1 Moreouer, brethren, I woulde not that yee shoulde bee ignorant, that all our fathers were vnder that cloude, and all passed through that sea, 2 And were all baptized vnto Moses, in that cloude, and in that sea, 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat, 4 And did all drinke the same spirituall drinke (for they dranke of the spiritual Rocke that folowed them: and the Rocke was Christ) 5 But with many of them God was not pleased: for they were ouerthrowen in ye wildernes. 6 Nowe these things are our ensamples, to the intent that we should not lust after euil things as they also lusted. 7 Neither bee ye idolaters as were some of them, as it is written, The people sate downe to eate and drinke, and rose vp to play. 8 Neither let vs commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day three and twentie thousand. 9 Neither let vs tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted him, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmure ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Nowe all these things came vnto them for ensamples, and were written to admonish vs, vpon whome the endes of the world are come. 12 Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heede lest he fall. 13 There hath no tentation taken you, but such as appertaine to man: and God is faithfull, which will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you be able, but wil euen giue the issue with the tentation, that ye may be able to beare it. 14 Wherefore my beloued, flee from idolatrie. 15 I speake as vnto them which haue vnderstanding: iugde ye what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we blesse, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we breake, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we that are many, are one bread and one body, because we all are partakers of one bread. 18 Beholde Israel, which is after the flesh: are not they which eate of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What say I then? that the idole is any thing? or that that which is sacrificed to idoles, is any thing? 20 Nay, but that these things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to deuils, and not vnto God: and I would not that ye should haue fellowship with the deuils. 21 Ye can not drinke the cup of the Lord, and the cup of the deuils. Ye can not be partakers of the Lords table, and of the table of the deuils. 22 Doe we prouoke the Lord to anger? are we stronger then he? 23 All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawfull for me, but all things edifie not. 24 Let no man seeke his owne, but euery man anothers wealth. 25 Whatsoeuer is solde in the shambles, eate ye, and aske no question for conscience sake. 26 For the earth is the Lords, and all that therein is. 27 If any of them which beleeue not, call you to a feast, and if ye wil go, whatsoeuer is set before you, eate, asking no question for conscience sake. 28 But if any man say vnto you, This is sacrificed vnto idoles, eate it not, because of him that shewed it, and for the conscience (for the earth is the Lords, and all that therein is) 29 And the conscience, I say, not thine, but of that other: for why should my libertie be condemned of another mans conscience? 30 For if I through Gods benefite be partaker, why am I euill spoken of, for that wherefore I giue thankes? 31 Whether therefore ye eate, or drinke, or whatsoeuer ye doe, doe all to the glory of God. 32 Giue none offence, neither to the Iewes, nor to the Grecians, nor to the Church of God: 33 Euen as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine owne profite, but the profite of many, that they might be saued.
Warnings against Idols
1 I want you to remember, my friends, what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. They were all under the protection of the cloud, and all passed safely through the Red Sea. 2 In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All ate the same spiritual bread 4 and drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them; and that rock was Christ himself. 5 But even then God was not pleased with most of them, and so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.
6 Now, all of this is an example for us, to warn us not to desire evil things, as they did, 7 nor to worship idols, as some of them did. As the scripture says, “The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.” 8 We must not be guilty of sexual immorality, as some of them were—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead. 9 We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did—and they were killed by snakes. 10 We must not complain, as some of them did—and they were destroyed by the Angel of Death.
11 All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.
12 If you think you are standing firm you had better be careful that you do not fall. 13 Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.
14 So then, my dear friends, keep away from the worship of idols. 15 I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup we use in the Lord's Supper and for which we give thanks to God: when we drink from it, we are sharing in the blood of Christ. And the bread we break: when we eat it, we are sharing in the body of Christ. 17 Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel; those who eat what is offered in sacrifice share in the altar's service to God. 19 Do I imply, then, that an idol or the food offered to it really amounts to anything? 20 No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on pagan altars is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the Lord's cup and also from the cup of demons; you cannot eat at the Lord's table and also at the table of demons. 22 Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than he?
23 “We are allowed to do anything,” so they say. That is true, but not everything is good. “We are allowed to do anything”—but not everything is helpful. 24 None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.
25 You are free to eat anything sold in the meat market, without asking any questions because of your conscience. 26 For, as the scripture says, “The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.”
27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. 28 But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake— 29 that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.
“Well, then,” someone asks, “why should my freedom to act be limited by another person's conscience? 30 If I thank God for my food, why should anyone criticize me about food for which I give thanks?”
31 Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory. 32 Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God. 33 Just do as I do; I try to please everyone in all that I do, not thinking of my own good, but of the good of all, so that they might be saved.