| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. | 1With regard to food sacrificed to idols, we know that "we all have knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. |
| 2Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. | 2If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know. |
| 3But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. | 3But if someone loves God, he is known by God. |
| 4So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. | 4With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that "an idol in this world is nothing," and that "there is no God but one." |
| 5There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. | 5If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), |
| 6But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. | 6yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live. |
| 7However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. | 7But this knowledge is not shared by all. And some, by being accustomed to idols in former times, eat this food as an idol sacrifice, and their conscience, because it is weak, is defiled. |
| 8It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. | 8Now food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do. |
| 9But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. | 9But be careful that this liberty of yours does not become a hindrance to the weak. |
| 10For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? | 10For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience be "strengthened" to eat food offered to idols? |
| 11So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. | 11So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed. |
| 12And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. | 12If you sin against your brothers or sisters in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. |
| 13So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble. | 13For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin. |
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