1 Corinthians 8
Complete Jewish Bible
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: we know that, as you say, “We all have knowledge.” Yes, that is so, but “knowledge” puffs a person up with pride; whereas love builds up. 2 The person who thinks he “knows” something doesn’t yet know in the way he ought to know. 3 However, if someone loves God, God knows him.
4 So, as for eating food sacrificed to idols, we “know” that, as you say, “An idol has no real existence in the world, and there is only one God.” 5 For even if there are so-called “gods,” either in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are “gods” and “lords” galore — 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we exist; and one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, through whom were created all things and through whom we have our being.
7 But not everyone has this knowledge. Moreover, some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat food which has been sacrificed to them, they think of it as really affected by the idol; and their consciences, being weak, are thus defiled. 8 Now food will not improve our relationship with God — we will be neither poorer if we abstain nor richer if we eat. 9 However watch out that your mastery of the situation does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 You have this “knowledge”; but suppose someone with a weak conscience sees you sitting, eating a meal in the temple of an idol. Won’t he be built up wrongly to eat this food which has been sacrificed to idols? 11 Thus by your “knowledge” this weak person is destroyed, this brother for whom the Messiah died; 12 and so, when you sin against the brothers by wounding their conscience when it is weak, you are sinning against the Messiah!
13 To sum up, if food will be a snare for my brother, I will never eat meat again, lest I cause my brother to sin.
Kehillah in Corinth I 8
Orthodox Jewish Bible
8 Now concerning the sacrifice to an elil (idol in avodah zarah, idol worship), we know that "we all possess da’as (knowledge)." But da’as puffs up (with ga’avah), but ahavah (agape 14:1) builds up.
2 If anyone presumes he has da’as of anything, he does not yet have da’as of the necessary da’as.
3 But if a person has Ahavas Hashem, Hashem has da’as of that person. [YIRMEYAH 1:5]
4 Now concerning the eating of the okhel (food) at the mizbe’ach of avodah zarah which is sacrificed to an elil (idol), we have da’as that an elil is nothing in the world, and that there is no G-d but ECHAD (DEVARIM 4:35, 39; 6:4).
5 For even if there are [in popular tradition] so-called "g-ds," whether in Shomayim or on ha’aretz, even as there are so-called "g-ds" many and "l-rds" many,
6 Yet in fact for us we have da’as that there is ADONOI ECHAD ("L-rd is One " DEVARIM 6:4), Hashem AV ECHAD L’CHULLANU ("One Father of us all” MALACHI 2:10), from whom are all things, and we exist for Hashem, and there is Adon Echad [MALACHI 3:1], Moshiach Yehoshua [ZECHARYAH 3:8; 6:11-12], through whom are all things and we through him.
7 However, not kol Bnei Adam have this da’as (knowledge). Some are so accustomed to the elil (idol) until now that when they eat, they think of the okhel (food) as being sacrificed to the elil in avodah zarah, and their matzpun (conscience), being weak, is made to be tameh (defiled).
8 But okhel (food) will not usher us into the presence of Hashem; neither are we falling short if we do not eat okhel, nor are we better if we eat.
9 But beware lest somehow your cherut (freedom) becomes a michshol (stumbling block) to the weak ones.
10 For if anyone sees you, the one having da’as (knowledge), eating in the temple of an elil, will not the matzpun of him be strengthened so as to eat the okhel sacrificed to an elil (idol) at the mizbe’ach of avodah zarah?
11 For the one being weak [in emunah] is being destroyed by your "da’as,” the Ach b’Moshiach for whom Moshiach died.
12 And thus by sinning against the Achim b’Moshiach and wounding their weak matzpunim (consciences), you commit averos against Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
13 Therefore, if okhel causes my Ach b’Moshiach to trip on a michshol, I should never eat meat again, lest I cause my Ach b’Moshiach to stumble.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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