1Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the LORD? 2If I am not an apostle to others—yet doubtless I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the LORD.

3My defense to those who examine me in this: 4do we not have authority to eat and to drink? 5Do we not have authority to lead about a sister—a wife—as also the other apostles, and the brothers of the LORD, and Cephas? 6Or do only Barnabas and I have no authority not to work? 7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense at any time? 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?

8Do I speak these things according to man? Or does the Law not also say these things? 9For in the Law of Moses it has been written: “you will not muzzle an ox treading out grain”; does God care for the oxen? 10Or by all means does He say [it] because of us? Yes, because of us it was written, because in hope ought the plower to plow, and he who is treading [ought] of his hope to partake in hope. 11If we sowed to you the spiritual things—[is it] great if we reap your fleshly things? 12If others partake of the authority over you—[do] we not more? But we did not use this authority, but we bear all things, that we may give no hindrance to the good news of the Christ. 13Have you not known that those working about the things of the temple eat of the temple, and those waiting at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14So also the LORD directed to those proclaiming the good news to live of the good news.

15And I have used none of these things; neither did I write these things that it may be so done in my case, for [it is] good for me rather to die, than that anyone may make my glorying void; 16for if I may proclaim good news, it is no glorying for me, for necessity is laid on me, and woe is to me if I may not proclaim good news; 17for if I do this willingly, I have a reward; and if unwillingly—I have been entrusted with a stewardship! 18What, then, is my reward? That proclaiming good news, without charge I will make the good news of the Christ, not to abuse my authority in the good news;

19for being free from all men, I made myself servant to all men, that the more I might gain; 20and to the Jews I became like a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those under law as under law, that I might gain those under law; 21to those without law, as without law—(not being without law to God, but within law to Christ)—that I might gain those without law; 22to the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; to all men I have become all things, that by all means I may save some. 23And I do this because of the good news, that I may become a fellow-partaker of it;

24have you not known that those running in a race—all indeed run, but one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain; 25and everyone who is striving is temperate in all things; these, indeed, then, that they may receive a corruptible garland, but we an incorruptible; 26I, therefore, thus run, not as uncertainly, thus I fight, as not beating air; 27but I bruise my body, and bring [it] into servitude, lest by any means, having preached to others—I myself may become disapproved.