Romans 14

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Give a welcome to anyone whose faith is not strong, but do not get into arguments about doubtfulpoints.	1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.
2 One person may have faith enough to eat any kind of food; another, less strong, wil eat onlyvegetables.	2 One person believes that one may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
3 Those who feel free to eat freely are not to condemn those who are unwil ing to eat freely; nor mustthe person who does not eat freely pass judgement on the one who does -- because God has welcomed him.	3 The one who eats must not despise the one who abstains, and the one who abstains must not pass judgment on the one 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 beupheld or to fall is for his own master to decide; and he shal be upheld, for the Lord has power to uphold him.	4 Who are you to pass judgment on someone else's servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person thinks that some days are holier than others, and another thinks them al equal. Let eachof them be ful y convinced in his own mind.	5 (For) one person considers one day more important than another, while another person considers all days alike. Let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 The one who makes special observance of a particular day observes it in honour of the Lord. So theone 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 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the Lord. Also whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while whoever abstains, abstains for 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 for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
8 while we are alive, we are living for the Lord, and when we die, we die for the Lord: and so, alive ordead, we belong to the Lord.	8 For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or 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 boththe dead and the living.	9 For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 Why, then, does one of you make himself judge over his brother, and why does another among youdespise his brother? Al of us wil have to stand in front of the judgement-seat of God:	10 Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on 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 shal bow before me, every tongue shalgive glory to God.	11 for it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before 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 (then) each of us shall give an account of himself (to God).
13 Let us each stop passing judgement, therefore, on one another and decide instead that none of uswil place obstacles in any brother's way, or anything that can bring him down.	13 Then let us no longer judge one another, but rather resolve 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 ifsomeone classifies any kind of food as unclean, then for him it is unclean.	14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; still, it is unclean for someone who thinks it unclean.
15 And indeed, if through any kind of food you are causing offence to a brother, then you are no longerbeing 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 hurt by what you eat, your conduct is no longer in accord with love. Do not because of your food destroy him 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 reviled.
17 for it is not eating and drinking that make the kingdom of God, but the saving justice, the peace andthe joy brought by the Holy Spirit.	17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit;
18 It is the person who serves Christ in these things that wil be approved by God and respected byeveryone.	18 whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others.
19 So then, let us be always seeking the ways which lead to peace and the ways in which we cansupport one another.	19 Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another.
20 Do not wreck God's work for the sake of food. Certainly al foods are clean; but al the same, anykind can be evil for someone to whom it is an offence to eat it.	20 For the sake of food, do not destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to become a stumbling block by eating;
21 It is best to abstain from eating any meat, or drinking any wine, or from any other activity whichmight cause a brother to fall away, or to be scandalised, or to weaken.	21 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
22 Within yourself, before God, hold on to what you already believe. Blessed is the person whoseprinciples do not condemn his practice.	22 Keep the faith (that) you have to yourself in the presence of God; blessed is the one who does not condemn 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 whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because this is not from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.