a stone they stumble over and a rock they trip on." They keep on stumbling because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

And so I ask, "They have not stumbled so as to fall, have they?" Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to the gentiles to make the Jews jealous.

Therefore, if food that I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.

As it is written, "Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble a large rock that will make them fall and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed."

And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a punishment for them.

Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their fall means riches for the gentiles, how much more will their full participation mean!

Therefore, let's no longer criticize each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles,

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak.

Don't become a stumbling block to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God,

But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.

They are like a person building a house, who dug a deep hole to lay the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the floodwaters pushed against that house but couldn't shake it, because it had been founded on the rock.

and drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that went with them. That rock was the Messiah.

Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble.