The Rights of an Apostle
1 I am free. I am an apostle. I have seen the Lord Jesus and have led you to have faith in him. 2 Others may think that I am not an apostle, but you are proof that I am an apostle to you.
3 When people question me, I tell them 4 that Barnabas and I have the right to our food and drink. 5 We each have the right to marry one of the Lord's followers and to take her along with us, just as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter do. 6 Are we the only ones who have to support ourselves by working at another job? 7 Do soldiers pay their own salaries? Don't people who raise grapes eat some of what they grow? Don't shepherds get milk from their own goats?
8-9 I am not saying this on my own authority. The Law of Moses tells us not to muzzle an ox when it is grinding grain. But was God concerned only about an ox? 10 No, he wasn't! He was talking about us. This was written in the Scriptures so that all who plow and all who grind the grain will look forward to sharing in the harvest.
11 When we told the message to you, it was like planting spiritual seed. So we have the right to accept material things as our harvest from you. 12 If others have the right to do this, we have an even greater right. But we haven't used this right of ours. We are willing to put up with anything to keep from causing trouble for the message about Christ.
13 Don't you know that people who work in the temple make their living from what is brought to the temple? Don't you know that a person who serves at the altar is given part of what is offered? 14 In the same way, the Lord wants everyone who preaches the good news to make a living from preaching this message.
15 But I have never used these privileges of mine, and I am not writing this because I want to start now. I would rather die than have someone rob me of the right to take pride in this. 16 I don't have any reason to brag about preaching the good news. Preaching is something God told me to do, and if I don't do it, I am doomed. 17 If I preach because I want to, I will be paid. But even if I don't want to, it is still something God has sent me to do. 18 What pay am I given? It is the chance to preach the good news free of charge and not to use the privileges that are mine because I am a preacher.
19 I am not anyone's slave. But I have become a slave to everyone, so I can win as many people as possible. 20 When I am with the Jews, I live like a Jew to win Jews. They are ruled by the Law of Moses, and I am not. But I live by the Law to win them. 21 And when I am with people who are not ruled by the Law, I forget about the Law to win them. Of course, I never really forget about the law of God. In fact, I am ruled by the law of Christ. 22 When I am with people whose faith is weak, I live as they do to win them. I do everything I can to win everyone I possibly can. 23 I do all this for the good news, because I want to share in its blessings.
A Race and a Fight
24 You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! 25 Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. 26 I don't run without a goal. And I don't box by beating my fists in the air. 27 I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others.
IX.
Sv. Pōvuls — pašaizlīdzeibas pīmārs.
1 Vai tad es naasmu breivs? Vai tad es naasmu apostols? Vai tad es myusu Kunga Jezus (Kristus) naasmu redzējis? Vai tad jyus naasot ikš Kunga muns dorbs? 2 Jo arī deļ cytim es nabyutu apostols, deļ jums, tūmār, es asmu. Un jyus asot ikš Kunga muna apostolata zeimūgs. 3 Šitei ir muna atsataisnōšona pret tim, kas man uzbryuk.
4 Un vai mums nav tīseibu ēst un dzert? 5 Vai tad mums nav tīseibu pajimt leidza paleigā sīvīti — mōsu, kai cyti apostoli, Kunga brōli un Kefas (‐Pīters). 6 Un vai tad tikai man un Barnabai nav ticeibu byut breivim nu rūku dorbim? 7 Kas tad karaklauseibā byudams pats sevi uztur? Kas tad dēsta veina dōrzu un naād tō augļu? Kas tad gona gonompulku nabaudūt gonompulka pīna? 8 Šytū es soku pēc cylvāku prōta, bet vai tō poša nasoka arī lykums? 9 Jā, Moizešā lykumā stōv raksteits: Vēršam, kas kuļ, naaizsīn mutes. Bet vai tad Dīvam vairōk ryup vērši, 10 vai arī Jys tū soka vyspōri, arī myusu dēļ? — Myusu dēļ tys ir raksteits, Jo orōjs ar cereibā un kyulējs (kuļ) cereibā, ka sovu daļu sajims. 11 Un jo mes jums sējam goreigū saklu, vai tad tys ir kas sevišks, ka mes pļaunam jyusu materialūs augļus? 12 Jo cytim uz jums ir tīseibas, kōpēc tad na tū vairōk mums? Mes gon šytūs tīseibu naizmontojam bet vysu jamam poši uz sevis, lai gadīnī nalyktu škēršļu Kristus Evangelijam. 13 Vai tad jyus nazynot, ka tī, kas svētneicā ir nūdarbynōti, nu svētneicas īnōkumim teik uzturāti? Ka tī, kas oltoru apkolpoj, nu oltora sajam sovu daļu? 14 Arī Kungs pavēlēja: ka Evangelija sludynōtōji nu Evangelija varātu pōrtikt.
15 Es pats gon tō naizmontōju. Arī šytō es narokstu ar tū nūdūmu, lai nu šō breiža mani uzturātu. Es lobōk grybātu nūmērt, na ļaut kaidam atjimt munu dīžonumu. 16 Ar tū, ka es sludynoju Evangeliju, man nav kō dīžōtīs; jo tys ir muns pīnōkums. Un bāda man, jo es Evangelija nasludynōtu. 17 Un atolgōjums man ir tik tūreiz, jo es tū labprōteigi doru, bet jo na labprōteigi, tod es strōdoju tikai kai īrednis. 18 Un jo es sludynoju Evangeliju nasadzeidams pēc olgas un naizlītōdams sovu tīseibu nu Evangelija pōrtikt, kaida tad man ir atmoksa?
19 Lai gon es vyscauri asmu breivs, tūmār es sevi padareju vysim par kolpu, lai īspējami vairōkūs īmontōtu. 20 Jūdim es asmu klivis kai jūds, lai īmontōtu jūdus. Tim, kas ir padūti lykumam, es asmu klivis kai taids, kas ir padūts lykumam, lai īmontōtu tūs, kas lykumam ir padūti, lai gon es pats vairs lykumam padūts naasmu. 21 Tim, kas ir bez lykuma, es klivu taids, kai tys, kam lykuma nav, — lai gon nu Dīva lykuma es naasmu atraiseits un tū vairōk asmu sasīts ar Kristus lykumu, — lai īmontōtu tūs, kas ir bez lykuma. 22 Vōjajim es beju vōjs, lai vōjūs īmontōtu. Vysim es beju vyss, lai kotrā ziņā dažus izglōbtu. 23 Evangelija dēļ es doru vysu, lai arī man patim jymā byutu leidzdaleiba.
24 Vai tad jyus nazynat, ka tī, kas sacīkstēs skrīnās, lai gon vysi skrīn, tūmār bolvu sajam tikai vins. Skrīnit tai, lai jyus tū sajimtu. 25 Ikvins sacīkšu daleibnīks vysā kamā ir attureigs; jī tū dora lai sajimtu izneikstūšū vaiņuku, bet mes — naizneikstūšū. 26 Es arī skrīnu, bet na kai uz nanūteiktū, tai pat arī es ceinūs, bet gon na kai gaisu kuldams. 27 Es sovu mīsu vyngrynoju un doru jū sev paklauseigu, lai man pēc sludynōšonas cytim, patim natopt atmastam.
