1 Corinthians 8
The full text of 1 Corinthians 8 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that "We all have knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.
3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that "An idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "There is no God but one."
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol they think of it as having been offered to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?
11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Translation notes (5)
- 1 Corinthians 8:1a The Greek word eidōlothyton refers to meat that had been offered to an idol before being sold or served.
- 1 Corinthians 8:1b The phrase "We all have knowledge" appears to be a slogan from the Corinthians that Paul quotes and then clarifies.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4a Paul again seems to be citing sayings from the Corinthians that he affirms.
- 1 Corinthians 8:7a Some manuscripts read "by force of habit until now toward the idol" instead of "accustomed to the idol until now."
- 1 Corinthians 8:10a The Greek word oikodomEthEsetai literally means "be built up," but here it is used ironically to mean being encouraged into something harmful.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is a new translation of the Bible prepared by Trinity Bible AI — rendered from the original Greek and faithful to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Finished in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation you can read today, and it is available only through Trinity Bible. All 66 books, including 1 Corinthians, are free to read on this site.
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