Elisha answered, “No, don’t kill them. You would not kill people that you captured in war with your sword and with your bow {and arrows}. Give the Aramean army some bread and water. Let them eat and drink. Then let them go home to their master.”
Proverbs 25:21 - Easy To Read Version If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If your enemy is thirsty, give him water to drink. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: Amplified Bible - Classic Edition If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; [Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:20.] American Standard Version (1901) If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: Common English Bible If your enemies are starving, feed them some bread; if they are thirsty, give them water to drink. Catholic Public Domain Version If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version If thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat: if he thirst, give him water to drink: |
Elisha answered, “No, don’t kill them. You would not kill people that you captured in war with your sword and with your bow {and arrows}. Give the Aramean army some bread and water. Let them eat and drink. Then let them go home to their master.”
The leaders (Azariah, Berekiah, Jehizkiah, and Amasa) stood up and helped the prisoners. These four men got the clothes that the Israelite army took and gave them to those people that were naked. Those leaders also gave shoes to those people. They gave the prisoners from Judah something to eat and drink. They rubbed oil on those people \{to soften and heal their wounds\}. Then those leaders from Ephraim put the weak prisoners on donkeys and took them back home to their families in Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then those four leaders went back home to Samaria.
Evil people might feel safe and secure\par for a short time.\par They might want to be powerful.\par
Don’t be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don’t be happy when he falls.
Don’t say, “He hurt me, so I will do the same to him. I will punish him for the things he did to me.”
Singing happy songs to a sad person is like taking away his clothes when he is cold. It is like mixing soda and vinegar.
But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those people that do bad things to you.
I know that you will become the new king. You will rule the kingdom of Israel.