Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? my work are not ye in [the] Lord?
If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you; for the seal of my apostleship ye are in [the] Lord.
My defence to those that examine me is this.
Have we not a title to eat and to drink?
have we not title to take about a sister wife, as also the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas?
or I alone and Barnabas, have we not title to abstain from working?
Who ever serveth in war at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of its fruit? or who tendeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
Do I speak these things as a man, or doth not the law also say these things?
For in the law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while treading out corn. Is it for the oxen that God careth,
or doth he say it altogether on our account? For it was written on our account, because the plougher ought to plough in hope, and the thresher in hope of partaking.
If we sowed for you the spiritual things, [is it] a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
If others partake of the title over you, should not we more? But we use not this title but bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of the Christ.
Know ye not that those that minister about the holy things eat of the temple, and those that attend the altar share with the altar?
So also the Lord ordained those that announced the gospel to live of the gospel.
But I have used none of these things. And I have not written these things that it should be thus in my case, for [it were] good for me to die rather than that anyone should make empty my boast.
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast, for necessity is laid upon me, for woe is to me if I preach not the gospel.
For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I have an administration entrusted to me.
What, then, is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may make the gospel without charge; so that I use not for myself my title in the gospel.
For being free from all I made myself bondman to all, that I might gain the most.
And I became to the Jews as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; and to those under law, as under law, not being myself under law, that I might gain those under law;
to those without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain those without law.
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; to all I have become all things, that by all means I might save some.
And all things I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow-partaker of it.
Know ye not that they who run in a race-course run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
And every one that contendeth is temperate in all things: they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run, as not uncertainly (so combat, as not beating air.
But I discipline my body and lead [it] captive, lest by any means, having preached to others, I myself should be reprobate.