1 My fellow believers, I want to remind you about our(exc) Jewish ancestors. They were all under the cloud by which God miraculously led them and protected them when they left Egypt with Moses. All those ancestors crossed the Red Sea after God miraculously made the water separate so that they could walk through it. 2 God caused all of them to begin to live under the authority of [MTY] Moses when they walked under that cloud and walked through the Red Sea. 3 All those ancestors of ours ate the same food that God miraculously provided. 4 They all drank water that God miraculously provided. That is, they all drank water that God miraculously made come out of the rock. That rock was a symbol of [MET] Christ, who went with them. So we conclude that God helped all of those people in many ways. 5 However, we also conclude that God was angry [LIT] with most of those people because they sinned against him. He caused almost all of them to die, and as a result their bodies were scattered in the desert.

6 Those things that happened long ago became examples to teach us the following things: We should not desire to do evil things as those people desired to do. 7 We should not worship idols as many of those people did. Remember that Moses wrote, “The people sat down. They ate and drank to honor the golden calf that they had just made. Then they got up to dance immorally.” 8 We should not have sexual relations with someone to whom we are not married, as many of them did. As a result, God punished them by causing 23,000 people to die in only one day. 9 We should not try to see how much we can sin without the Lord punishing us. Some of them did that, and as a result they died because poisonous snakes bit them. 10 We should not complain about what God does. Some of them did that, and as a result an angel destroyed them. So God will certainly punish us if we sin like they did.

11 All those things that happened to our ancestors long ago are examples for us. Moses wrote those things to warn us who are living at this time which is near the end. We are the people for whom God has done the things that he decided to do in the previous periods of time. 12 So I say this to all those who confidently think that they will always steadfastly continue to believe what God said and will never disobey what he commanded: Be careful that you (sg) do not sin when you are tempted. 13  Remember that your desires to sin are the same desires that other people have. But when you are tempted to sin, you can trust God to help you. He will not permit you to be tempted {anything to tempt you} more than you are able to resist. Instead, when you are tempted {things tempt you}, he will also provide a way for you to endure it without sinning.

14 So, I say to you people whom I love, avoid worshipping idols just like you would run away from anything that is dangerous. 15 It is to people who think that they are wise that I write. So, you, as wise people, judge whether what I am writing is true. 16  During the Lord’s Supper, after we ask God to bless ◄the wine/the juice► in the cup, we give thanks for it and drink it. By doing that, we certainly are [RHQ] sharing in what Christ did for us when his blood flowed from his body when he died. During the Lord’s Supper, when we break the bread and eat it, we are certainly sharing in [MTY] what Christ did for us when his body suffered for us on the cross. [RHQ] 17 Because it is one loaf of bread that we break and eat during the Lord’s Supper, it symbolizes that we who are many are one group, because we all eat from the one loaf.

18 Consider what happens when the Israeli people eat the food that the priests sacrifice on the altar outside the Temple. They participate in what the priests do at [MTY] the altar. [RHQ] Similarly, if you eat food that non-believers have offered to an idol in a temple, you are participating in their worship of the idol there. 19 By saying that, I do not mean that offering food to an idol makes it anything more than just ordinary food [RHQ]. I do not mean that an idol is anything more than just an idol. 20 No! Instead, I mean that what people sacrifice to idols, they are sacrificing to demons, not to God. So, if you eat food that has been sacrificed to idols, you are participating in worshipping the demons that the idols represent. And I do not want you to participate in worshipping demons! 21 When you drink the grape juice/wine in [MTY] the cup at the Lord’s Supper, you cannot participate in the blessings that the Lord Jesus brought to us and at the same time drink the wine in the [MTY] cup that people offer to demons! When you eat at the Lord’s table, you cannot participate in the blessings the Lord provided [MTY] when he died for us and at the same time participate in the things that represent demons by eating food that has been sacrificed to idols 22  If you participate in honoring demons in that way, you will certainly make the Lord very angry [RHQ]! ◄Remember that you are certainly not stronger than he is./Do you think that you are stronger than he is?► [RHQ] Certainly not, so you will not escape his punishing you if you honor demons in that way!

23  Some people say, “God permits believers to do anything.” But I say that not everything that people do benefits those who do it! Yes, some people say, “God permits believers to do all things.” But not everything that people do helps them to become spiritually mature. 24 No one should try to benefit only himself. Instead, each person should try to benefit other people spiritually. 25  This is what you should do: Eat any food that is sold {that people sell} in the market. Do not ask questions to find out if that food has been offered {someone offered that food} to idols, just because you think it would be wrong to eat such food. 26  Remember that the Psalmist wrote, “Everything on the earth belongs to the Lord God because he created it!” So, food that has been offered to idols belongs to the Lord, not to the idols, and you may eat it. 27 If a non-believer invites you to a meal, go if you want to, and eat any food that is set {that he sets} before you. Do not ask whether it was offered to idols, just because you think that it would be wrong to eat such food. 28 But if someone says to you, “This is food that was sacrificed to an idol,” do not eat it, for the sake of the person who told that to you, and also because someone there may think that it is wrong to eat such food. 29 I do not mean that you should be concerned about whether it is all right to eat such food. What I mean is that you should be concerned about others who may think that it is wrong to eat such food. Since I know that I ◄am free/have the right► to eat such food without God punishing me, no one should [RHQ] say that what I am doing is wrong just because he himself thinks that it is wrong. 30 If I thank God for the food when I eat food that has been offered to an idol, no one should criticize me for eating food for which I have thanked God [RHQ]!

31 So I say to you in conclusion, when you eat food, or drink something, or do anything else, do everything in order that people will praise God. 32 Do not do anything that would hinder Jews or Greeks from becoming believers, and do not do things that would encourage members of God’s congregations to sin. 33  Do as I do. I try to please everyone in every way. I do this by not seeking to benefit myself. Instead, I try to benefit many others, in order that they may be saved {that God may save them} from the guilt of their sins.