1 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors  * 10:1 Ps 44:1; Ac 7:11 were all under the cloud,  * 10:1 Ex 13:21 all passed through the sea,  * 10:1 Ex 14:292 and all were baptized  * 10:2 Ac 22:16 into Moses  * 10:2 Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2 in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food,  * 10:3 Ex 16:314 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock  * 10:4 Ex 17:6; Nm 20:7–13 that followed them, and that rock was Christ.  * 10:4 Jn 4:14; 6:30–355 Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness.  * 10:5 Jd 5

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire  * 10:6 Mt 27:23; Jms 4:2 evil things as they did.  * 10:6 Lit they desired,* 10:6 Nm 11:4,33–34; Ps 78:18; 106:147 Don’t become idolaters  * 10:7 Eph 5:5 as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.* 10:7 Or to dance,* 10:7 Ex 32:6,* 10:7 Ex 32:68 Let us not commit sexual immorality  * 10:8 1Co 6:18; Rv 2:14,20; 17:2; 18:3,9 as some of them did,  * 10:8 Lit them committed sexual immorality and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died.  * 10:8 Nm 25:1–18; Ps 106:299 Let us not test Christ as some of them did  * 10:9 Lit them tested and were destroyed by snakes.  * 10:9 Nm 21:610 And don’t grumble  * 10:10 Jn 6:41; Jd 16 as some of them did,  * 10:10 Lit them grumbled,* 10:10 Nm 16:41–50 and were killed by the destroyer.  * 10:10 Or the destroying angel,* 10:10 Ex 12:23; 2Sm 24:16; 1Ch 21:15; Ps 78:4911 These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction,  * 10:11 Ps 102:18 on whom the ends of the ages  * 10:11 Or goals of the ages, or culmination of the ages,* 10:11 Mk 13:7 have come.  * 10:11 Mk 10:3012 So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.  * 10:12 Pr 24:16; Heb 6:813 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful;  * 10:13 Nm 12:7 he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out  * 10:13 2Pt 2:9 so that you may be able to bear it.

14 So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I am saying. 16 The cup  * 10:16 Mt 26:27; Mk 14:23; Lk 22:17,20; 1Co 11:25–26 of blessing  * 10:16 Mk 6:41; Gl 3:14 that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread  * 10:16 Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Lk 22:19; Ac 2:42,46; 20:7 that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one  * 10:17 Jn 11:52; Eph 4:4 body, since all of us share the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel.  * 10:18 Lit Look at Israel according to the flesh Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?  * 10:18 Gn 8:20; Lv 1:5; Nm 3:26; Dt 12:27; 1Sm 2:28; 1Ch 6:49; Ps 26:6; Ezk 8:15; Heb 7:1319 What am I saying then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I do say that what they  * 10:20 Other mss read Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons! 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?  * 10:22 Ec 6:10

23 "Everything is permissible,"  * 10:23 Other mss add for me but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible,"  * 10:23 Other mss add for me but not everything builds up. 24 No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.  * 10:24 Mk 10:45; Php 2:4

25 Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, 26 since the earth is the Lord’s,* 10:26 Mk 13:19and all that is in it.* 10:26 Ps 24:1,* 10:26 Ps 24:127 If any of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising questions for the sake of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, "This is food from a sacrifice," do not eat it,  * 10:28 Lk 10:8 out of consideration for the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.  * 10:28 Other mss add "For the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it."29 I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged  * 10:29 Lk 6:37 by another person’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thanksgiving,  * 10:30 Mk 8:6; Rm 1:8 why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.  * 10:31 Mk 10:37; Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:1832 Give no offense  * 10:32 Ac 24:16; Php 1:10 to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many,  * 10:33 Mk 10:45 so that they may be saved.