²² They were astonished^(A) at His teaching^(B) because, unlike the scribes,^(C) He was teaching them as one having authority.

¹⁴ And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”^(A)

A Christian’s Duties to the State

13 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities,^(A) for there is no authority except from God,^(B) and those that exist are instituted by God.

⁴ Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?^{(A) 5} Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a Christian wife^[a] like the other apostles,^(B) the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?^{(C) 6} Or do Barnabas^(D) and I alone have no right to refrain from working? ⁷ Who ever goes to war at his own expense?^(E) Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock? ⁸ Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? ⁹ For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox^(F) while it treads out grain.^(G)[b] Is God really concerned with oxen? ¹⁰ Or isn’t He really saying it for us? Yes, this is written for us,^(H) because he who plows ought to plow in hope,^(I) and he who threshes should do so in hope of sharing the crop.^{(J) 11} If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? ¹² If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more?

However, we have not made use of this right; instead we endure everything^(K) so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ. ¹³ Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar^(L) share in the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.^(M)