Romans 12:14

Contemporary English Version

Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

King James Version (1611)
Blesse them which persecute you, blesse, and curse not.

King James Version
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

English Standard Version
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

New American Standard Bible
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

New Century Version
Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them.

Amplified Bible
Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them].

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Legacy Standard Bible
Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.

Berean Standard Bible
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

Complete Jewish Bible
Bless those who persecute you — bless them, don't curse them!

Darby Translation
Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.

Easy-to-Read Version
Wish only good for those who treat you badly. Ask God to bless them, not curse them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Blesse them which persecute you: blesse, I say, and curse not.

George Lamsa Translation
Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not.

Good News Translation
Ask God to bless those who persecute you—yes, ask him to bless, not to curse.

Lexham English Bible
Bless those who persecute, bless and do not curse them.

Literal Translation
Bless those persecuting you; bless, and do not curse.

American Standard Version
Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.

Bible in Basic English
Give blessing and not curses to those who are cruel to you.

Hebrew Names Version
Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don't curse.

International Standard Version
Bless those who persecute you. Keep on blessing them, and never curse them.Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28; 23:34; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 2:23; 3:9;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Bless your persecutors; bless, and curse not.

Murdock Translation
Bless your persecutors: bless, and curse not.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Blesse them which persecute you, blesse, and curse not.

English Revised Version
Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.

World English Bible
Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don't curse.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
bless and curse not.

Weymouth's New Testament
Invoke blessings on your persecutors--blessings, not curses.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Blesse ye men that pursuen you; blesse ye, and nyle ye curse;

Update Bible Version
Bless those that persecute you; bless, and do not curse.

Webster's Bible Translation
Bless them who persecute you; bless, and curse not.

New English Translation
Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

New King James Version
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

New Living Translation
Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them.

New Life Bible
Pray and give thanks for those who make trouble for you. Yes, pray for them instead of talking against them.

New Revised Standard
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Bless them that persecute, bless, and do not curse.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Bless them that persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Revised Standard Version
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Blesse the which persecute you: blesse but course not.

Young's Literal Translation
Bless those persecuting you; bless, and curse not;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Blesse the that persecute you. Blesse, & curse not.

Mace New Testament (1729)
bless them who persecute you:

THE MESSAGE
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Bless those who talk crap about you. Don't cuss 'em, but pray God will bless 'em.

Contextual Overview

¹ Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. ² Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. ³ I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. ⁴ A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. ⁵ That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. ⁶ God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. ⁷ If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. ⁸ If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. ⁹ Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. ¹⁰ Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Romans 12:21, Job 31:29, Job 31:30, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28, Luke 23:34, Acts 7:60, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 1 Corinthians 4:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, James 3:10, 1 Peter 2:21-23, 1 Peter 3:9

Reciprocal: Leviticus 19:14 - not curse 1 Samuel 24:6 - the Lord forbid 1 Kings 13:6 - besought Psalms 35:13 - when Romans 12:19 - avenge

Cross-References

Genesis 3:6
The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too.

Genesis 39:7
and Potiphar's wife soon noticed him. She asked him to make love to her,

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Bless them which persecute you,.... It is the lot of God's, people in this world to be persecuted by the men of it, in some shape or another, either by words or deeds; either by reviling and reproaching them, and speaking all manner of evil of them; or by hindering them the free exercise of religious worship, by confiscation of their goods, imprisonment of their persons, by violently torturing their bodies, and taking away their lives; under all which circumstances they are taught to

bless them; that is, to pray for them, that God would show them their evil, give repentance to them, and the remission of their sins; which is the order Christ gave to his disciples, Matthew 5:44; and encouraged to an observance of, by his own example, Luke 23:34; and has been followed herein by his disciples and apostles, Acts 7:60 1 Corinthians 4:12. Moreover, by "blessing" may be meant, giving them good words, mild and soft answers, "not rendering evil for evil, railing for railing", 1 Peter 3:9; but, on the contrary, blessing, in imitation of Christ, who, "when he was reviled, reviled not again", 1 Peter 2:23: "bless",

and curse not: to have a mouth full of cursing and bitterness, Romans 3:14, is the character of an unregenerate man, and what by no means suits one who names the name of Christ; for blessing and cursing to proceed out of the same mouth, is as absurd and unnatural, as if it should be supposed that a fountain should send forth sweet water and bitter, or salt and fresh, James 3:10. The imprecations upon wicked men, used by David and other good men, are no contradictions to this rule; since they were made under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and were predictions of God's vengeance, which in righteous judgment should fall on them, and are not to be drawn into an example by us.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bless them ... - see the note at Matthew 5:44; compare Luke 6:28.

Bless, and curse not - Bless only; or continue to bless, however long or aggravated may be the injury. Do not be provoked to anger, or to cursing, by any injury, persecution, or reviling. This is one of the most severe and difficult duties of the Christian religion; and it is a duty which nothing else but religion will enable people to perform. To curse denotes properly to devote to destruction. Where there is power to do it, it implies the destruction of the object. Thus, the fig-tree that was cursed by the Saviour soon withered away: Mark 11:21. Thus, those whom God curses will be certainly destroyed; Matthew 25:41. Where there is not power to do it, to curse implies the invoking of the aid of God to devote to destruction. Hence, it means to imprecate; to implore a curse from God to rest on others; to pray that God would destroy them. In a larger sense still, it means to abuse by reproachful words; to calumniate; or to express oneself in a violent, profane, and outrageous manner. In this passage it seems to have special reference to this.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 12:14. Bless them which persecute you — ευλογειτε, Give good words, or pray for them that give you bad words, καταρασθε, who make dire imprecations against you. Bless them, pray for them, and on no account curse them, whatever the provocation may be. Have the loving, forgiving mind that was in your Lord.