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20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean,[a] it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.[b] 22 The faith[c] you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 14:20 sn Here clean refers to food being ceremonially clean.
  2. Romans 14:21 tc A large number of mss, some of them quite significant (P46vid א2 B D F G Ψ 0209 33 1881 M lat sa), read “or to be offended or to be made weak” after “to stumble.” The shorter reading “to stumble” is found only in Alexandrian mss (א* A C 048 81 945 1506 1739 bo). Although external evidence favors inclusion, internal evidence points to a scribal expansion, perhaps reminiscent of 1 Cor 8:11-13. The shorter reading is therefore preferred.
  3. Romans 14:22 tc ‡ Several significant Alexandrian witnesses (א A B C 048) have the relative pronoun ἥν (hēn, “the faith that you have”) at this juncture, but D F G Ψ 1175 1241 1505 1739 1881 M lat co lack it. Without the pronoun, the clause is more ambiguous (either “Keep the faith [that] you have between yourself and God” or “Do you have faith? Keep it between yourself and God”). The pronoun thus looks to be a motivated reading, created to clarify the meaning of the text. Even though it is found in the better witnesses, in this instance internal evidence should be given preference. NA28 places the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.(A) All food is clean,(B) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.(C) 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.(D)

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn(E) himself by what he approves.

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