²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.

²⁵ Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience,

⁷ Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.^{(A) 8} Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you;

Sexual Immorality Must Be Judged

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons, ¹⁰ not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world.^{(A) 11} But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy or an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler. Do not even eat with such a one.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹¹ Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people, but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.^(A)

² We have renounced the shameful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.^(A)

¹³ For we write you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end—

⁷ All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”^(A)

²³ And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate,

²⁹ Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them.^{(A) 30} The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^(B)