1 A nd him who is weak in the faith receive ye -- not to determinations of reasonings;

If there is someone whose faith is weak, be kind and receive him. Do not argue about what he thinks.

2 o ne doth believe that he may eat all things -- and he who is weak doth eat herbs;

One man believes he may eat everything. Another man with weak faith eats only vegetables.

3 l et not him who is eating despise him who is not eating: and let not him who is not eating judge him who is eating, for God did receive him.

The man who eats everything should not think he is better than the one who eats only vegetables. The man who eats only vegetables should not say the other man is wrong, because God has received him.

4 T hou -- who art thou that art judging another's domestic? to his own master he doth stand or fall; and he shall be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Who are you to tell another person’s servant if he is right or wrong? It is to his owner that he does good or bad. The Lord is able to help him.

5 O ne doth judge one day above another, and another doth judge every day; let each in his own mind be fully assured.

One man thinks one day is more important than another. Another man thinks every day is the same. Every man must be sure in his own mind.

6 H e who is regarding the day, to the Lord he doth regard, and he who is not regarding the day, to the Lord he doth not regard. He who is eating, to the Lord he doth eat, for he doth give thanks to God; and he who is not eating, to the Lord he doth not eat, and doth give thanks to God.

The man who worships on a special day does it to honor the Lord. The man who eats meat does it to honor the Lord. He gives thanks to God for what he eats. The other man does not eat meat. In this way, he honors the Lord. He gives thanks to God also.

7 F or none of us to himself doth live, and none to himself doth die;

No one lives for himself alone. No one dies for himself alone.

8 f or both, if we may live, to the Lord we live; if also we may die, to the Lord we die; both then if we may live, also if we may die, we are the Lord's;

If we live, it is for the Lord. If we die, it is for the Lord. If we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 f or because of this Christ both died and rose again, and lived again, that both of dead and of living he may be Lord.

Christ died and lived again. This is why He is the Lord of the living and of the dead.

10 A nd thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or again, thou, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand at the tribunal of the Christ;

Why do you try to say your Christian brother is right or wrong? Why do you hate your Christian brother? We will all stand before God to be judged by Him.

11 f or it hath been written, `I live! saith the Lord -- to Me bow shall every knee, and every tongue shall confess to God;'

The Holy Writings say, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me. And every tongue will say that I am God.”

12 s o, then, each of us concerning himself shall give reckoning to God;

Everyone of us will give an answer to God about himself.

13 n o longer, therefore, may we judge one another, but this judge ye rather, not to put a stumbling-stone before the brother, or an offence.

So you should stop saying that you think other people are wrong. Instead, decide to live so that your Christian brother will not have a reason to trip or fall into sin because of you.

14 I have known, and am persuaded, in the Lord Jesus, that nothing unclean of itself, except to him who is reckoning anything to be unclean -- to that one unclean;

Christ has made me know that everything in itself is clean. But if a person thinks something is not clean, then to him it is not clean.

15 a nd if through victuals thy brother is grieved, no more dost thou walk according to love; do not with thy victuals destroy that one for whom Christ died.

If your Christian brother is hurt because of some foods you eat, then you are no longer living by love. Do not destroy the man for whom Christ died by the food you eat.

16 L et not, then, your good be evil spoken of,

Do not let what is good for you be talked about as bad.

17 f or the reign of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit;

For the holy nation of God is not food and drink. It is being right with God. It is peace and joy given by the Holy Spirit.

18 f or he who in these things is serving the Christ, acceptable to God and approved of men.

If you follow Christ in these things, God will be happy with you. Men will think well of you also.

19 S o, then, the things of peace may we pursue, and the things of building up one another;

Work for the things that make peace and help each other become stronger Christians.

20 f or the sake of victuals cast not down the work of God; all things, indeed, pure, but evil to the man who is eating through stumbling.

Do not destroy what God has done just because of some food. All food is good to eat. But it is wrong to eat anything that will make someone fall into sin.

21 R ight not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to in which thy brother doth stumble, or is made to fall, or is weak.

Do not eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it would make your Christian brother fall into sin.

22 T hou hast faith! to thyself have before God; happy is he who is not judging himself in what he doth approve,

Keep the faith you have between yourself and God. A man is happy if he knows he is doing right.

23 a nd he who is making a difference, if he may eat, hath been condemned, because not of faith; and all that not of faith is sin.

But if he has doubts about the food he eats, God says he is guilty when he eats it. It is because he is eating without faith. Anything that is not done in faith is sin.