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. Haven't I the right to be given food and drink for my work?
5. Haven't I 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 travels?
6. Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living?