| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. | 1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on his opinions. |
| 2For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. | 2For one person has faith to eat all things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables. |
| 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. | 3The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him. |
| 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. | 4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. |
| 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. | 5One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. |
| 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. | 6He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. |
| 7For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. | 7For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. |
| 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. | 8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. |
| 9Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. | 9For this reason Christ died and returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. |
| 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. | 10Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. |
| 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. ’” | 11It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.” |
| 12Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. | 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. |
| 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. | 13Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. |
| 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. | 14I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. |
| 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. | 15If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died. |
| 16Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. | 16Do not allow what you consider good, then, to be spoken of as evil. |
| 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. | 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. |
| 18If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. | 18For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. |
| 19So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. | 19So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification. |
| 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. | 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block. |
| 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. | 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble. |
| 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. | 22Keep your belief about such matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. |
| 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. | 23But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin. |
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