New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
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Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
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If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle.
3 This is my defense to those who would examine me.
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My answer to those who are judging me is this.
4 Do we not have the right to our food and drink?
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Have we no right to take food and drink?
5 Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
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Have we no right to take about with us a Christian wife, like the rest of the Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
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Or I only and Barnabas, have we no right to take a rest from work?
7 Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk?
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Who ever goes to war without looking to someone to be responsible for his payment? who puts in vines and does not take the fruit of them? or who takes care of sheep without drinking of their milk?
8 Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same?
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Am I talking as a man? does not the law say the same?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned?
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For it says in the law of Moses, It is not right to keep the ox from taking the grain when he is crushing it. Is it for the oxen that God is giving orders?
10 Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop.
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Or has he us in mind? Yes, it was said for us; because it is right for the ploughman to do his ploughing in hope, and for him who is crushing the grain to do his work hoping for a part in the fruits of it.
11 If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits?
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If we have been planting the things of the Spirit for you, does it seem a great thing for you to give us a part in your things of this world?
12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
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If others have a part in this right over you, have we not even more? But we did not make use of our right, so that we might put nothing in the way of the good news of Christ.
13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar?
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Do you not see that the servants of the holy things get their living from the Temple, and the servants of the altar have their part in the food which is offered on the altar?
14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
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Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news.
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting!
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But I have not made use of any of these things: and I am not writing this in the hope that it may be so for me: for it would be better for me to undergo death, than for any man to make this pride of mine of no effect.
16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!
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For if I am a preacher of the good news, I have no cause for pride in this; because I am forced to do so, for a curse is on me if I do not.
17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.
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But if I do it gladly, I have a reward; and if not, I am under orders to do it.
18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
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What then is my reward? This, that when I am giving the good news, I may give it without payment, not making use of my rights as a preacher of the good news.
19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.
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For though I was free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that more might have salvation.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law.
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And to the Jews I was as a Jew, so that I might give the good news to them; to those under the law I was the same, not as being myself under the law, but so that I might give the good news to those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law.
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To those without the law I was as one without the law, not as being without law to God, but as under law to Christ, so that I might give the good news to those without the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.
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To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation.
23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
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And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it.
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.
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Do you not see that in a running competition all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward.
25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.
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And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown.
26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air;
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So then I am running, not uncertainly; so I am fighting, not as one who gives blows in the air:
27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
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But I give blows to my body, and keep it under control, for fear that, after having given the good news to others, I myself might not have God's approval.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.