English Standard Version
Romans 12:14
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Romans 12:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
- New International Version (NIV)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.
Context of Romans 12:14
12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Read all of Romans 12Romans 12:14 word by word
εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς διώκοντας ὑμᾶς· εὐλογεῖτε καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Romans 12:14
- Romans 12:21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
- Job 31:29"If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me, or exulted when evil overtook him
- Matthew 5:44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
- Luke 6:28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
- Luke 23:34And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.
- Acts 7:60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- 1 Corinthians 4:12and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
- 1 Thessalonians 5:15See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
- James 3:10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
- 1 Peter 2:21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
- 1 Peter 3:9Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
Commentaries on Romans 12:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Bless them which persecute you - , Give good words, or pray for them that give you bad words, , 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.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Bless 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-16Verses 9-16 The professed love of Christians to each other should be sincere, free from deceit, and unmeaning and deceitful compliments. Depending on Divine grace, they must detest and dread all evil, and love and delight in whatever is kind and useful. We must not only do that which is good, but we must cleave to it. All our duty towards one another is summed up in one word, love. This denotes the love of parents to their children; which is more tender…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14The instructions in this verse closely match two teachings of Jesus (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27–28). Paul does not present these commands as direct quotations. However, he is almost certainly referring to the words of Christ. These teachings may have been so well known that Paul did not need to name their source. Many ideas in Romans 12–13 closely reflect the teaching of Jesus.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. Bless--that is, Call down by prayer a blessing on. them which persecute you, &c.--This is taken from the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:44), which, from the allusions made to it, seems to have been the storehouse of Christian morality among the churches.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 12:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries