Romans 14
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Romans chapter 14 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
3 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint John Chrysostom.
Romans 14
1Receive one that is weak in the faith, not for disputes over opinions.Τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει προσλαμβάνεσθε, μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις διαλογισμῶν.
2One indeed believes that he may eat all things, but another, being weak, eats only vegetables.Ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα, ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει.
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.Ὁ ἐσθίων τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω, καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν προσελάβετο.
4Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he shall be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.Σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην; Τῷ ἰδίῳ κυρίῳ στήκει ἢ πίπτει. Σταθήσεται δέ· δυνατὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς στῆσαι αὐτόν.
5One indeed judges one day above another; but another judges every day the same. Let each be fully assured in his own mind.Ὃς μὲν κρίνει ἡμέραν παρ᾽ ἡμέραν, ὃς δὲ κρίνει πᾶσαν ἡμέραν. Ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ νοῒ πληροφορείσθω.
6He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord; and he that does not regard the day, to the Lord he does not regard it. And he that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he that does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God.Ὁ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν, Κυρίῳ φρονεῖ· καὶ ὁ μὴ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν, Κυρίῳ οὐ φρονεῖ. Καὶ ὁ ἐσθίων Κυρίῳ ἐσθίει, εὐχαριστεῖ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων Κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐσθίει, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ Θεῷ.
7For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἑαυτῷ ζῇ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἑαυτῷ ἀποθνῄσκει.
8For whether we live, we live to the Lord; and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's.Ἐάν τε γὰρ ζῶμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ ζῶμεν· ἐάν τε ἀποθνῄσκωμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀποθνῄσκομεν· ἐάν τε οὖν ζῶμεν, ἐάν τε ἀποθνῄσκωμεν, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐσμέν.
9For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, so that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living.Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Χριστὸς καὶ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ.
10But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.Σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; Ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; Πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
11For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”Γέγραπται γάρ, Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος· ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ Θεῷ.
12So then each of us shall give account concerning himself to God.Ἄρα οὖν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον δώσει τῷ Θεῷ.
13Therefore let us no longer judge one another, but judge this rather, not to put a stumbling block or an offense before our brother.Μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο κρίνατε μᾶλλον, τὸ μὴ τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον.
14I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean of itself; except to him considering anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.Οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι᾽ αὐτοῦ· εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοινὸν εἶναι, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν.
15But if your brother is grieved on account of your food, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food the one on behalf of whom Christ died.Εἰ δὲ διὰ βρῶμα ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς. Μὴ τῷ βρώματί σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε, ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανε.
16Therefore do not let your good be slandered.Μὴ βλασφημείσθω οὖν ὑμῶν τὸ ἀγαθόν·
17For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις, ἀλλὰ δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ χαρὰ ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ.
18For he that serves Christ in these things is well pleasing to God and approved by men.Ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις δουλεύων τῷ Χριστῷ εὐάρεστος τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ δόκιμος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.
19Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.Ἄρα οὖν τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης διώκωμεν, καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς εἰς ἀλλήλους.
20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but are evil for the man eating with offense.Μὴ ἕνεκεν βρώματος κατάλυε τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πάντα μὲν καθαρά, ἀλλὰ κακὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίοντι.
21It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor to do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or becomes weak.Καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα, μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον, μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖ.
22Do you have faith? By yourself, have it before God. Blessed is he that does not condemn himself in what he approves.Σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις; Κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μακάριος ὁ μὴ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν ἐν ᾧ δοκιμάζει.
23But he who doubts, if he eats, has been condemned, because it is not of faith; and everything which is not of faith is sin. 24 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, 25 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the eternal God, for obedience to the faith— 26 To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.Ὁ δὲ διακρινόμενος, ἐὰν φάγῃ, κατακέκριται, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως· πᾶν δὲ ὃ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως, ἁμαρτία ἐστί. 24 Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ ὑμᾶς στηρίξαι κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν μυστηρίου χρόνοις αἰωνίοις σεσιγημένου, 25 φανερωθέντος δὲ νῦν, διά τε γραφῶν προφητικῶν, κατ᾽ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ αἰωνίου Θεοῦ, εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη γνωρισθέντος, 26 μόνῳ σοφῷ Θεῷ, διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.
The Fathers on Romans 14
Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Romans 14:1–2Saint John Chrysostom“Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things; another, who is weak, eateth herbs.”
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans →
On Romans 14:14Saint John Chrysostom“I know, and am persuaded by (Gr. in) the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans →
On Romans 14:23Open Romans 14 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint John Chrysostom“Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and (mss. τεwhich Sav. omits) by the Scriptures of the Prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: to God only wise, to Him be glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans →