1 Corinthians 10:1–33

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. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. ⁶ These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. 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.” ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. 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. ¹² So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to 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. ¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. 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? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. ¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar? ¹⁹ Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol 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. 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. ²² Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? ²³ “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is edifying. ²⁴ No one should seek his own good, but the good of others. ²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶ for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” ²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and… ²⁸ …