Love Your Enemies

^43 (A)“You have heard that it was said, ^(B)‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^(C)Love your enemies and ^(D)pray for those who persecute you, ^45 (E)so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and ^(F)sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (G)For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers,^[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even ^(H)the Gentiles do the same? ^48 (I)You therefore must be ^(J)perfect, ^(K)as your heavenly Father is perfect.

⁶ For ^(A)while we were still weak, at the right time ^(B)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but ^(C)God shows his love for us in that ^(D)while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, ^(E)we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from ^(F)the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if ^(G)while we were enemies ^(H)we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by ^(I)his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received ^(J)reconciliation.

^14 (A)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ^15 (B)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ^16 (C)Live in harmony with one another. ^(D)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{[a] (E)}Never be wise in your own sight. ^17 (F)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(G)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(H)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(I)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[b] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(J)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, ^(K)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.