Romans 12:14

Easy-to-Read Version

Wish only good for those who treat you badly. Ask God to bless them, not 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.

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

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.

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 So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way. ² Don't change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. ³ God has given me a special gift, and that is why I have something to say to each one of you. Don't think that you are better than you really are. You must see yourself just as you are. Decide what you are by the faith God has given each of us. ⁴ Each one of us has one body, and that body has many parts. These parts don't all do the same thing. ⁵ In the same way, we are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others. ⁶ We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace God gave us. Whoever has the gift of prophecy should use that gift in a way that fits the kind of faith they have. ⁷ Whoever has the gift of serving should serve. Whoever has the gift of teaching should teach. ⁸ Whoever has the gift of comforting others should do that. Whoever has the gift of giving to help others should give generously. Whoever has the gift of leading should work hard at it. Whoever has the gift of showing kindness to others should do it gladly. ⁹ Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give 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 could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.

Genesis 39:7
After some time, the wife of Joseph's master began to pay special attention to him. One day she said to him, "Sleep with me."

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that if a man looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, he has already committed that sin with her in his mind.

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.