2 Kings 6:22

6:22 He replied, “Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? ¹  Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.”

Proverbs 25:21-22

25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

25:22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head, ² 

and the Lord will reward you. ³ 

Luke 6:27

6:27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, ⁴  do good to those who hate you,

Luke 8:27

8:27 As ⁵  Jesus ⁶  stepped ashore, ⁷  a certain man from the town ⁸  met him who was possessed by demons. ⁹  For a long time this man ¹⁰  had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among ¹¹  the tombs.

Luke 8:35

8:35 So ¹²  the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They ¹³  found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

Romans 12:20-21

12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. ¹⁴  12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

¹ tn Heb “Are [they] ones you captured with your sword or your bow (that) you can strike (them) down?”

² sn The imagery of the “burning coals” represents pangs of conscience, more readily effected by kindness than by violence. These coals produce the sharp pain of contrition through regret (e.g., 18:19; 20:22; 24:17; Gen 42-45; 1 Sam 24:18-20; Rom 12:20). The coals then would be an implied comparison with a searing conscience.

³ sn The second consequence of treating enemies with kindness is that the Lord will reward the act. The fact that this is promised shows that the instruction here belongs to the religious traditions of Israel.

³ sn Love your enemies is the first of four short exhortations that call for an unusual response to those who are persecuting disciples. Disciples are to relate to hostility in a completely unprecedented manner.

⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Grk “stepped out on land.”

⁷ tn Or “city.”

⁸ tn Grk “who had demons.”

⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the demon-possessed man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Or “in.”

⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the people’s response to the report.

⁶ tn Grk “Jesus, and they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁶ sn A quotation from Prov 25:21-22.