The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak,(A) without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.(B) The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt(C) the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge(D) the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?(E) To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

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How to Treat Weak Believers

14 Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion. One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak[a] person eats only[b] vegetables. The person who eats any kind of food[c] must not ridicule the person who does not eat them,[d] and the person who does not eat certain foods[e] must not criticize the person who eats them,[f] for God has accepted him. Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord[g] makes him stand.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 14:2 Or ill
  2. Romans 14:2 The Gk. lacks only
  3. Romans 14:3 The Gk. lacks any kind of food
  4. Romans 14:3 The Gk. lacks them
  5. Romans 14:3 The Gk. lacks certain foods
  6. Romans 14:3 The Gk. lacks them
  7. Romans 14:4 Other mss. read because God