14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:(A) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(B) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols(C) and committed sexual immorality.(D)

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15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam(A) son of Bezer,[a] who loved the wages of wickedness.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 2:15 Greek Bosor

16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice(A) and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident,(B) so that a plague(C) struck the Lord’s people.

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20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,(A) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.(B)

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Moab Seduces Israel

25 While Israel was staying in Shittim,(A) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality(B) with Moabite(C) women,(D) who invited them to the sacrifices(E) to their gods.(F) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. So Israel yoked themselves to(G) the Baal of Peor.(H) And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

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29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.(A) You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

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11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;(A) they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;(B) they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.(C)

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Marriage should be honored by all,(A) and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.(B)

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When Balak son of Zippor,(A) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor(B) to put a curse on you.(C)

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and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”[a](A)

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14

18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices(A) participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?(B) 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,(C) not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.(D) 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?(E) Are we stronger than he?(F)

The Believer’s Freedom

23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.(G) “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.(H)

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,(I) 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”[a](J)

27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you(K) without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.(L) 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom(M) being judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?(N)

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.(O)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 10:26 Psalm 24:1

25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”(A)

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20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,(A) from sexual immorality,(B) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.(C) 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”(D)

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