| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? | 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship 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. | 2Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. |
| 3My defense to those who examine me is this: | 3This is my defense to those who scrutinize me: |
| 4Do we not have a right to eat and drink? | 4Have we no right to food and to drink? |
| 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? | 5Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? |
| 6Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? | 6Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living? |
| 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? | 7Who 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? |
| 8I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? | 8Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? |
| 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? | 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? |
| 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. | 10Isn’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. |
| 11If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? | 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you? |
| 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. | 12If 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. |
| 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? | 13Do 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? |
| 14So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. | 14In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. |
| 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. | 15But 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. |
| 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. | 16Yet 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! |
| 17For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. | 17If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility. |
| 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. | 18What 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. |
| 19For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. | 19Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. |
| 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; | 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), to win those under 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. | 21To 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 23I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. | 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. |
| 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. | 24Do 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. |
| 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. | 25Everyone 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. |
| 26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; | 26Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air. |
| 27but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. | 27No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. |
| 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 | The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. |
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