1 Corinthians 8

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Food Sacrificed to Idols

¹Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

¹Now concerning the things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

²The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.

²If anyone thinks to known anything, he does not yet know as it is necessary to know.

³But the one who loves God is known by God.

³But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

⁴So 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.

⁴Therefore concerning the eating of the things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God except one.

⁵For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords),

⁵For even if indeed there are those called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—just as there are many gods and many lords—

⁶yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

⁶yet to us there is one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through Him.

⁷But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

⁷But the knowledge is not in all. And some, by habit of the idol until now, eat such as a thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak, it is defiled.

⁸But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁸But food will not commend us to God; neither if we should eat do we fall short, nor if we should not eat do we excel.

⁹Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

⁹But take care, lest somehow this authority of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.

¹⁰For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?

¹⁰For if anyone should see you, the one having knowledge, reclining in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him being weak be built up to eat the things sacrificed to idols?

¹¹So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

¹¹For the one being weak is destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whom Christ died.

¹²By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

¹²And thus sinning against the brothers and wounding their conscience, it being weak, you sin against Christ.

¹³Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.

¹³Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, never shall I eat meat to the age, so that I shall not cause my brother to stumble.