7 Think about these examples: A soldier never has to pay for his own food and clothes. A farmer who plants vines will eat some of the grapes. A person who takes care of sheep or goats will drink some of the milk from those animals. You know that this is what always happens.
8 I am not just telling you human ideas. God's Law teaches the same thing. 9 The Law that God gave to Moses says this: ‘Do not tie shut the mouth of your ox while it walks on your grain.’ But God's Law does not teach this only to help oxen. 10 No, God wanted to help us too. That is why he gave this rule to Moses for his people. Any farmer who works hard to grow food should get some of the food for himself. He ploughs his fields and he threshes the grain. He does that because he hopes to eat some of the food. 11 Our spiritual work among you is like a farmer who plants seeds. So you should give us the food and clothes that we need, as our harvest. 12 You give help to other people who teach you God's message. So surely we deserve it even more!
9:9See Deuteronomy 25:4. Farmers used an ox to walk on the wheat that they had cut. They did that to remove the seeds for food. Moses' Law said that the farmer must let the ox eat some of the seeds. 9:10Moses was a great leader of the Israelites, who gave God's laws to the people.
But Barnabas and I have not used our authority to make you help us like that. Instead, we accept all these difficult things patiently. We want the good news about Christ to go everywhere. We do not want to do anything that might stop it.
13 Think about this: The people who work in the temple get their food from that place. The priests who offer sacrifices on the altar receive part of the offerings for themselves. 14 The Lord has given the same command about the people who tell his good news to others. They should receive what they need to live from the people who hear the good news from them.
