| International Standard Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1I am free, am I not? I am an apostle, am I not? I have seen Jesus our Lord, haven't I? You are the result of my work in the Lord, aren't you? | 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? |
| 2If I am not an apostle to other people, surely I am one to you, for you are the evidence of my apostolic authority from 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 would examine me: | 3My defense to those who examine me is this: |
| 4We have the right to earn our food, don't we? | 4Do we not have a right to eat and drink? |
| 5We have the right to take a believing wife with us like the other apostles, the Lord's brothers, and Cephas, don't we? | 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 Barnabas and I who have to keep on working for a living? | 6Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? |
| 7Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its grapes? Or who takes care of a flock and does not drink any of its 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? |
| 8I am not saying this on human authority, am I? The Law says the same thing, doesn't it? | 8I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? |
| 9For in the Law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." God is not only concerned about oxen, is he? | 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? |
| 10Isn't he really speaking for our benefit? Yes, this was written for our benefit, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. | 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 material benefits from you? | 11If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? |
| 12If others enjoy this right over you, don't we have a stronger claim? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we tolerate everything in order not to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of the Messiah. | 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. |
| 13You know that those who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who serve at the altar get their share of its offerings, don't you? | 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 ordered that those who proclaim the gospel should make 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'm not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for boasting. | 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 if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for this obligation has been entrusted to me. How terrible it would be for me if I didn't 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. |
| 17For if I preach voluntarily, I get a reward, but if I am unwilling to do it, I am still entrusted with that obligation. | 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? It is to be able to preach the gospel free of charge, and so I never resort to demanding my rights when I'm preaching 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. |
| 19Although I am free from everyone's expectations, I have made myself a servant to all of them to win more people. | 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 in order to win Jews. To those under the Law I became like a man under the Law, in order to win those under the Law (although I myself am not 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 who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God's Law, but I'm subject to the Messiah's 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 in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them. | 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 in order to have a share in its blessings. | 23I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. |
| 24You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don't you? You must run in such a way that you may be victorious. | 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 enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that withers away, but we run to win a prize that never fades. | 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. |
| 26That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind. That is the way I fight, not like someone shadow boxing. | 26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; |
| 27No, I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified. | 27but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | 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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