Read the Bible

¹ Whether Y am not fre? Am Y not apostle? Whether Y saiy not `Crist Jhesu, `oure Lord? Whether ye ben not my werk in the Lord?² And thouy to othere Y am not apostle, but netheles to you Y am; for ye ben the litle signe of myn apostlehed in the Lord.

³ My defense to hem that axen me, that is.⁴ Whether we han not power to ete and drynke?⁵ Whether we han not power to lede aboute a womman a sistir, as also othere apostlis, and britheren of the Lord, and Cefas?⁶ Or Y aloone and Barnabas han not power to worche these thingis?⁷ Who traueilith ony tyme with hise owne wagis? Who plauntith a vynyerd, and etith not of his fruyt? Who kepith a flok, and etith not of the mylk of the flok?⁸ Whether aftir man Y sey these thingis? whether also the lawe seith not these thingis?⁹ For it is writun in the lawe of Moises, Thou schalt not bynde the mouth of the ox threischynge. Whethir of oxun is charge to God?¹⁰ Whether for vs he seith these thingis? For whi tho ben writun for vs; for he that erith, owith to ere in hope, and he that threischith, in hope to take fruytis.¹¹ If we sowen spiritual thingis to you, is it grete, if we repen youre fleischli thingis?¹² If othere ben parteneris of youre power, whi not rathere we? But we vsen not this power, but we suffren alle thingis, that we yyuen no lettyng to the euangelie of Crist.¹³ Witen ye not, that thei that worchen in the temple, eten tho thingis that ben of the temple, and thei that seruen to the auter, ben partyneris of the auter?¹⁴ So the Lord ordeynede to hem that tellen the gospel, to lyue of the gospel.

¹⁵ But Y vside noon of these thingis; sotheli Y wroot not these thingis, that tho be don so in me; for it is good `to me rather to die, than that ony man `auoyde my glorie.¹⁶ For if Y preche the gospel, glorie is not to me, for nedelich Y mot don it; for wo to me, if Y preche not the gospel.¹⁷ But if Y do this thing wilfuli, Y haue mede; but if ayens my wille, dispending is bitakun to me.¹⁸ What thanne is my mede? That Y prechynge the gospel, putte the gospel with outen otheris cost, that Y vse not my power in the gospel.

¹⁹ Forwhi whanne Y was fre of alle men, Y made me seruaunt of alle men, to wynne the mo men.²⁰ And to Jewis Y am maad as a Jew, to wynne the Jewis; to hem that ben vndur the lawe,²¹ as Y were vndur the lawe, whanne Y was not vndur the lawe, to wynne hem that weren vndur the lawe; to hem that weren with out lawe, as Y were with out lawe, whanne Y was not with out the lawe of God, but Y was in the lawe of Crist, to wynne hem that weren with out lawe.²² Y am maad sijk to sike men, to wynne sike men; to alle men Y am maad alle thingis, to make alle men saaf.²³ But Y do alle thingis for the gospel, that Y be maad partener of it.

²⁴ Witen ye not, that thei that rennen in a furlong, alle rennen, but oon takith the prijs? So renne ye, that ye catche.²⁵ Ech man that stryueth in fiyt, absteyneth hym fro alle thingis; and thei, that thei take a corruptible coroun, but we an vncorrupt.²⁶ Therfor Y renne so, not as `in to vncerteyn thing; thus Y fiyte, not as betynge the eir;²⁷ but Y chastise my bodi, and bryng it in to seruage; lest perauenture whanne Y preche to othere, Y my silf be maad repreuable.