The Rights of an Apostle (Deuteronomy 18:1–8)
1 ULT Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? BSB BSB: Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord?
2 ULT If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you. For you are the proof of my apostleship in the Lord. BSB BSB: Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 ULT My defense to the ones examining me is this: BSB BSB: This is my defense to those who scrutinize me:
4 ULT Do we certainly not have a right to eat and to drink? BSB BSB: Have we no right to food and to drink?
6 ULT Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right not to work? BSB BSB: Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?
7 ULT Who serves as a soldier at any time at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock? BSB BSB: Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?
8 ULT Am I not saying these things according to men, or does not the law also say these things? BSB BSB: Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?
9 ULT For it is written in the law of Moses,“Do not muzzle an ox treading out grain.” God does not care about the oxen, does he? BSB BSB: For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
10 ULT Or is he speaking entirely for our sake? For it was written for our sake that the one plowing ought to plow in hope, and the one threshing, in hope of sharing the harvest. BSB BSB: Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.
11 ULT If we sowed spiritual things among you,{ is it} too much if we will reap material things from you? BSB BSB: If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?
12 ULT If others shared the right over you,{ do} we not even more? But we did not take advantage of this right. Instead we endured everything in order that we might not give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ. BSB BSB: If others have this right to your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 ULT Do you not know that the ones working in the temple eat from the things of the temple; the ones serving at the altar partake from the altar? BSB BSB: Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings?
14 ULT In the same way also, the Lord commanded the ones proclaiming the gospel to live from the gospel. BSB BSB: In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
15 ULT But I have not taken advantage of{ any} of these things. Now I do not write these things so that thus it might be done for me, for{ it would be} better for me to die rather than{ anyone} will make my boast empty. BSB BSB: But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast.
16 ULT For if I proclaim the gospel, there is nothing for me to boast, because compulsion is placed upon me. For woe be to me if I would not preach the gospel! BSB BSB: Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 ULT For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. BSB BSB: If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility.
18 ULT What then is my reward? That proclaiming the gospel without charge, I might offer the gospel so as not to take advantage of my right in the gospel. BSB BSB: What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.
Paul the Servant to All 19 ULT For being free from all, I enslaved myself to all in order that I might gain the more{ people}. BSB BSB: Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
20 ULT And to the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain Jews. To the ones under law, as under law, not being under law myself in order to gain the ones under law. BSB BSB: To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law.
21 ULT To the ones without law,{ I became} as without law(not being without the law of God, but under the law of Christ) so that I might gain the ones without law. BSB BSB: To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law.
22 ULT To the weak I became weak so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to everyone so that I might by all means save some. BSB BSB: To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
23 ULT But I do all things for the sake of the gospel so that I might become a partaker of it. BSB BSB: I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Run Your Race to Win 24 ULT Do you not know that the ones running in a stadium all run, but{ only} one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you might obtain{ it}. BSB BSB: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.
25 ULT But everyone competing in the games exercises self- control in all things. They therefore{ do it} in order that they might receive a perishable wreath, but we, an imperishable one. BSB BSB: Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
26 ULT Therefore, I run thus, not as without purpose; I fight thus, not as boxing the air. BSB BSB: Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.
27 ULT But I subdue my body and enslave it, lest having preached to others, I myself might be disqualified. BSB BSB: No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.