¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights.^(A) And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.^(B)

⁹ Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked^(A) night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone^(B) while we preached the gospel of God to you.

⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked^(A) night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

¹² If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right.^(A) On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder^(B) the gospel of Christ.

⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.^(A) I have kept myself from being a burden to you^(B) in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,^(C) nobody in the regions of Achaia^(D) will stop this boasting^(E) of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows^(F) I do!^(G)

¹² And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.

³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.^(A)

²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;^(A) my only aim is to finish the race^(B) and complete the task^(C) the Lord Jesus has given me^(D)—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.^(E)

³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.^(A)

²⁰ I eagerly expect^(A) and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage^(B) so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,^(C) whether by life or by death.^{(D) 21} For to me, to live is Christ^(E) and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart^(F) and be with Christ,^(G) which is better by far;