diff --git a/core/operators.nom b/core/operators.nom
index a44f06b..fbb8325 100644
--- a/core/operators.nom
+++ b/core/operators.nom
@@ -240,26 +240,54 @@ test:
 compile [%x and %y] to (Lua value "(\(%x as lua expr) and \(%y as lua expr))")
 compile [%x or %y] to (Lua value "(\(%x as lua expr) or \(%y as lua expr))")
 
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
 # Bitwise Operators
-# TODO: support bit.???() for luajit and bit32.??? for lua 5.2
+# TODO: implement OR, XOR, AND for multiple operands?
+test:
+    assume ((1 | 4) == 5)
+    assume ((1 ~ 3) == 2)
+    assume ((1 & 3) == 1)
+    assume ((1 << 2) == 4)
+    assume ((4 >> 2) == 1)
+
+# Lua 5.3 introduced bit operators like | and &. Use them when possible, otherwise
+    fall back to bit.bor(), bit.band(), etc.
+%use_bitops = ((is jit) or ((Lua version) == "Lua 5.2"))
+compile [NOT %, ~ %] to (..)
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.bnot(\(% as lua expr))") or "~(\(% as lua expr))"
+
 compile [%a OR %b, %a | %b] to (..)
-    Lua value "(\(%a as lua expr) | \(%b as lua expr))"
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.bor(\(%a as lua expr), \(%b as lua expr))") or ".."
+            (\(%a as lua expr) | \(%b as lua expr))
+
+compile [%a XOR %b, %a ~ %b] to (..)
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.bxor(\(%a as lua expr), \(%b as lua expr))") or ".."
+            (\(%a as lua expr) ~ \(%b as lua expr))
 
-compile [%a XOR %b] to (Lua value "(\(%a as lua expr) ^ \(%b as lua expr))")
 compile [%a AND %b, %a & %b] to (..)
-    Lua value "(\(%a as lua expr) & \(%b as lua expr))"
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.band(\(%a as lua expr), \(%b as lua expr))") or ".."
+            (\(%a as lua expr) & \(%b as lua expr))
 
-compile [NOT %, ~ %] to (Lua value "~(\(% as lua expr))")
 compile [%x LSHIFT %shift, %x << %shift] to (..)
-    Lua value "(\(%x as lua expr) << \(%shift as lua expr))"
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.lshift(\(%x as lua expr), \(%shift as lua expr))") or ".."
+            (\(%x as lua expr) << \(%shift as lua expr))
 
 compile [%x RSHIFT %shift, %x >>> %shift] to (..)
-    Lua value "(\(%x as lua expr) >>> \(%shift as lua expr))"
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.rshift(\(%x as lua expr), \(%shift as lua expr))") or ".."
+            (\(%x as lua expr) >>> \(%shift as lua expr))
 
 compile [%x ARSHIFT %shift, %x >> %shift] to (..)
-    Lua value "(\(%x as lua expr) >> \(%shift as lua expr))"
+    Lua value (..)
+        (%use_bitops and "bit.arshift(\(%x as lua expr), \(%shift as lua expr))") or ".."
+            (\(%x as lua expr) >> \(%shift as lua expr))
 
-# TODO: implement OR, XOR, AND for multiple operands?
 # Unary operators
 test:
     assume ((- 5) == -5)