Non sum liber? non sum Apostolus? nonne Christum Jesum Dominum nostrum vidi? nonne opus meum vos estis in Domino?

Am I not free to do as I will? Am I not an apostle, have I not seen our Lord Jesus Christ? Are not you yourselves my achievement in the Lord?

Am not I free? Am not I an apostle? Have not I seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord?

Et si aliis non sum Apostolus, sed tamen vobis sum: nam signaculum apostolatus mei vos estis in Domino.

To others I may not be an apostle, but to you at least I am; why, you are the sign-manual of my apostleship in the Lord.

And if unto others I be not an apostle, but yet to you I am. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Mea defensio apud eos qui me interrogant, hæc est:

This is the answer I make to those who call me in question.

My defence with them that do examine me is this.

Numquid non habemus potestatem manducandi et bibendi?

Have we not a right to be provided with food and drink;

Have not we power to eat and to drink?

numquid non habemus potestatem mulierem sororem circumducendi sicut et ceteri Apostoli, et fratres Domini, et Cephas?

nay, have we not the right to travel about with a woman who is a sister, as the other apostles do, as the Lord’s brethren do, and Cephas?

Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

aut ego solus, et Barnabas, non habemus potestatem hoc operandi?

Must I and Barnabas, alone among them, be forbidden to do as much?

Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this?

Quis militat suis stipendiis umquam? quis plantat vineam, et de fructu ejus non edit? quis pascit gregem, et de lacte gregis non manducat?

Why, what soldier ever fought at his own expense? Who would plant a vineyard, and not live on its fruits, or tend a flock, and not live on the milk which the flock yields?

Who serveth as a soldier at any time, at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

Numquid secundum hominem hæc dico? an et lex hæc non dicit?

This is not a plea of man’s invention; the law declares it.

Speak I these things according to man? Or doth not the law also say these things?

Scriptum est enim in lege Moysi: Non alligabis os bovi trituranti. Numquid de bobus cura est Deo?

When we read in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn, must we suppose that God is making provision for oxen?

For it is written in the law of Moses: Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

an propter nos utique hoc dicit? Nam propter nos scripta sunt: quoniam debet in spe qui arat, arare: et qui triturat, in spe fructus percipiendi.

Is it not clear that he says it for our sakes? For our sakes it was laid down that the ploughman has a right to plough, and the thrasher to thrash, with the expectation of sharing in the crop.

Or doth he say this indeed for our sakes? For these things are written for our sakes: that he that plougheth, should plough in hope; and he that thrasheth, in hope to receive fruit.

Si nos vobis spiritualia seminavimus, magnum est si nos carnalia vestra metamus?

Here are we, who have sown in you a spiritual harvest; is it much to ask, that we should reap from you a temporal harvest in return?

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?

Si alii potestatis vestræ participes sunt, quare non potius nos? Sed non usi sumus hac potestate: sed omnia sustinemus, ne quod offendiculum demus Evangelio Christi.

If others claim a share of such rights over you, have not we a better claim still? And yet we have never availed ourselves of those rights; we bear every hardship, sooner than hinder the preaching of Christ’s gospel.

If others be partakers of this power over you, why not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power: but we bear all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Nescitis quoniam qui in sacrario operantur quæ de sacrario sunt, edunt: et qui altari deserviunt, cum altari participant?

You know, surely, that those who do the temple’s work live on the temple’s revenues; that those who preside at the altar share the altar’s offerings.

Know you not, that they who work in the holy place, eat the things that are of the holy place; and they that serve the altar, partake with the altar?

Ita et Dominus ordinavit iis qui Evangelium annuntiant, de Evangelio vivere.

And so it is that the Lord has bidden the heralds of the gospel live by preaching the gospel.

So also the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel, should live by the gospel.

Ego autem nullo horum usus sum. Non autem scripsi hæc ut ita fiant in me: bonum est enim mihi magis mori, quam ut gloriam meam quis evacuet.

Yet I have not availed myself of any such right.I am not writing thus in the hope of being treated otherwise; I would rather die than have this boast taken from me.

But I have used none of these things. Neither have I written these things, that they should be so done unto me: for it is good for me to die, rather than that any man should make my glory void.

Nam si evangelizavero, non est mihi gloria: necessitas enim mihi incumbit: væ enim mihi est, si non evangelizavero.

When I preach the gospel, I take no credit for that; I act under constraint; it would go hard with me indeed if I did not preach the gospel.

For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity lieth upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

Si enim volens hoc ago, mercedem habeo: si autem invitus, dispensatio mihi credita est.

I can claim a reward for what I do of my own choice; but when I act under constraint, I am only executing a commission.

For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me:

Quæ est ergo merces mea? ut Evangelium prædicans, sine sumptu ponam Evangelium, ut non abutar potestate mea in Evangelio.

What title have I, then, to a reward? Why, that when I preach the gospel I should preach the gospel free of charge, not making full use of the rights which gospel preaching gives me.

What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

Nam cum liber essem ex omnibus, omnium me servum feci, ut plures lucrifacerem.

Thus nobody has any claim on me, and yet I have made myself everybody’s slave, to win more souls.

For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more.

Et factus sum Judæis tamquam Judæus, ut Judæos lucrarer:

With the Jews I lived like a Jew, to win the Jews;

And I became to the Jews, a Jew, that I might gain the Jews:

iis qui sub lege sunt, quasi sub lege essem (cum ipse non essem sub lege) ut eos qui sub lege erant, lucrifacerem: iis qui sine lege erant, tamquam sine lege essem (cum sine lege Dei non essem: sed in lege essem Christi) ut lucrifacerem eos qui sine lege erant.

with those who keep the law, as one who keeps the law (though the law had no claim on me), to win those who kept the law; with those who are free of the law, like one free of the law (not that I disowned all divine law, but it was the law of Christ that bound me), to win those who were free of the law.

To them that are under the law, as if I were under the law, (whereas myself was not under the law,) that I might gain them that were under the law. To them that were without the law, as if I were without the law, (whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in the law of Christ,) that I might gain them that were without the law.

Factus sum infirmis infirmus, ut infirmos lucrifacerem. Omnibus omnia factus sum, ut omnes facerem salvos.

With the scrupulous, I behaved myself like one who is scrupulous, to win the scrupulous. I have been everything by turns to everybody, to bring everybody salvation.

To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all.

Omnia autem facio propter Evangelium: ut particeps ejus efficiar.

All that I do, I do for the sake of the gospel promises, to win myself a share in them.

And I do all things for the gospel’s sake: that I may be made partaker thereof.

Nescitis quod ii qui in stadio currunt, omnes quidem currunt, sed unus accipit bravium? Sic currite ut comprehendatis.

You know well enough that when men run in a race, the race is for all, but the prize for one; run, then, for victory.

Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain.

Omnis autem qui in agone contendit, ab omnibus se abstinet, et illi quidem ut corruptibilem coronam accipiant: nos autem incorruptam.

Every athlete must keep all his appetites under control; and he does it to win a crown that fades, whereas ours is imperishable.

And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one.

Ego igitur sic curro, non quasi in incertum: sic pugno, non quasi aërem verberans:

So I do not run my course like a man in doubt of his goal; I do not fight my battle like a man who wastes his blows on the air.

I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air:

sed castigo corpus meum, et in servitutem redigo: ne forte cum aliis prædicaverim, ipse reprobus efficiar.

I buffet my own body, and make it my slave; or I, who have preached to others, may myself be rejected as worthless.

But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.