Romans, 14

1. Give a welcome to anyone whose faith is not strong, but do not get into arguments about doubtful points.

1. As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions.

2. One person may have faith enough to eat any kind of food; another, less strong, will eat only vegetables.

2. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables.

3. Those who feel free to eat freely are not to condemn those who are unwilling to eat freely; nor must the person who does not eat freely pass judgement on the one who does -- because God has welcomed him.

3. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.

4. And who are you, to sit in judgement over somebody else's servant? Whether he deserves to be upheld or to fall is for his own master to decide; and he shall be upheld, for the Lord has power to uphold him.

4. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand.

5. One person thinks that some days are holier than others, and another thinks them all equal. Let each of them be fully convinced in his own mind.

5. One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.

6. The one who makes special observance of a particular day observes it in honour of the Lord. So the one who eats freely, eats in honour of the Lord, making his thanksgiving to God; and the one who does not, abstains from eating in honour of the Lord and makes his thanksgiving to God.

6. He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

7. For none of us lives for himself and none of us dies for himself;

7. None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

8. while we are alive, we are living for the Lord, and when we die, we die for the Lord: and so, alive or dead, we belong to the Lord.

8. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

9. It was for this purpose that Christ both died and came to life again: so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

9. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

10. Why, then, does one of you make himself judge over his brother, and why does another among you despise his brother? All of us will have to stand in front of the judgement-seat of God:

10. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;

11. as scripture says: By my own life says the Lord, every knee shall bow before me, every tongue shall give glory to God.

11. for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."

12. It is to God, then, that each of us will have to give an account of himself.

12. So each of us shall give account of himself to God.

13. Let us each stop passing judgement, therefore, on one another and decide instead that none of us will place obstacles in any brother's way, or anything that can bring him down.

13. Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

14. I am sure, and quite convinced in the Lord Jesus, that no food is unclean in itself; it is only if someone classifies any kind of food as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

14. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean.

15. And indeed, if through any kind of food you are causing offence to a brother, then you are no longer being guided by love. You are not to let the food that you eat cause the ruin of anyone for whom Christ died.

15. If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died.

16. A privilege of yours must not be allowed to give rise to harmful talk;

16. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

17. for it is not eating and drinking that make the kingdom of God, but the saving justice, the peace and the joy brought by the Holy Spirit.

17. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;

18. It is the person who serves Christ in these things that will be approved by God and respected by everyone.

18. he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

19. So then, let us be always seeking the ways which lead to peace and the ways in which we can support one another.

19. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

20. Do not wreck God's work for the sake of food. Certainly all foods are clean; but all the same, any kind can be evil for someone to whom it is an offence to eat it.

20. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats;

21. It is best to abstain from eating any meat, or drinking any wine, or from any other activity which might cause a brother to fall away, or to be scandalised, or to weaken.

21. it is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother stumble.

22. Within yourself, before God, hold on to what you already believe. Blessed is the person whose principles do not condemn his practice.

22. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves.

23. But anyone who eats with qualms of conscience is condemned, because this eating does not spring from faith -- and every action which does not spring from faith is sin.

23. But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.