1 Corinthians 10–11

Warnings from Israel’s History

¹⁰I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,^{* 2}and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³and all ate the same spiritual food,^{* 4}and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.^{* 5}Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.^*

⁶Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.^{* 7}Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”^{* 8}We must not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.^{* 9}We must not put Christⁿ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents.^{* 10}And do not complain, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.^{* 11}These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.^{* 12}So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. ¹³No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.^*

¹⁴Therefore, my beloved, flee from the worship of idols.^{* 15}I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.^{* 18}Consider the people of Israel:^o Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?^{* 19}What do I imply, then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, I imply that what they^p sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.^{* 21}You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.^{* 22}Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?^*

Do All to the Glory of God

²³“All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. ²⁴Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other.^{* 25}Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, ²⁶for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.”^{* 27}If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience—²⁹I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience?^{* 30}If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?^*

³¹So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.^{* 32}Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,^{* 33}just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, so that they may be saved.^*

¹¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.^*

Head Coverings

²I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you.^{* 3}But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man^q is the head of the woman,^r and God is the head of Christ.^{* 4}Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head,^{* 5}but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled shames her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. ⁶For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair, but if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. ⁷For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection^s of God, but woman is the reflection^t of man.^{* 8}Indeed, man was not made from woman but woman from man.^{* 9}Neither was man created for the sake of woman but woman for the sake of man.^{* 10}For this reason a woman ought to have authority over her head,^u because of the angels.^{* 11}Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. ¹²For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, but all things come from God. ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? ¹⁴Does not nature itself teach you that, if a man wears long hair, it is dishonoring to him, ¹⁵but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. ¹⁶But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.^*

Abuses at the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.^{* 19}Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.^{* 20}When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. ²¹For when the time comes to eat, each of you proceeds to eat your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. ²²What! Do you not have households to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

²³For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread,^{* 24}and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for^v you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^*

Partaking of the Supper Unworthily

²⁷Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.^{* 28}Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.^{* 29}For all who eat and drink^w without discerning the body^x eat and drink judgment against themselves. ³⁰For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.^{y 31}But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.^{* 32}But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined^z so that we may not be condemned along with the world.^*

³³So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴If you are hungry, eat at home,^a so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.^*