1 Corinthians 10–11

Warnings From Israel’s History

10For I do not want you to be ignorant^s of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud^t and that they all passed through the sea.^{u 2}They were all baptized into^v Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food^{w 4}and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock^x that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.^y

⁶Now these things occurred as examples^z to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷Do not be idolaters,^a as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”^{ab 8}We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.^{c 9}We should not test Christ,^bd as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.^{e 10}And do not grumble, as some of them did^f—and were killed^g by the destroying angel.^h

¹¹These things happened to them as examplesⁱ and were written down as warnings for us,^j on whom the culmination of the ages has come.^{k 12}So, if you think you are standing firm,^l be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³No temptation^c has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful;^m he will not let you be tempted^d beyond what you can bear.ⁿ But when you are tempted,^e he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴Therefore, my dear friends,^o flee from idolatry.^{p 15}I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break^q a participation in the body of Christ?^{r 17}Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,^s for we all share the one loaf.

¹⁸Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices^t participate in the altar? ¹⁹Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?^{u 20}No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,^v not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹You 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.^{w 22}Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?^x Are we stronger than he?^y

The Believer’s Freedom

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

²⁵Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,^{b 26}for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^fc

²⁷If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you^d without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸But 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.^{e 29}I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom^f being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?^g

³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.^{h 32}Do not cause anyone to stumble,ⁱ whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God^j—³³even as I try to please everyone in every way.^k For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many,^l so that they may be saved.^m

11Follow my example,ⁿ as I follow the example of Christ.^o

On Covering the Head in Worship

²I praise you^p for remembering me in everything^q and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.^{r 3}But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,^s and the head of the woman is man,^at and the head of Christ is God.^{u 4}Every man who prays or prophesies^v with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies^w with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.^{x 6}For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

⁷A man ought not to cover his head,^b since he is the image^y and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;^{z 9}neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.^{a 10}It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own^c head, because of the angels. ¹¹Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.^b

¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.^c

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper

11:23–25pp—Mt 26:26–28; Mk 14:22–24; Lk 22:17–20

¹⁷In the following directives I have no praise for you,^d for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions^e among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.^{f 20}So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.^g As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²²Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God^h by humiliating those who have nothing?ⁱ What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?^j Certainly not in this matter!

²³For I received from the Lord^k what I also passed on to you:^l The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body,^m which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenantⁿ in my blood;^o do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^p

²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.^{q 28}Everyone ought to examine themselves^r before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.^{s 31}But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.^{t 32}Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined^u so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.^v

³³So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴Anyone who is hungry^w should eat something at home,^x so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come^y I will give further directions.