²² “Blessed are you when ^(A)people hate you and when they ^(B)exclude you and revile you and ^(C)spurn your name as evil, ^(D)on account of the Son of Man!

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, ^(A)Love your enemies, ^(B)do good to those who hate you, ^28 (C)bless those who curse you, ^(D)pray for those who abuse you. ^29 (E)To one who ^(F)strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic^[a] either. ^30 (G)Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹ And ^(H)as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

^32 (I)“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And ^(J)if you ^(K)lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵ But ^(L)love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and ^(M)you will be sons of ^(N)the Most High, for ^(O)he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ^36 (P)Be merciful, even as ^(Q)your Father is merciful.

⁸ But now ^(A)you must put them all away: ^(B)anger, wrath, malice, ^(C)slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ^9 (D)Do not lie to one another, seeing that ^(E)you have put off ^(F)the old self^[a] with its practices ¹⁰ and ^(G)have put on ^(H)the new self, ^(I)which is being renewed in knowledge ^(J)after the image of ^(K)its creator. ^11 (L)Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,^[b] free; but Christ is ^(M)all, and in all.

^12 (N)Put on then, as ^(O)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(P)compassionate hearts, ^(Q)kindness, ^(R)humility, meekness, and patience, ^13 (S)bearing with one another and, ^(T)if one has a complaint against another, ^(U)forgiving each other; ^(V)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on ^(W)love, which ^(X)binds everything together in ^(Y)perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let ^(Z)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ^(AA)in one body. And ^(AB)be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AC)the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, ^(AD)singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AE)with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And ^(AF)whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AG)giving thanks to God the Father through him.