1And concerning the things sacrificed to idols, we have known that we all have knowledge: knowledge puffs up, but love builds up; 2and if anyone thinks to know anything, he has not yet known anything according as it is required to know; 3and if anyone loves God, this one has been known by Him.

4Concerning the eating then of the things sacrificed to idols, we have known that an idol [is] nothing in the world, and that there is no other God except one; 5for even if there are those called gods, whether in Heaven, whether on earth—as there are many gods and many lords— 6yet to us [is] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we to Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom [are] all things, and we through Him;

7but not in all men [is] the knowledge, and certain with conscience of the idol, until now, eat [it] as a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8But food does not commend us to God, for neither if we may eat are we in advance; nor if we may not eat, are we behind; 9but see, lest this privilege of yours may become a stumbling-block to the weak, 10for if anyone may see you that have knowledge in an idol’s temple reclining to eat, will not his conscience—he being weak—be emboldened to eat the things sacrificed to idols? 11For the [one] being weak—the brother for whom Christ died—will perish by your knowledge. 12And thus sinning in regard to the brothers, and striking their weak conscience—you sin in regard to Christ; 13for this reason, if food causes my brother to stumble, I may not eat flesh—throughout the age—that I may not cause my brother to stumble.