Matthew 5:43–48
Jesus asks us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us
Study it word by word43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45so that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48So you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In its context
41And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
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Its words in the original
- ἨκούσατεĒkousate· hear, listen
Hear, listen; also heed.
- ἐρρέθηerrethē· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ἈγαπήσειςAgapēseis· love
Love: to seek the good of the other, even of someone who does not deserve it.
- πλησίονplēsion· near, neighbor
Near; "the neighbor": the one who is near, the other person.
- μισήσειςmisēseis· hate
Hate.
- ἐχθρόνechthron· enemy
Enemy; hostile.
- προσεύχεσθεproseuchesthe· pray
Pray: speak with God.
- διωκόντωνdiōkontōn· persecute, pursue
Persecute, pursue; also strive after.
- γένησθεgenēsthe· become, happen
Become, happen, come about; be born.
- υἱοὶhuioi· son, Son
Son. Also descendant: "son of David" means one of King David's family, and is a title of the promised Messiah.
- πατρὸςpatros· father, Father
Father; also ancestor.
- οὐρανοῖςouranois· heaven, sky
Heaven: the sky and, above all, the place of God. "The heavens" is sometimes a respectful way of saying "God".
- ἥλιονhēlion· sun
Sun.
- ἀνατέλλειanatellei· rise
Rise, as the sun; spring up.
- πονηροὺςponērous· evil, wicked
Bad, wicked. "The evil one": the devil.
- ἀγαθοὺςagathous· good
Good.
- βρέχειbrechei· rain, wet
Rain, send rain; wet.
- δικαίουςdikaious· righteous, just
Righteous, just: someone who lives by what is right before God.
- ἀδίκουςadikous· unjust, unrighteous
Unjust, unrighteous, wicked.
- μισθὸνmisthon· wages, reward
Pay, wages; reward.
- ἔχετεechete· have
Have, possess, hold.
- οὐχὶouchi· not
Not (in questions that expect "yes").
- τελῶναιtelōnai· tax collector
Tax collector, who collected taxes for Rome; despised by the people.
- ποιοῦσινpoiousin· do, make
Do, make, produce.
- ἀσπάσησθεaspasēsthe· greet
To greet.
- ἀδελφοὺςadelphous· brother
Brother. Also a close relative, a fellow countryman and, among believers, a brother in the faith.
- μόνονmonon· only, alone
Alone, only.
- περισσὸνperisson· abundant, more
What is extra, beyond; abundant.
- ἐθνικοὶethnikoi· Gentile
Gentile: one who does not belong to the people of Israel.
- ἜσεσθεEsesthe· be
Be, exist.
- τέλειοιteleioi· complete, mature
Complete, mature, whole; often rendered “perfect.”
- οὐράνιοςouranios· heavenly
Heavenly, of heaven, belonging to heaven.