Don't Worship Idols
1 Friends, I want to remind you that all our ancestors walked under the cloud and went through the sea. 2 This was like being baptized and becoming followers of Moses. 3 All of them also ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ. 5 But most of them did not please God. So they died, and their bodies were scattered all over the desert.
6 What happened to them is a warning to keep us from wanting to do the same evil things. 7 They worshiped idols, just as the Scriptures say, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance around.” So don't worship idols. 8 Some of those people did shameful things, and in a single day about 23,000 died. Don't do shameful things as they did. 9 And don't try to test Christ, as some of them did and were later bitten by poisonous snakes. 10 Don't even grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures to teach us who live in these last days.
12 Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. 13 You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.
14 My friends, you must keep away from idols. 15 I am speaking to you as people who have enough sense to know what I am talking about. 16 When we drink from the cup we ask God to bless, isn't that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread we break, isn't that sharing in the body of Christ? 17 By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.
18 Aren't the people of Israel sharing in the worship when they gather around the altar and eat the sacrifices offered there? 19 Am I saying that either the idols or the food sacrificed to them is anything at all? 20 No, I am not! This food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of demons and still drink from the Lord's cup. You cannot eat at the table of demons and still eat at the Lord's table. 22 We would make the Lord jealous if we did this. And we are not stronger than the Lord.
Always Honor God
23 Some of you say, “We can do whatever we want to!” But I tell you not everything may be good or helpful. 24 We should think about others and not about ourselves. 25 However, when you buy meat in the market, go ahead and eat it. Keep your conscience clear by not asking where the meat came from. 26 The Scriptures say, “The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.”
27 If an unbeliever invites you to dinner, and you want to go, then go. Eat whatever you are served. Don't cause a problem for someone's conscience by asking where the food came from. 28-29 But if you are told it has been sacrificed to idols, don't cause a problem by eating it. I don't mean a problem for yourself, but for the one who told you. Why should my freedom be limited by someone else's conscience? 30 If I give thanks for what I eat, why should anyone accuse me of doing wrong?
31 When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God. 32 Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church. 33 I always try to please others instead of myself, in the hope that many of them will be saved.
ǁGôa-eloǃoabas ǃoagu hâ ǃkhâikhoms
1 ǂGao tama ta hâ, ǃgâsado, ǀūǂamse du nî hâ ǃkhaisa, sada aboxagu hoagu ge ǃâus xa ǂgaeǂguihe hâse hoatsama huriba ǃgâu ǃkhaisa. 2 Tsî gu ge hoaga Moseb di saoǃgonaose, ǃâus tsî hurib tsîra ǃnâ ǁāǁnâhe ǃkhaisa. 3 Hoagu ge ǁkhā gagasi ǂû-e ǂû 4 tsî ǁkhā gagasi āxū-e gere ā ǃkhaisa. ǁÎgu ge gagasi ǃhaob, ǁîgu ǀkha gere ǃgûba xu gere ā tsî ǁnā ǃhaob ge a Xristu.* 5 Xawe ǂguin ǁîn din ǀkhab ge Eloba ge ǂkhî tama hâ i, tsîn ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ge hîkākāhe.
6 Tsîn ge nēna sada di ǃkhâikhoms ase ge ī, sada ǂkhababa tura tidega, ǁîn gere tura khami. 7 Î du ǁkhāti tā ǀnîn ân khami ǁgôa-eloǃoaba-ao kai. Xoamâihe hâ khami: “ǁAes ge ǂû tsîn nî āse ǂnû tsî ǁgauoǃnâsiba nî ûiǂuise ge khâi.” 8 Î da ǁkhāti tā ǀai, ǀnîn ân ge ǀai khami, tsîn ge ǀgui tsēs ǃnâ ǀgamdisiǃnonaǀaǀoadisina ge ǁō. 9 Î da ǁkhāti Xristuba tā ǃâitsâ, ǀnîn ân ge ǃâitsâ bi tsî ǀaon xa ǃgamhe khami. 10 Î du ǁkhāti tā ǀara, ǀnîn ân gere ǀara khami tsîn ge Hîkākās di ǀHomǃgāb xa ge ǃgamhe.
11 Tsî nēn hoan ge ǁîn ǀkha ge ī, sada ǃaroma hâ aiǁgaus ase tsîn ge xoamâihe hâ sadan nî ǃkhâikhomse. ǀAms a ǀgū ǁaeb ǃnâ da sada ûi hâ xui-ao.
12 ǁNā-amaga, mâ-i hâ, ti ga ǂâi-e, a i ǂanbasen, î-i tā ǁnā. 13 ǀNî ǃâitsâ-i ge sado hāǂam tama hâ, khoesi ǃâitsâ-i ǀgui-i ose, xawe Elob ge a ǂgomǂgomsa tsî sadu nî ǁkhā du as ǂamai ǃâitsâhe ǃkhaisa mā-am tide. Nē ǃâitsâs ǀkhab ge ǁkhāti mâǃkharus di ǀgaiba nî mā du tsî ǁnāti huiba nî mā.
14 ǁNā-amaga, ti ǀnamsabedo, ǁgôa-eloǃoabasa ǃkhoeni. 15 ǁNâuǃāxa khoen ǀkhas khami ta ra ǃhoa, xuige sado aitsama mî ta ra-e ǀgoraǃgâ. 16 ǁNā ǀgabis gangans dis hîa da ra ǀkhaesa kha ǁnâi, Xristub ǀaob ǃnâ amǃnâxa tamasa? Pereb hîa da ra khôaba, Xristub soros ǃnâ amǃnâxa tamasa? 17 ǀGui pereb a amaga da ge sada hoada a ǀgui soro, sada hoada ǀgui pereb ǃnâ ra amǃnâxa xui-ao.
18 Kō Israelǁîna, ǁnān ǁguibade ra ǂûna ǁnâi altars ai ra ǁguibahen ǃnâ amǃnâxa taman hâ? 19 Tare-e ta kha ǁnâi ra mî? ǁGôa-elo-i ra ǁguibahe ǂû-i tamas ka io ǁgôa-elo-e a ǂhâǂhâsa? 20 Hî-î, ǁîn ra ǁguiban ge ǁgâuagu ǃaroma ra ǁguibahe tsî Elob ǃaroma ǁguibahe tama hâ. Tita ge sadu nî ǁgâuagu ǀkha ǂgobesen ǃkhaisa ǂgao tama hâ. 21 ǃKhūb di ǀgabis tsî ǁgâuagu di ǀgabis tsîra xu du ge a ā ǁoa, ǃKhūb di tāb tsî ǁgâuagu di tāb tsîkha ǃnâ du ge a amǃnâxa ǁoa. 22 Tamas ka io, o da kha ǃKhūba taub nîse ra ǁgoaǂui ǂgao? ǁÎb ǃgâ-ai da kha ǀnîsi a ǀgaisa? 23 ǀNî khoen ge ra mî: “Hoa xūna ta ge mā-amhe hâ” xawen ge hoana harebe tama hâ. ǁKhāti du ge “Hoa xūn a mā-amsa” ti ra mî, xawen ge hoana omkhâi tama hâ. 24 A i khoe-i xare-e tā ǁî-i di ǂhunuma ǃgâiba ôa, xawe nau-i di ǃgâiba ôa. 25 ǁGanǁamaxūǃkhaib ai ra ǁamaxūhen hoana ǂû, ǂgaoǂans âdu ǃaroma dîna dîs ose. 26 “ǃHūbaib tsî ǁîb ai hân hoan ge a ǃKhūb di” tis ra xoasa mî xui-ao.
27 Tsî ǂgomoǃnân di ǀgui-i ga ǁkhau du tsî du ga ǃgû ǂgao, o mâi-aiǃâhe du ra xū-i hoa-e ǂû, xū-i xare-e ǂgaoǂans ǃaroma dîǃnâ tamase. 28 Tsî khoe-i ga sadu ǃoa “ǁGôa-elogu ǁguiba-i ge nē-e” ti mî, o ǁîsa go ǂanǂan tsi-i tsî ǂgaoǂans tsîn ǃaroma tā ǂû. 29 Sa ǂhunuma ǂgaoǂans xa ta ǂâibasen tama, xawe nau-i dis xa.
“Tare-i ǃaromab kha ti ǃnorasasiba nau-i di ǂgaoǂans xa nî ǀgoraǃgâhe? 30 Tita ga Eloba ǂû-i ǃaroma gangan, o tare-i xa ta kha ǁî-i ǂama ta ra gangan xū-i ǃaroma nî ǀhapimāhe?” ti i ge ǀnî-e a dî ǁkhā.
31 ǁNā-amaga dī du ran hoana, ǂû du kas, ā du kas hoasa Elob di ǂkhaisib ǃoa dī re. 32 Tā ǂhanib ase Jodeǁîn, Grikeǁîn tamas ka io Elob di kerkheb kas hoasa ība, 33 tita tsîn hoa khoena hoa xūn ǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâibasa ra dītsâ khami. Tita ge ti ǂhunuma harebesa ôa tama hâ, xawe ǂguin disa ǃgâiǃō kaihen nîga ra ôa.
