³⁴ You yourselves know that ^(A)these hands ministered to my own needs and to the ^(B)men who were with me.

¹² and we toil, ^(A)working with our own hands; when we are ^(B)reviled, we bless; when we are ^(C)persecuted, we endure;

¹⁴ So also ^(A)the Lord directed those who proclaim the ^(B)gospel to ^(C)get their living from the gospel.

¹⁵ But I have ^(D)used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make ^(E)my boast an empty one. ¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for ^(F)I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach ^(G)the gospel. ¹⁷ For if I do this voluntarily, I have a ^(H)reward; but if against my will, I have a ^(I)stewardship entrusted to me. ¹⁸ What then is my ^(J)reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel ^(K)without charge, so as ^(L)not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am ^(M)free from all men, I have made myself ^(N)a slave to all, so that I may ^(O)win more. ^20 (P)To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under ^[a]the Law, as under ^[b]the Law though ^(Q)not being myself under ^[c]the Law, so that I might win those who are under ^[d]the Law; ²¹ to those who are ^(R)without law, ^(S)as without law, though not being without the law of God but ^(T)under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. ²² To the ^(U)weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become ^(V)all things to all men, ^(W)so that I may by all means save some. ²³ I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

^24 (X)Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives ^(Y)the prize? ^(Z)Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who ^(AA)competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable ^(AB)wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I ^(AC)run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not ^(AD)beating the air; ²⁷ but I ^[e]discipline ^(AE)my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

⁷ Or ^(A)did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the ^(B)gospel of God to you ^(C)without charge?

¹³ For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that ^(A)I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me ^(B)this wrong!

⁹ For you recall, brethren, our ^(A)labor and hardship, how ^(B)working night and day so as not to be a ^(C)burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the ^(D)gospel of God.

¹¹ and to make it your ambition ^(A)to lead a quiet life and ^(B)attend to your own business and ^(C)work with your hands, just as we commanded you,

⁸ nor did we ^(A)eat ^[a]anyone’s bread ^[b]without paying for it, but with ^(B)labor and hardship we kept ^(C)working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;