Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Bless those persecuting you; bless, and curse not;

The cup of the blessing that we bless -- is it not the fellowship of the blood of the Christ? the bread that we break -- is it not the fellowship of the body of the Christ?

Necessary, therefore, I thought it to exhort the brethren, that they may go before to you, and may make up before your formerly announced blessing, that this be ready, as a blessing, and not as covetousness.

'Blessed in thee shall be all the nations;' so that those of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham,

saying, 'Blessing indeed I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee;'

not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;

and spake out with a loud voice, and said, 'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb;

'Ye are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made unto our fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall be blessed all the families of the earth;

to you first, God, having raised up His child Jesus, did send him, blessing you, in the turning away of each one from your evil ways.'

all things I did shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth us to partake with the ailing, to be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

who did change the truth of God into a falsehood, and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen.

but I -- I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,

whose are the fathers, and of whom is the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed to the ages. Amen.

and I have known that coming unto you -- in the fulness of the blessing of the good news of Christ I shall come.

and labour, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer;