1. I am a free man. I am an apostle. I have seen Jesus our Lord. You people are an example of my work in the Lord.
2. Others may not accept me as an apostle, but surely you do. You are proof that I am an apostle in the Lord.
3. Some people want to judge me. So this is the answer I give them:
4. We have the right to eat and drink, don’t we?
5. We have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel, don’t we? The other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter all do this.
6. And are Barnabas and I the only ones who must work to earn our living?
7. No soldier ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. No one ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes himself. No one takes care of a flock of sheep without drinking some of the milk himself.
8. These aren’t just my own thoughts. God’s law says the same thing.
9. Yes, it is written in the Law of Moses: “When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don’t keep it from eating the grain.” When God said this, was he thinking only about work animals? No.
10. He was really talking about us. Yes, that was written for us. The one who plows and the one who separates the grain should both expect to get some of the grain for their work.
11. We planted spiritual seed among you, so we should be able to harvest from you some things for this life. Surely that is not asking too much.
12. Others have this right to get things from you. So surely we have this right too. But we don’t use this right. No, we endure everything ourselves so that we will not stop anyone from obeying the Good News of Christ.