Luke 6:28

New Century Version

bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Blesse the that course you. And praye for the which wrongfully trouble you.

Hebrew Names Version
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you.

International Standard Version
Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you.Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.

Update Bible Version
bless those that curse you, pray for those that despitefully use you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them who despitefully use you.

Amplified Bible
bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

English Standard Version
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

World English Bible
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.

Weymouth's New Testament
bless those who curse you; pray for those who revile you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
blesse ye men that cursen you, preye ye for men that defamen you.

English Revised Version
bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.

Berean Standard Bible
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Contemporary English Version
Ask God to bless anyone who curses you, and pray for everyone who is cruel to you.

American Standard Version
bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.

Bible in Basic English
Give blessing to those who give you curses, say prayers for those who are cruel to you.

Complete Jewish Bible
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Darby Translation
bless those that curse you; pray for those who use you despitefully.

Etheridge Translation
and bless those who execrate you, and pray for those who lead you by violence. [fn]

Murdock Translation
and bless them that curse you; and pray for them that drag you with violence.

King James Version (1611)
Blesse them that curse you, & pray for them which despitefully vse you.

New Living Translation
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

New Life Bible
Respect and give thanks for those who try to bring bad to you. Pray for those who make it very hard for you.

New Revised Standard
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Blesse them that curse you, and pray for them which hurt you.

George Lamsa Translation
And bless those who curse you, and pray for those who compel you to carry burdens.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Be blessing them that curse you; be praying for them that wantonly insult you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Bless them that curse you and pray for them that calumniate you.

Revised Standard Version
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Blesse them that curse you: And pray for the which wrongfully trouble you.

Good News Translation
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

Christian Standard Bible®
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

King James Version
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Lexham English Bible
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Literal Translation
bless those cursing you and pray for those insulting you.

Young's Literal Translation
bless those cursing you, and pray for those accusing you falsely;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
blesse them that curse you: praye for them that wrongfully trouble you.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and pray for those, who maliciously abuse you.

New English Translation
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

New King James Version
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Bless those who cuss you. Pray for those who pick on you.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Legacy Standard Bible
bless those who curse you, pray for those who disparage you.

Contextual Overview

²⁷ "But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you. ²⁹ If anyone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek, too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and when someone takes something that is yours, don't ask for it back. ³¹ Do to others what you would want them to do to you. ³² If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them. ³³ If you do good only to those who do good to you, what praise should you get? Even sinners do that! ³⁴ If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, what praise should you get? Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. ³⁶ Show mercy, just as your Father shows mercy.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Bless: Luke 23:34, Acts 7:60, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, James 3:10, 1 Peter 3:9

despitefully: Ezekiel 25:15, Ezekiel 36:5, Acts 14:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 10:18 - and entreated Exodus 23:4 - General Numbers 12:13 - General 1 Kings 13:6 - besought Matthew 5:44 - General Acts 16:28 - cried

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Bless them that curse you;.... In common discourse, or anathematize you in their synagogues:

and pray for them which despitefully use you: so Christ himself did;

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage fully illustrated in the sermon on the mount, in Matt. 5–7.

Luke 6:21

That hunger now - Matthew has it, “that hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Matthew has expressed more fully what Luke has briefly, but there is no contradiction.

Luke 6:24-26

These verses have been omitted by Matthew. They seem to have been spoken to the Pharisees.

Who are rich - In this world’s goods. They loved them; they had sought for them; they found their consolation in them. It implies, farther, that they would not seek or receive consolation from the gospel. They were proud, and would not seek it; satisfied, and did not desire it; filled with cares, and had no time or disposition to attend to it. All the consolation which they had reason to expect they had received. Alas! how poor and worthless is such consolation, compared with that which the gospel would give!

Woe unto you that are full! - Not hungry. Satisfied with their wealth, and not feeling their need of anything better than earthly wealth can give. Many, alas! are thus “full.” They profess to be satisfied. They desire nothing but wealth, and a sufficiency to satisfy the wants of the body. They have no anxiety for the riches that shall endure forever.

Ye shall hunger - Your property shall be taken away, or you shall see that it is of little value; and then you shall see the need of something better. You shall feel your want and wretchedness, and shall “hunger” for something to satisfy the desires of a dying, sinful soul.

That laugh now - Are happy, or thoughtless, or joyful, or filled with levity.

Shall mourn and weep - The time is coming when you shall sorrow deeply. In sickness, in calamity, in the prospect of death, in the fear of eternity, your laughter shall be turned into sorrow. “There is” a place where you cannot laugh, and there you will see the folly of having passed the “proper time” of preparing for such scenes in levity and folly. Alas! how many thus spend their youth! and how many weep when it is too late! God gives them over, and “laughs” at their “calamity,” and mocks when their fear comes, Proverbs 1:26. To be happy in “such scenes,” it is necessary to be sober, humble, pious in early life. “Then” we need not weep in the day of calamity; then there will be no terror in death; then there will be nothing to fear in the grave.

Luke 6:26

When all men shall speak well of you - When they shall praise or applaud you. The people of the world will not praise or applaud “my” doctrine; they are “opposed” to it, and therefore, if they speak well of “you” and of “your teachings,” it is proof that you do not teach the true doctrine. If you do “not” do this, then there will be woe upon you. If men teach false doctrines for true; if they declare that God has spoken that which he has not spoken, and if they oppose what he “has” delivered, then heavy punishments will await them.

For so did their fathers - The fathers or ancestors of this people; the ancient Jews.

To the false prophets - Men who pretended to be of God - who delivered their “own” doctrines as the truth of God, and who accommodated themselves to the desires of the people. Of this number were the prophets of Baal, the false prophets who appeared in the time of Jeremiah, etc.

Luke 6:27, Luke 6:28

See Matthew 5:44-45.

Luke 6:29

See Matthew 5:39-40.

Luke 6:30

See Matthew 5:42.

Luke 6:31

See Matthew 7:12.

Luke 6:32-36

See Matthew 5:46-48.

Luke 6:37-42

See Matthew 7:1-9.

Luke 6:38

Good measure - They shall give you good measure, or “full” measure.

Pressed down - As figs or grapes might be, and thus many more might be put into the measure.

Shaken together - To make it more compact, and thus to give more.

Running over - So full that the measure would overflow.

Shall men give - This is said to be the reward of “giving” to the poor and needy; and the meaning is that the man who is liberal will find others liberal to him in dealing with them, and when he is also in circumstances of want. A man who is himself kind to the poor - who has that “character” established - will find many who are ready to help “him” abundantly when he is in want. He that is parsimonious, close, niggardly, will find few or none who will aid him.

Into your bosom - That is, to you. The word “bosom” here has reference to a custom among Oriental nations of making the bosom or front part of their garments large, so that articles could be carried in them, answering the purpose of our pockets. Compare Exodus 4:6-7; Proverbs 6:27; Ruth 3:15.

Luke 6:39

A parable - A proverb or similitude.

Can the blind lead the blind? - See the notes at Matthew 15:14.

Luke 6:40

The disciple is not ... - The learner is not above his teacher, does not know more, and must expect to fare no better. This seems to have been spoken to show them that they were not to expect that their disciples would go “beyond them” in attainments; that if they were blind, their followers would be also; and that therefore it was important for them to understand fully the doctrines of the gospel, and not to be blind leaders of the blind.

Every one that is perfect - The word rendered “is perfect” means sometimes to repair or mend, and is thus applied to mending nets, Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19. Hence, it means to repair or amend in a moral sense, or to make whole or complete. Here it means, evidently, “thoroughly instructed” or “informed.” The Christian should be like his Master - holy, harmless, and undefiled, and separate from sinners. He should copy his example, and grow into the likeness of his Redeemer. Nor can any other be a Christian.

Luke 6:41, Luke 6:42

See the notes at Matthew 7:3-5.

Luke 6:43, Luke 6:44

See the notes at Matthew 7:16-18.

Luke 6:45

This verse is not found in the sermon on the mount as recorded by Matthew, but is recorded by him in Matthew 12:35. See the notes at that passage.

Luke 6:46-49

See the notes at Matthew 7:21-27.