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¹ And, my Brethren, I would have you know, that our fathers were all of them under the cloud, and they all passed through the sea;² and they were all baptized by Moses, in the cloud and in the sea;³ and they all ate the same spiritual food;⁴ and they all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that attended them, and that rock was the Messiah.⁵ But with a multitude of them, God was not pleased; for they fell in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things were an example for us, that we should not hanker after evil things as they hankered.⁷ Neither should we serve idols, as some of them served; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to sport.⁸ Neither let us commit whoredom, as some of them committed; and there fell in one day twenty and three thousand.⁹ Neither let us tempt the Messiah, as some of them tempted; and serpents destroyed them.¹⁰ Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured; and they perished by the destroyer.¹¹ All these things which befell them, were for an example to us; and they are written for our instruction, on whom the end of the world hath come.¹² Wherefore, let him who thinketh he standeth, beware lest he fall.¹³ No trial cometh on you, but what pertaineth to men: and God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tried beyond your ability, but will make an issue to your trial, that ye may be able to sustain it.¹⁴ Wherefore, my Beloved, flee from idolatry.

¹⁵ I speak as to the wise; judge ye what I say.¹⁶ The cup of thanksgiving which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of the Messiah? And the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Messiah?¹⁷ As therefore that bread is one, so we are all one body; for we all take to ourselves from that one bread.¹⁸ Behold the Israel who are in the flesh; are not they who eat the victims, participators of the altar?¹⁹ What then do I say? That an idol is any thing? Or, that an idol's sacrifice is any thing? No.²⁰ But that what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. And I would not, that ye should be associates of demons.²¹ Ye cannot drink the cup of our Lord, and the cup of demons; and ye cannot be partakers at the table of our Lord, and at the table of demons.²² Or, would we sedulously provoke our Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

²³ Every thing is in my power; but every thing is not profitable. Every thing is in my power; but every thing doth not edify.²⁴ Let no one seek his own things, but also the things of his fellow-man.²⁵ Whatever is sold in the flesh-market, eat ye, without an inquiry on account of conscience:²⁶ for the earth is the Lord's, in its fullness.²⁷ And if one of the Gentiles invite you, and ye are disposed to go, eat ye whatever is set before you, without an inquiry on account of conscience.²⁸ But if any one shall say to you, This pertaineth to a sacrifice; eat not, for the sake of him who told you, and for conscience's sake.²⁹ The conscience I speak of, is not your own, but his who told you. But why is my liberty judged of, by the conscience of others?³⁰ If I by grace partake, why am I reproached for that, for which I give thanks?³¹ If therefore ye eat, or if ye drink, or if ye do any thing, do all things for the glory of God.³² Be ye without offence to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, and to the church of God:³³ even as I also, in every thing, please every man; and do not seek what is profitable to me, but what is profitable to many; that they may live.