6:28a

bless those who curse you: To bless someone is to ask God to do good or show his favor to that person. For example:

Ask God to bless anyone who curses you (Contemporary English Version)

See bless, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

those who curse you: The phrase those who curse you refers to the same people as the “enemies” mentioned in 6:27b. To curse someone is to call on God or the gods/spirits to do evil to that person. Many languages will have a technical term for this that comes from the practices of traditional religion.

6:28b

pray for those who mistreat you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mistreat can refer to both physical and verbal abuse. It is recommended that you use a general term such as:

are treating you badly
-or-
are cruel to you (New Century Version)

Jesus wanted his followers to pray to God for their enemies. He did not say explicitly what they should pray. He implied that they should ask God to do good to their enemies. This was not a prayer that God would judge those who mistreat them.

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