| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. | 1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. |
| 2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. | 2For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. |
| 3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. | 3Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. |
| 4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. | 4Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. |
| 5One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. | 5In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. |
| 6He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. | 6Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. |
| 7For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. | 7For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. |
| 8For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. | 8If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. |
| 9For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. | 9Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. |
| 10But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. | 10So why do you condemn another believer ? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. |
| 11For it is written: “ As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” | 11For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God. ’” |
| 12So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. | 12Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. |
| 13Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. | 13So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. |
| 14I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. | 14I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. |
| 15Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. | 15And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. |
| 16Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; | 16Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. |
| 17for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. | 17For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. |
| 18For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. | 18If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. |
| 19Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. | 19So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. |
| 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. | 20Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. |
| 21It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. | 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. |
| 22Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. | 22You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. |
| 23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. | 23But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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