Romans 12–14

Chapter 12

¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassions of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service. ²And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ³For I say, through the grace which has been given to me, to every one that is among you, not to have high thoughts above what he should think; but to think so as to be wise, as God has dealt to each a measure of faith. ⁴For, as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office; ⁵thus we, being many, are one body in Christ, and each one members one of the other. ⁶But having different gifts, according to the grace which has been given to us, whether it be prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; ⁷or service, let us occupy ourselves in service; or he that teaches, in teaching; ⁸or he that exhorts, in exhortation; he that gives, in simplicity; he that leads, with diligence; he that shews mercy, with cheerfulness. ⁹Let love be unfeigned; abhorring evil; cleaving to good: ¹⁰as to brotherly love, kindly affectioned towards one another: as to honour, each taking the lead in paying it to the other: ¹¹as to diligent zealousness, not slothful; in spirit fervent; serving the Lord. ¹²As regards hope, rejoicing: as regards tribulation, enduring: as regards prayer, persevering: ¹³distributing to the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality. ¹⁴Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not. ¹⁵Rejoice with those that rejoice, weep with those that weep. ¹⁶Have the same respect one for another, not minding high things, but going along with the lowly: be not wise in your own eyes: ¹⁷recompensing to no one evil for evil: providing things honest before all men: ¹⁸if possible, as far as depends on you, living in peace with all men; ¹⁹not avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. ²⁰If therefore thine enemy should hunger, feed him; if he should thirst, give him drink; for, so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. ²¹Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Chapter 13

¹Let every soul be subject to the authorities that are above him. For there is no authority except from God; and those that exist are set up by God. ²So that he that sets himself in opposition to the authority resists the ordinance of God; and they who thus resist shall bring sentence of guilt on themselves. ³For rulers are not a terror to a good work, but to an evil one. Dost thou desire then not to be afraid of the authority? practise what is good, and thou shalt have praise from it; ⁴for it is God’s minister to thee for good. But if thou practisest evil, fear; for it bears not the sword in vain; for it is God’s minister, an avenger for wrath to him that does evil. ⁵Wherefore it is necessary to be subject, not only on account of wrath, but also on account of conscience. ⁶For on this account ye pay tribute also; for they are God’s officers, attending continually on this very thing.

⁷Render to all their dues: to whom tribute is due, tribute; to whom custom, custom; to whom fear, fear; to whom honour, honour. ⁸Owe no one anything, unless to love one another: for he that loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not lust; and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ¹⁰Love works no ill to its neighbour; love therefore is the whole law.

¹¹This also, knowing the time, that it is already time that we should be aroused out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹²The night is far spent, and the day is near; let us cast away therefore the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. ¹³As in the day, let us walk becomingly; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and lasciviousness, not in strife and emulation. ¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not take forethought for the flesh to fulfil its lusts.

Chapter 14

¹Now him that is weak in the faith receive, not to the determining of questions of reasoning. ²One man is assured that he may eat all things; but the weak eats herbs. ³Let not him that eats make little of him that eats not; and let not him that eats not judge him that eats: for God has received him. ⁴Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to his own master he stands or falls. And he shall be made to stand; for the Lord is able to make him stand. ⁵One man esteems day more than day; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully persuaded in his own mind. ⁶He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord. And he that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that does not eat, it is to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. ⁸For both if we should live, it is to the Lord we live; and if we should die, it is to the Lord we die: both if we should live then, and if we should die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ has died and lived again, that he might rule over both dead and living. ¹⁰But thou, why judgest thou thy brother? or again, thou, why dost thou make little of thy brother? for we shall all be placed before the judgment-seat of God. ¹¹For it is written, I live, saith the Lord, that to me shall bow every knee, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹²So then each of us shall give an account concerning himself to God. ¹³Let us no longer therefore judge one another; but judge ye this rather, not to put a stumbling-block or a fall-trap before his brother. ¹⁴I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except to him who reckons anything to be unclean, to that man it is unclean. ¹⁵For if on account of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer according to love. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ has died. ¹⁶Let not then your good be evil spoken of; ¹⁷for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸For he that in this serves the Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men. ¹⁹So then let us pursue the things which tend to peace, and things whereby one shall build up another. ²⁰For the sake of meat do not destroy the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil to that man who eats while stumbling in doing so. ²¹It is right not to eat meat, nor drink wine, nor do anything in which thy brother stumbles, or is offended, or is weak. ²²Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Blessed is he who does not judge himself in what he allows. ²³But he that doubts, if he eat, is condemned; because it is not of faith; but whatever is not of faith is sin.