Romans 12:14 (DRB)

Passage

Bless them that persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Nearby Context

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope. Patient in tribulation. Instant in prayer.

Romans 12:13 Communicating to the necessities of the saints. Pursuing hospitality.

Romans 12:14 Bless them that persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that rejoice: weep with them that weep.

Romans 12:16 Being of one mind one towards another. Not minding high things, but consenting to the humble. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bless", "persecute", and "curse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bless" and "persecute", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Communicating to the necessities of the saints..." into verse 15's "Rejoice with them that rejoice weep with...", so "bless" and "persecute" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bless" and "persecute" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.