa incierta; de esta manera peleo, no como quien hiere el aire:

In 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.

27 A ntes hiero mi cuerpo, y lo pongo en servidumbre; no sea que, habiendo predicado á otros, yo mismo venga á ser reprobado.

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.