1. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren't you the result of my work for the Lord?
2. Even though others may not think of me as an apostle, I am certainly one to you! You are the proof that I am the Lord's apostle.
3. That is what I say to stand up for myself when people judge me.
4. Don't we have the right to eat and drink?
5. Don't we have the right to take a believing wife with us when we travel? The other apostles do. The Lord's brothers do. Peter does.
6. Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for a living?
7. Who serves as a soldier but doesn't get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn't eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn't drink any of the milk?
8. Do I say that from only a human point of view? The Law says the same thing.