1 Corinthians 10

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;

I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.

and all ate the same spiritual food;

All of them ate the same spiritual food,

and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was ^[a]Christ.

and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.

Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did,

Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.”

or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”^[b]

Nor let us act immorally, as some of them ^[b]did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.

And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them ^[c]did, and were destroyed by the serpents.

Nor should we put Christ^[c] to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.

Nor grumble, as some of them ^[d]did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.

I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.

You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the ^[e]bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?

When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?

Since there is one ^[f]bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one ^[g]bread.

And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.

Look at ^[h]the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?

Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?

What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods?

No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.

Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”^[d]—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.

Let no one seek his own good, but that of his ^[i]neighbor.

Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake;

So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience.

for the earth is the Lord’s, and ^[j]all it contains.

For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^[e]

If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake.

If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience.

But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake;

(But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you.

I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?

It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?

If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?

If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;

Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles^[f] or the church of God.

just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.