1 Corinthians 10
1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.
I want you to bear in mind, friends, that all our ancestors were beneath the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
that in the cloud and in the sea they all underwent baptism as followers of Moses;
3 They all ate the same spiritual food
and that they all ate the same supernatural food,
4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
and all drank the same supernatural water, for they used to drink from a supernatural rock which followed them, and that rock was the Christ.
5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.
Yet with most of them God was displeased; for they were struck down in the desert.
6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
Now these things happened as warnings to us, to teach us not to long for evil things as our ancestors longed.
7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.”
Do not become idolaters, as some of them became. Scripture says – ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to dance.’
8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
Nor let us act immorally, as some of them acted, with the result that twenty-three thousand of them fell dead in a single day.
9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.
Nor let us try the patience of the Lord too far, as some of them tried it, with the result that they were, one after another, destroyed by snakes.
10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.
And do not murmur, as some of them murmured, and so were destroyed by the angel of death.
11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (aiōn g165)
These things happened to them by way of warning, and were recorded to serve as a caution to us, in whose days the close of the ages has come. (aiōn g165)
12 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.
Therefore let the person who thinks that they stand take care that they do not fall.
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
No temptation has come upon you that is not common to all humanity. God will not fail you, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength; but, when he sends the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, so that you may have strength to endure.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
Therefore, my dear friends, shun the worship of idols.
15 I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.
I speak to you as man of discernment; form your own judgment about what I am saying.
16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
In the cup of blessing which we bless, is not there a sharing in the blood of the Christ? And in the bread which we break, is not there a sharing in the body of the Christ?
17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.
The bread is one, and we, though many, are one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
18 Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar?
Look at the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices share with the altar?
19 Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
What do I mean? That an offering made to an idol, or the idol itself, is anything?
20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.
No; what I say is that the sacrifices offered by the Gentiles are offered to demons and to a being who is no God, and I do not want you to share with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.
You cannot drink both the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons.
22 Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?
Or are we to rouse the jealousy of the Lord? Are we stronger than he?
23 “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is edifying.
Everything is allowable! Yes, but everything is not profitable. Everything is allowable! Yes, but everything does not build up character.
24 No one should seek his own good, but the good of others.
A person must not study their own interests, but the interests of others.
25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
Eat anything that is sold in the market, without making inquiries to satisfy your scruples;
26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”
for the earth, with all that is in it, belongs to the Lord.
27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without raising questions of conscience.
If an unbeliever invites you to his house and you consent to go, eat anything that is put before you, without making inquiries to satisfy your scruples.
28 But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience—
But, if anyone should say to you ‘This has been offered in sacrifice to an idol,’ then, for the sake of the speaker and his scruples, do not eat it.
29 the other one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience?
I do not say your scruples, but his. For why should the freedom that I claim be condemned by the scruples of another?
30 If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
If, for my part, I take the food thankfully, why should I be abused for eating that for which I give thanks?
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to the honor of God.
32 Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—
Do not cause offense either to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God;
33 as I also try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved.
for I, also, try to please everybody in everything, not seeking my own advantage, but do what is best for others, so that they may be saved.
