Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you
yourselves
not my workmanship
in the Lord?
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not ye
my work
in the Lord?
Even
if I am not an apostle to
others
, surely
I am to you .
For you
are
the seal of my
apostleship in the Lord.
If to
others
I am not an apostle, yet
at
least
I am to you ;
for the seal of mine
apostleship are
ye
in the Lord.
This
is
my defense
to those
who
scrutinize
me :
My defence
to them
that
examine
me is
this.
Have we no right to food
and to drink?
Have we no right to eat
and to drink?
Have we no right to take
along
a believing
wife, as do
the other
apostles and the Lord’s
brothers
and Cephas?
Have we no right to lead
about
a wife that
is
a
believer
, even
as the rest
of
the
apostles ,
and the brethren
of
the
Lord,
and Cephas?
Or are
Barnabas
and
I the
only apostles
who
must
work
for
a living
?
Or I only and
Barnabas,
have
we
not
a right
to
forbear
working
?
Who
serves
as
a
soldier at his own expense
? Who plants
a vineyard and does
not eat
of
its
fruit? Who tends
a flock and does
not drink
of its
milk?
What
soldier ever
serveth
at his own charges
? who planteth
a vineyard ,
and eateth
not the
fruit thereof
? Or
who feedeth
a flock ,
and eateth
not of the
milk of
the
flock
?
Do I say
this
from
a
human
perspective
? Doesn’t
the Law say
the same thing
?
Do I speak
these
things
after
the
manner
of
men
? or
saith
not
the law also
the same?
For 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?
For it is written in the law of Moses ,
Thou
shalt
not muzzle the
ox when
he
treadeth
out the corn
. Is it for
the
oxen that God careth,
Isn’t
He actually
speaking
on
our behalf
? Indeed
, this
was written for
us,
because when
the
plowman
plows
and the
thresher
threshes
, they
should
also
expect
to share
in the
harvest
.
or
saith
he it
assuredly
for
our sake
? Yea
, for
our
sake
it
was written :
because he
that
ploweth
ought
to
plow
in
hope,
and he
that
thresheth
, `
to thresh'
in hope
of
partaking
.
If we have
sown
spiritual
seed
among
you, is it too
much
for
us
to
reap
a material
harvest
from
you
?
If we sowed
unto
you spiritual
things
, is it a great
matter
if
we
shall
reap
your
carnal
things
?
If others have
this right to
your
support
, shouldn’t
we have
it
all
the
more? But
we did not exercise
this right .
Instead
, we put
up
with
anything
rather
than
hinder
the gospel of Christ.
If others partake
of
`
this '
right over
you
, do
not
we yet
more? Nevertheless
we did not use
this right ;
but
we
bear
all
things
, that
we may
cause
no
hindrance
to
the gospel of Christ.
Do
you
not
know that those
who
work
in
the
temple
eat of its
food
, and those
who
serve
at
the altar partake
of
its
offerings
?
Know ye
not
that they
that
minister
about
sacred
things
eat `
of '
the
things
of
the
temple
, `
and '
they
that
wait
upon
the altar have
their
portion
with
the
altar
?
In
the
same
way,
the Lord has
prescribed
that those
who
preach
the gospel should receive
their
living
from
the gospel.
Even
so
did
the Lord ordain
that they
that
proclaim
the gospel should live
of
the gospel.
But I have not
used any
of these rights.
And I am
not writing
this
to
suggest
that something
be done for me .
Indeed,
I
would
rather die than let
anyone
nullify
my boast
.
But I have used none
of these things:
and I write
not these
things
that it
may
be so
done in
my
case;
for `it
were'
good
for
me rather to
die ,
than that
any
man
should
make
my glorifying
void
.
Yet
when
I preach the gospel, I have no
reason
to
boast,
because
I
am
obligated
to preach.
Woe to
me if I do
not
preach the gospel !
For
if
I preach the gospel, I have nothing
to glory
of;
for
necessity
is
laid
upon
me;
for
woe is
unto
me ,
if I preach not
the gospel .
If my
preaching
is
voluntary
, I have a reward .
But if it
is
not voluntary
, I am
still
entrusted
with
a responsibility
.
For
if I
do
this
of
mine
own
will
, I have a reward :
but if not of
mine
own
will
, I have
a stewardship
intrusted
to
me
.
What then is my reward? That in
preaching
the gospel I may offer
it
free
of
charge, and
so not use up
my rights
in preaching
it
.
What then is my reward? That ,
when
I
preach
the gospel ,
I may make
the
gospel
without
charge, so as
not to
use to
the
full
my right
in the
gospel
.
Though I am
free of
obligation
to
anyone
, I make
myself a
slave
to everyone
, to
win
as
many
as
possible
.
For
though I was
free from
all
`men
, '
I brought
myself under
bondage
to all
, that
I
might
gain
the
more
.
To 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 )
, to
win
those
under the law .
And
to the Jews I became as
a Jew, that
I
might
gain
Jews ;
to them
that
are
under the law ,
as
under the law ,
not being
myself
under the law, that
I
might
gain
them
that
are
under the law ;
To those
without the
law I
became
like
one
without the
law (though
I
am
not outside
the
law of
God but am
under the
law of
Christ )
, to
win
those
without the
law.
to them
that
are
without law ,
as
without law ,
not being
without
law to
God ,
but under law to
Christ, that
I
might
gain
them
that
are
without law.
To 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.
To the weak I became weak, that
I
might
gain
the weak :
I am
become all things to all men,
that I
may
by all means save some.
I do all this
for the sake of
the
gospel
, so
that I may share
in
its
blessings
.
And
I do all things
for the gospel's
sake, that I may be
a
joint
partaker
thereof
.
Do
you
not
know that in a race all
the
runners
run, but only
one receives
the prize? Run in
such
a
way
as
to
take
the
prize
.
Know ye
not
that they
that
run
in a race run all
, but one receiveth
the prize? Even
so
run ;
that
ye
may
attain
.
Everyone
who
competes
in the games trains
with
strict
discipline
. They do it for
a crown that
is
perishable,
but we do
it
for
a
crown
that
is
imperishable
.
And
every
man
that
striveth
in the games exerciseth
self-control
in
all
things
. Now
they `
do it '
to
receive
a corruptible
crown ;
but we an
incorruptible
.
Therefore
I do
not
run aimlessly;
I
do
not fight like
I am
beating the air .
I therefore
so
run ,
as
not uncertainly;
so
fight I ,
as
not
beating the air :
No,
I discipline
my body and make
it my
slave
, so
that
after I have preached to others, I myself will
not
be disqualified
.
but
I buffet
my body ,
and bring
it into
bondage:
lest
by
any
means
, after that
I have preached to others, I myself should
be rejected
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..