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Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know.

But anyone who loves God is known by him.

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

For though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—

yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.

However, that knowledge isn’t in all men. But some, with consciousness of an idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don’t eat are we the worse, nor if we eat are we the better.

But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.

For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol’s temple, won’t his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died.

Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever more, that I don’t cause my brother to stumble.

وأَمَّا لَحْمُ ما ذُبِحَ لِلأَوثان فإِنَّنا نَعلَمُ أَنَّ المَعرِفةَ لَنا جَميعًا. إِنَّ المَعرِفةَ تَنفُخ، أَمَّا المَحبَّةُ فَتَبْني

فمَن ظَنَّ أَنَّه يَعرِفُ شَيئًا، فهو لا يَعرِفُ بَعدُ كَيفَ يَنبَغي لَه أَن يَعرِف

ولٰكِن مَن أَحَبَّ الله، فهو الَّذي عَرَفَه الله

وأَمَّا الأَكْلُ من لَحْمِ ما ذُبِحَ لِلأَوثان فنَحنُ نَعلَمُ أَنْ لا وَثَنَ في العالَم، وأَنْ لا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ الأَحَد

وقد يَكونُ في السَّماءِ أَو في الأَرضِ ما يُزعَمُ أَنَّهم آلِهة، بل هُناكَ كَثيرٌ مِنَ الآلِهَة وكَثيرٌ مِنَ الأَرباب

وأَمَّا عِندَنا نَحنُ، فلَيسَ إِلَّا إِلٰهٌ واحِدٌ وهو الآب، مِنه كُلُّ شَيءٍ وإِلَيه نَحنُ أَيضًا نَصير، ورَبٌّ واحِدٌ وهو يسوعُ المسيح، بِه كُلُّ شَيءٍ وبِه نَحنُ أَيضًا

ولٰكِن لَيسَتِ المَعرِفةُ لِجَميعِ النَّاس، فهُناكَ بَعضُهم، مِن جَرَّاءِ تَعَوُّدِهم حتَّى اليَومَ على الوَثَن، يأكُلونَ لَحمَ ما ذُبِحَ لِلأَوثانِ كأَنَّه كذٰلِك، فيَتَدَنَّسُ ضَميرُهم لِضُعْفِه

لَيسَ لِطعامٍ أَن يُقَرِّبَنا إِلى الله، فإِن لم نَأكُلْ مِنه لا نَنْقُص، وإِن أَكَلْنا مِنه لا نَزْداد

ولٰكِنِ ٱحذَروا أَن تَكونَ حُرِّيَّتُكُم هٰذه سَبَبَ عَثرَةٍ لِلضُّعَفاء

فإِذا رآكَ أَحَدٌ، يا صاحِبَ المَعرِفَة، جالِسًا على الطَّعامِ في هَيكَلِ الأوثان، أَفما «يُبْنى» ضَميرُ ذٰلك الضَّعيفِ فيَأكُلُ مِمَّا ذُبِحَ لِلأَوثان

فتَكونُ مَعرِفتُكَ سَبَبًا لِهَلاكِ ذاكَ الضَّعيف، ذاكَ الأَخِ الَّذي مِن أَجْلِه ماتَ المسيح؟

وإِذا خَطِئتُم هٰكذا إِلى إِخوَتِكُم وجَرَحتُم ضَمائِرَهُمُ الضَّعيفَة، فإِلى المسيحِ قد خَطِئتُم

لِذٰلك إِذا كانَ بَعضُ الطَّعامِ حَجَرَ عَثرَةٍ لأَخي، فلَن آكُلَ لَحْمًا أَبَدًا لِئَلَّا أَكونَ حَجَرَ عَثرَةٍ لأَخي