Read the Bible

¹ Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? haue I not seene Iesus Christe our Lord: Are ye not my worke in the Lorde?² If I be not an Apostle vnto other, yet doubtlesse am I vnto you: For the seale of myne Apostleship are ye in the Lorde.

³ Myne aunswere to them that aske me, is this,⁴ Haue we not power to eate and to drinke?⁵ Haue we not power to leade about a sister a woman as well as other Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?⁶ Either only I and Barnabas haue not power this to do?⁷ Who goeth a warfare any time at his owne cost? Who planteth a vineyarde, and eateth not of the fruite therof? Or who feedeth a flocke, and eateth not of the milke of the flocke?⁸ Say I these thinges after the maner of men? or saith not the law the same also?⁹ For it is written in the law of Moyses: Thou shalt not moosell the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne. Doth God take care for Oxen?¹⁰ Either sayth he it not altogether for our sakes? For our sakes no doubt this is written, that he which eareth, should eare in hope: & that he which tressheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope.¹¹ If we haue sowen vnto you spirituall thinges, is it a great thing if we reape your carnall thinges?¹² If others be partakers of [this] power [wherfore are] not we rather? Neuerthelesse, we haue not vsed this power: but suffer all thinges, lest we shoulde hinder the Gospel of Christ.¹³ Do ye not knowe that they which minister about holy thynges, eate of the thinges of the temple? And they whiche wayte at the aulter, are partakers with the aulter?¹⁴ Euen so hath the Lord ordayned, that they which preache the Gospell, shoulde lyue of the Gospell.

¹⁵ But I haue vsed none of these thinges. Neuerthelesse, I wrote not these thinges, that it shoulde be so done vnto me: For it were better for me to die, then that any man should make my reioycing vayne.¹⁶ For if I preache the Gospell, I haue nothyng to reioyce of: for necessitie is layde vpon me. But wo is vnto me if I preache not the Gospell.¹⁷ For if I do it with a good wil, I haue a reward: but if [I do it] against my wil, the dispensatio is committed vnto me.¹⁸ What is my reward then? Uerily that when I preache the Gospell, I make the Gospell of Christ free, that I misuse not myne aucthoritie in the Gospell.

¹⁹ For though I be free from all men, yet haue I made my selfe seruaunt vnto all men, that I might win the mo.²⁰ Unto the Iewes, I become as a Iewe, that I might win the Iewes: To them that are vnder the lawe, [I become] as [though I were] vnder the lawe, that I might win them that are vnder the lawe:²¹ To them that are without lawe, [become I] as [though I were] without lawe, (when I was not without law as parteyning to the lawe of God, but in the lawe of Christe) to winne them that are without lawe.²² To the weake became I as weake, that I might winne the weake. I am made all thinges to all men, that I might at the least way saue some.²³ And this I do for the Gospels sake, that I might haue my part therof.

²⁴ Perceaue ye not [howe] that they which run in a race, run all, but one receaueth the rewarde? So run that ye may obtayne.²⁵ Euery man that proueth maisteries, abstayneth from all thynges, and they [do it] to obtayne a crowne that shall perishe: but we to obtayne an euerlasting crowne.²⁶ I therfore so run, not as at an vncertayne thing: So fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre.²⁷ But I tame my body, and bryng it into subiection, lest by any meanes, that when I haue preached to other, I my selfe shoulde be a castaway.