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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

Romans 14:16

Do not let, then, evil be spoken of your good,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Charitableness;   Commandments;   Conscience;   Evil;   Expediency;   Fellowship;   Prudence;   Self-Denial;   The Topic Concordance - Meat;   Sacrifice;   Servants;   Stumbling/slipping;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Idol, idolatry;   Kingdom of god;   Self-discipline;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Blasphemy;   Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit;   Law of Christ;   Strong and Weak;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Blasphemy;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Paul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Food Offered to Idols;   Romans, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ethics;   Evil Speaking;   Judging;   Romans, Epistle to the;   Wine and Strong Drink;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boyhood of Jesus;   Commandment;   Evil-Speaking;   Goodness (Human);   Romans Epistle to the;   Salvation Save Saviour;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Interesting facts about the bible;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Blasphemy;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Drunkenness;   Evil-Speaking;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 24;   Every Day Light - Devotion for May 30;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, do not let your good be slandered,
King James Version (1611)
Let not then your good be euill spoken of.
King James Version
Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
English Standard Version
So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.
New American Standard Bible
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
New Century Version
Do not allow what you think is good to become what others say is evil.
Amplified Bible
Therefore do not let what is a good thing for you [because of your freedom to choose] be spoken of as evil [by someone else];
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be slandered;
Berean Standard Bible
Do not allow what you consider good, then, to be spoken of as evil.
Contemporary English Version
Don't let your right to eat bring shame to Christ.
Complete Jewish Bible
Do not let what you know to be good, be spoken of as bad;
Darby Translation
Let not then your good be evil spoken of;
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Cause not your commoditie to be euill spoken of.
George Lamsa Translation
Let not our blessings be a reproach to any one:
Good News Translation
Do not let what you regard as good get a bad name.
Lexham English Bible
Therefore do not let your good be slandered.
Literal Translation
Then do not let your good be spoken evil of.
American Standard Version
Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
Bible in Basic English
Let it not be possible for men to say evil about your good:
Hebrew Names Version
Then don't let your good be slandered,
International Standard Version
Do not allow your good to be spoken of as evil.Romans 12:17;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Let not our good [fn] (things) be blasphemed.
Murdock Translation
And let not our good thing be matter of reproach.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let not your good be euyll spoken of.
English Revised Version
Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
World English Bible
Then don't let your good be slandered,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Therefore let not your good be evil spoken of.
Weymouth's New Testament
Therefore do not let the boon which is yours in common be exposed to reproach.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor be not oure good thing blasfemed.
Update Bible Version
Don't let then your good be evil spoken of:
Webster's Bible Translation
Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
New English Translation
Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil.
New King James Version
Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
New Living Translation
Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.
New Life Bible
Do not let what is good for you be talked about as bad.
New Revised Standard
So do not let your good be spoken of as evil.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therefore, suffer not to be defamed, your own good thing;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let not then our good be evil spoken of.
Revised Standard Version
So do not let your good be spoken of as evil.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Cause not youre treasure to be evyll spoken of.
Young's Literal Translation
Let not, then, your good be evil spoken of,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Se therfore that youre treasure be not euell spoke of.
Mace New Testament (1729)
Don't let our religion then be expos'd to reproach.
Simplified Cowboy Version
You'll be blameless if you act this way.

Contextual Overview

1And receive him who is weak in the faith—not to determinations of reasonings; 2one believes that he may eat all things—and he who is weak eats herbs; 3do not let him who is eating despise him who is not eating: and do not let him who is not eating judge him who is eating, for God received him. 4You—who are you that are judging another's domestic [affairs]? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5One judges one day above another, and another judges every day [alike]; let each be fully assured in his own mind. 6He who is regarding the day, he regards [it] to the LORD, and he who is not regarding the day, he does not regard [it] to the LORD. He who is eating, he eats to the LORD, for he gives thanks to God; and he who is not eating, he does not eat to the LORD, and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself; 8for both, if we may live, we live to the LORD; if also we may die, we die to the LORD; both then if we may live, also if we may die, we are the LORD's; 9for because of this Christ both died and rose again, and lived again, that He may be Lord both of dead and of living. 10And you, why do you judge your brother? Or again, you, why do you set at nothing your brother? For we will all stand at the judgment seat of the Christ;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Romans 12:17, 1 Corinthians 10:29, 1 Corinthians 10:30, 2 Corinthians 8:20, 2 Corinthians 8:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Reciprocal: Ruth 3:14 - Let it not Ephesians 5:2 - walk

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
And I make you become a great nation, and bless you, and make your name great; and be a blessing.
Genesis 14:11
And they take the whole substance of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the whole of their food, and go away;
Genesis 14:12
and they take Lot, Abram's brother's son (seeing he is dwelling in Sodom), and his substance, and go away.
Genesis 14:18
And Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he [is] priest of God Most High;
Genesis 14:19
and he blesses him and says, "Blessed [is] Abram to God Most High, possessing the heavens and earth;
1 Samuel 30:8
and David inquires of YHWH, saying, "I pursue after this troop—do I overtake it?" And He says to him, "Pursue, for you certainly overtake, and certainly deliver."
Isaiah 41:2
Who stirred up a righteous one from the east? He calls him to His foot, || He gives nations before him, || And He causes him to rule kings, || He gives [them] as dust [to] his sword, || As driven stubble [to] his bow.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let not then your good be evil spoken of. The Vulgate Latin reads it, "our good", and so the Syriac version; the sense is the same, and to be understood either of the Gospel in general, which is good in its author, matter, effects, and consequences; is good tidings of good things, and which might be blasphemed by the men of the world, on account of the divisions and contentions among the professors of it, about such little trivial things, as eating this or the other sort of food; and therefore care should be taken, that it be not evil spoken of through such conduct: or else the doctrine of Christian liberty in particular, which is a good thing; Christ has procured it, and bestows it upon his people; it is a valuable blessing in itself, and is attended and followed with many considerable privileges and immunities; but may be evil spoken of by those, who do not so well understand it, through an imprudent use of it by those who do; and who therefore should guard against any reproach that may be cast upon it; and rather than this should be the case, forego the use of it, in things of an indifferent nature; see 1 Corinthians 10:30; so that this is another of the apostle's reasons, why though nothing is of itself unclean, yet it should be abstained from on account of others.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let not then your good ... - That which you esteem to be right, and which may be right in itself. You are not bound by the ceremonial law. You are free from the yoke of bondage This freedom you esteem to be a good - a favor - a high privilege. And so it is; but you should not make such a use of it as to do injury to others.

Be evil spoken of - Greek, Be blasphemed. Do not so use your Christian liberty as to give occasion for railing and unkind remarks from your brethren, so as to produce contention and strife, and thus to give rise to evil reports among the wicked about the tendency of the Christian religion, as if it were adapted only to promote controversy. How much strife would have been avoided if all Christians had regarded this plain rule. In relation to dress, and rites, and ceremonies in the church, we may be conscious that we are right; but an obstinate adherence to them may only give rise to contention and angry discussions, and to evil reports among men, of the tendency of religion. In such a case we should yield our private, unimportant personal indulgence to the good of the cause of religion and of peace.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 14:16. Let not then your good be evil spoken of — Do not make such a use of your Christian liberty as to subject the Gospel itself to reproach. Whatsoever you do, do it in such a manner, spirit, and time, as to make it productive of the greatest possible good. There are many who have such an unhappy method of doing their good acts, as not only to do little or no good by them, but a great deal of evil. It requires much prudence and watchfulness to find out the proper time of performing even a good action.


 
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