1 Corinthians 8

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Food Sacrificed to Idols

¹Περὶ δὲ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ

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

²εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι οὔπω ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι

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

³εἰ δέ τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Θεόν οὗτος ἔγνωσται ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ

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

⁴Περὶ τῆς βρώσεως οὖν τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς Θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς

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.

⁵καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶν λεγόμενοι θεοὶ εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς ὥσπερ εἰσὶν θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί

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

⁶ἀλλ’ ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατήρ ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι’ αὐτοῦ

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.

⁷Ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν ἡ γνῶσις τινὲς δὲ τῇ συνηθείᾳ ἕως ἄρτι τοῦ εἰδώλου ὡς εἰδωλόθυτον ἐσθίουσιν καὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται

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.

⁸βρῶμα δὲ ἡμᾶς οὐ παραστήσει τῷ Θεῷ οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν ὑστερούμεθα οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν περισσεύομεν

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

⁹Βλέπετε δὲ μή πως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν

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

¹⁰ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σὲ τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν

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?

¹¹ἀπόλλυται γὰρ ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἐν τῇ σῇ γνώσει ὁ ἀδελφὸς δι’ ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν

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

¹²οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε

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

¹³Διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω

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.