1 Corinthians 8

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

وَأَمَّا فِيمَا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِالذَّبَائِحِ الْمُقَدَّمَةِ لِلأَصْنَامِ، فَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ لِجَمِيعِنَا. غَيْرَ أَنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ تَنْفُخُ تَكَبُّراً، وَلَكِنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ تَبْنِي. فَمَنْ ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ يَعْرِفُ شَيْئاً،

Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.

فَهُوَ لَا يَعْرِفُ شَيْئاً بَعْدُ حَقَّ الْمَعْرِفَةِ.

But whoever loves God is known by God.^[a]

أَمَّا الَّذِي يُحِبُّ اللهَ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَعْرِفُهُ.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”

فَفِيمَا يَخُصُّ الأَكْلَ مِنْ ذَبَائِحِ الأَصْنَامِ، نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الصَّنَمَ لَيْسَ بِإِلهٍ مَوْجُودٍ فِي الْكَوْنِ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا وُجُودَ إِلّا لإِلهٍ وَاحِدٍ.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),

حَتَّى لَوْ كَانَتِ الآلِهَةُ الْمَزْعُومَةُ مَوْجُودَةً فِي السَّمَاءِ أَوْ عَلَى الأَرْضِ وَمَا أَكْثَرَ تِلْكَ الآلِهَةَ وَالأَرْبَابَ!

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

فَلَيْسَ عِنْدَنَا نَحْنُ إِلّا إِلهٌ وَاحِدٌ هُوَ الآبُ الَّذِي مِنْهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَنَحْنُ لَهُ؛ وَرَبٌّ وَاحِدٌ هُوَ يَسُوعُ الْمَسِيحُ الَّذِي بِهِ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ وَنَحْنُ بِهِ.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

عَلَى أَنَّ هذِهِ الْحَقِيقَةَ لَا يَعْرِفُهَا الْجَمِيعُ: فَبَعْضُهُمْ قَدْ تَعَوَّدُوا الظَّنَّ بِأَنَّ الأَصْنَامَ مَوْجُودَةٌ فِعْلاً، وَمَازَالُوا يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الذَّبَائِحِ كَأَنَّهَا فِعْلاً مُقَدَّمَةٌ لَهَا، فَيَتَدَنَّسُ ضَمِيرُهُمْ بِسَبَبِ ضَعْفِهِ.

But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

إِلّا أَنَّ الطَّعَامَ لَا يُقَرِّبُنَا إِلَى اللهِ، فَإِنَّنَا إِنْ أَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ لَا يَعْلُو مَقَامُنَا، وَإِنْ لَمْ نَأْكُلْ مِنْهُ لَا يَصْغُرُ شَأْنُنَا!

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

وَلكِنْ خُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ لِكَيْ لَا يَكُونَ حَقُّكُمْ هَذَا فَخّاً يَسْقُطُ فِيهِ الضُّعَفَاءُ.

For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?

فَيَا صَاحِبَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، إِنْ رَآكَ أَحَدٌ جَالِساً إِلَى الطَّعَامِ فِي هَيْكَلٍ لِلأَصْنَامِ، أَفَلا يَتَقَوَّى ضَمِيرُهُ، هُوَ الضَّعِيفُ، لِيَأْكُلَ مِنْ ذَبَائِحِ الأَصْنَامِ،

So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

وَبِذَلِكَ يَتَدَمَّرُ ذَلِكَ الضَّعِيفُ، وَهُوَ أَخٌ لَكَ مَاتَ الْمَسِيحُ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ، بِسَبَبِ مَعْرِفَتِكَ!

When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

فَإِذْ تُخْطِئُونَ هكَذَا إِلَى الإِخْوَةِ فَتَجْرَحُونَ ضَمَائِرَهُمُ الضَّعِيفَةَ، إِنَّمَا تُخْطِئُونَ إِلَى الْمَسِيحِ.

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

لِذَا، إِنْ كَانَ بَعْضُ الطَّعَامِ فَخّاً يَسْقُطُ فِيهِ أَخِي، فَلَنْ آكُلَ لَحْماً أَبَداً، لِكَيْ لَا أُسْقِطَ أَخِي!