Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
Parallel translations
- WEB bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.
- KJV Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
- BSB bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
- NKJV bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
- NASB bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus commands His disciples to bless and pray for those who curse and mistreat them. Genuine love for enemies expresses itself in word and prayer, not retaliation.
Overview
Continuing the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus calls for a love that actively seeks the good of even hostile people. Blessing and intercession replace the natural impulse to curse back. This reflects the heart of God, who is kind to the ungrateful, and points ahead to Christ Himself, who prayed for those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Pet 3:9not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult; but instead blessing; knowing that to this were you called, that you may inherit a blessing.
- 1 Cor 4:12We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure.
- Rom 12:14Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.
- Jas 3:10Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
- Luke 23:34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.
- Matt 5:44But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
- Luke 6:27“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
- Ezek 36:5therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.
- Acts 7:60He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
- Luke 6:35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
- Ezek 25:15Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with despite of soul to destroy with perpetual hostility;
- Acts 14:5When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 6:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.