Rights and Duties of an Apostle
1 Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord? 2 Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do! Because of your life in union with the Lord you yourselves are proof of the fact that I am an apostle.
3 When people criticize me, this is how I defend myself: 4 Don't I have the right to be given food and drink for my work? 5 Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips? 6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living? 7 What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?
8 I don't have to limit myself to these everyday examples, because the Law says the same thing. 9 We read in the Law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain.” Now, is God concerned about oxen? 10 Didn't he really mean us when he said that? Of course that was written for us. Anyone who plows and anyone who reaps should do their work in the hope of getting a share of the crop. 11 We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have the right to expect this from you, don't we have an even greater right?
But we haven't made use of this right. Instead, we have endured everything in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ. 13 Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices. 14 In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from it.
15 But I haven't made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this now in order to claim such rights for myself. I would rather die first! Nobody is going to turn my rightful boast into empty words! 16 I have no right to boast just because I preach the gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the gospel! 17 If I did my work as a matter of free choice, then I could expect to be paid; but I do it as a matter of duty, because God has entrusted me with this task. 18 What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without charging for it, without claiming my rights in my work for the gospel.
19 I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many people as possible. 20 While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them. 21 In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. 22 Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.
23 All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings. 24 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. 25 Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 26 That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. 27 I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
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.
