| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? | 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? |
| 2Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. | 2If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. |
| 3This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. | 3My defense to those who examine me is this: |
| 4Don't we have the right to food and drink? | 4Do we not have a right to eat and drink? |
| 5Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? | 5Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? |
| 6Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living? | 6Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? |
| 7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? | 7Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? |
| 8Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? | 8I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? |
| 9For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? | 9For it is written in the Law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING." God is not concerned about oxen, is He? |
| 10Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. | 10Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. |
| 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? | 11If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? |
| 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. | 12If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. |
| 13Don't you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? | 13Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? |
| 14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. | 14So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. |
| 15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. | 15But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. |
| 16For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! | 16For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. |
| 17If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. | 17For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. |
| 18What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. | 18What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. |
| 19Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. | 19For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. |
| 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. | 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; |
| 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. | 21to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. |
| 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. | 22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. |
| 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. | 23I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. |
| 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. | 24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. |
| 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. | 25Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. |
| 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. | 26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; |
| 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. | 27but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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