Romans 12:14

New King James Version

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Parallel Translations

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

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.

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]

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.

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.

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

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;

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Contextual Overview

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ³ For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴ For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷ or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸ he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. ⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

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
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 6:2
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

Genesis 39:7
And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."

Matthew 5:28
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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.