Jesus commands: love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27-28). Paul adds: if your enemy hunger, feed him; overcome evil with good (Romans 12:20-21).
Loving your enemy is one of Jesus' hardest teachings: not pretending harm never happened, but refusing hate as the last word. These twelve King James passages show the command, Old Testament roots, and how the early church practiced blessing instead of revenge.
Jesus' command
1. Matthew 5:44
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
Love, bless, do good, and pray—four active responses to enemies and persecutors.
2. Matthew 5:43-45
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
Jesus overturns "hate thine enemy." Loving enemies marks children of the Father who sends sun and rain on all.
3. Luke 6:27-28
"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."
Love, do good, bless, pray. The verbs keep moving toward the hostile person.
4. Luke 6:35
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."
Love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing again; your reward shall be great.
Bless and do not curse
5. Romans 12:14
"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not."
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
6. Romans 12:20-21
"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
If your enemy hungers, feed him. Overcome evil with good.
7. 1 Peter 3:9
"Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
Not rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise blessing.
8. Luke 23:34
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Jesus practices enemy-love from the cross.
Kindness to an enemy
9. Proverbs 25:21-22
"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee."
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread. Paul quotes this in Romans 12.
10. Exodus 23:4-5
"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."
If you meet your enemy's ox going astray, bring it back—practical mercy.
11. Proverbs 24:17
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:"
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth.
12. Romans 5:10
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.
A short prayer
Father, You loved me when I was Your enemy and reconciled me through Your Son. Teach me to love my enemies, bless those who curse me, pray for those who hurt me, and overcome evil with good. Give me Jesus' heart from the cross. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
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Frequently asked questions
Where does the Bible say love your enemies?
Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28, 35. Jesus commands love, blessing, doing good, and prayer for enemies.
What does "heap coals of fire" mean?
In Romans 12:20 (quoting Proverbs 25:21-22), feeding an enemy is often read as kindness that brings shame and possible repentance—not revenge.
Did Jesus love His enemies?
Yes. On the cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34). Romans 5:10 says we were reconciled while still enemies.
How is this different from general love verses?
Love pages cover God's love and loving one another. This page focuses on the hard case: active love toward people who oppose or harm you.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Bible verses about forgiveness · love Bible verses · Bible verses about anger · Bible verses about peace · Bible verses about God's love
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