Instead, we should write a letter to them. We should tell them these things:
1 Corinthians 10:14 - Easy To Read Version So, my dear friends, stay away from worshiping idols. {\cf2\super [69]} Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God). American Standard Version (1901) Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. Common English Bible So then, my dear friends, run away from the worship of false gods! Catholic Public Domain Version Because of this, most beloved of mine, flee from the worship of idols. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Wherefore, my dearly beloved, fly from the service of idols. |
Instead, we should write a letter to them. We should tell them these things:
My friends, don’t try to punish people when they do wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I am the One who punishes; I will pay people back,” {\cf2\super [132]} says the Lord.
I am speaking to you like you are intelligent people; judge for yourselves what I say.
\{So, what about food that is sacrificed to idols {\cf2\super [73]} ?\} Am I saying that sacrifices to idols are the same as those Jewish sacrifices? No, because an idol is nothing, and the things offered to idols are worth nothing.
Don’t worship idols {\cf2\super [66]} like some of those people did. Like the Scriptures {\cf2\super [67]} say, “The people sat down to eat and drink. The people stood up to dance.” {\cf2\super [68]}
I am writing to tell you that the person you must not associate with is this: any person that calls himself a brother in Christ but sins sexually, or is greedy, or worships idols, or talks bad to people, or gets drunk, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with a person like that.
And why \{do I not burden you\}? Do you think it is because I don’t love you? No. God knows that I love you.
So I am happy to give everything I have for you. I will even give myself for you. If I love you more, will you love me less?
Do you think that we have been defending ourselves to you all this time? No. We say these things in Christ. And we say these things before God. You are our dear friends. And everything that we do is to make you stronger.
“So come away from those people\par and separate yourselves from them,\par says the Lord.\par Touch nothing that is not clean,\par and I will accept you.”\par \i (Isaiah 52:11)\i0 \par
Dear friends, we have these promises \{from God\}. So we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. We should try to become perfect in the way we live, because we respect God.
My dear brothers and sisters, I love you and want to see you. You bring me joy and make me proud of you. Continue following the Lord like I have told you.
Dear friends, we are saying these hard things, but we really we expect better things from you. We feel sure that you will do the things that are a part of salvation.
Dear friends, you are like visitors and strangers \{in this world\}. So I beg you to stay away from the evil things your bodies want to do. These things fight against your soul.
Keep yourselves in God’s love. Wait for the Lord Jesus Christ with his mercy to give you life forever.
All the people who live on earth will worship the animal. These are all the people since the beginning of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. The Lamb is the One who was killed.
“But I have a few things against you: You have people there \{in your group\} who follow the teaching of Balaam. Balaam taught Balak how to make the people of Israel {\cf2\super [17]} sin. Those people sinned by eating food offered to idols {\cf2\super [18]} and by doing sexual sins.
But the people who are cowards, people who refuse to believe, people who do terrible things, people who kill, people who sin sexually, people who do evil magic, people who worship idols, {\cf2\super [159]} and people who tell lies—all those people will have a place in the lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Outside the city are the dogs (bad people), people who do evil magic, people who sin sexually, people who murder, people who worship idols, {\cf2\super [175]} and people who love lies and tell lies.