¹⁴ “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,^(A) but fear your God.^(B) I am the Lord.

³² “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect^(A) for the elderly^(B) and revere your God.^(C) I am the Lord.^(D)

¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers,^(A) fear God, honor the emperor.^(B)

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment^(A) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.^(B)

¹⁷ Do not take advantage of each other,^(A) but fear your God.^(B) I am the Lord your God.^(C)

⁸ But food does not bring us near to God;^(A) we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block^(B) to the weak.^{(C) 10} For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?^{(D) 11} So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed^(E) by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them^(F) in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.^{(G) 13} Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.^(H)

¹⁵ But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels^[a] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God^(A) I did not act like that.