This list gives you Bible verses about forgiveness, arranged by the situations where forgiveness is hardest to offer or to receive: the moment someone has wronged you, the moment you have wronged someone else, and the long quiet work of releasing a grudge. It is written for anyone who wants Scripture to sit alongside their own attempts to forgive. What these verses share is a picture of God who forgives first, and who invites us to do the same.
Verses for When Someone Has Hurt You
Being wronged rarely ends with the offense itself. It lingers in replayed conversations and in the wish that the other person would simply apologize. The verses in this group speak to that ache, reminding you that forgiveness is rooted in what God has already done for you.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
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Paul ties kindness and tenderheartedness to forgiveness, and grounds both in how God treated you in Christ. Before your next difficult exchange, pause and name one specific way you have been forgiven. That memory can soften the tone of what you say next.
Colossians 3:13
Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
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This verse makes forgiveness a matter of bearing with one another, because the Lord forgave you. When a grievance resurfaces during the day, try saying the words “I forgive you” quietly, even if the feeling has not caught up yet. Naming the decision often comes before the emotion settles.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
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Jesus connects our forgiveness of others with the Father’s forgiveness of us, which is sobering and clarifying at once. Read it slowly and notice that the passage is about the heart’s posture, not a ledger. At day’s end, bring one person to mind and release them in prayer.
Verses for When You Need to Ask Forgiveness
Sometimes the harder task is turning toward someone you have hurt. Pride, fear and embarrassment can make an apology feel impossible. These verses show that confession and reconciliation are part of the path God offers, not a detour from it.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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John writes plainly that confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing, and that God is faithful and just to act. If guilt is keeping you distant from God, speak your failure aloud to him in specific terms. Then receive the promise without adding conditions the verse does not include.
Psalm 51:1-2
1 Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
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David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba appeals to God’s mercy rather than to his own record. Use these lines as a template when you come before God with something you have done wrong. Ask for mercy in your own words, and be honest about what you did.
Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
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This proverb sets concealing sin against confessing and turning from it, and promises mercy to the one who turns. If you have been avoiding a conversation you know you need to have, let this verse move you toward a specific apology this week. Write down the first sentence you will say.
Verses for the Long Work of Letting Go
Forgiveness is often a decision that must be made again and again. Old resentments return, sometimes years after the wound. The verses here speak to the steady, unhurried practice of releasing what you cannot repay.
Romans 12:19
Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
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Paul reminds believers that vengeance belongs to God, which frees you from keeping the score yourself. When the urge to get even rises, name the situation and hand it to the Lord in prayer. Let that act be the moment you choose to step back from retaliation.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
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The psalmist uses the vast distance between east and west to describe how completely God removes our transgressions. This image can encourage you when a past failure keeps resurfacing in your mind. Picture the distance the psalmist describes whenever shame comes calling.
Micah 7:18-19
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. 19 He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
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Micah celebrates a God who delights in mercy and casts sins into the depths of the sea. Read this passage when you feel unsure whether God still welcomes you. Thank him for one mercy you noticed today, however small.
Mark 11:25
Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.
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Jesus links prayer with forgiveness, asking his followers to release whatever they hold against others before they pray. Make this a practice before bed or before a prayer time. Name the person or people you are releasing, and ask God to meet you in that decision.
Luke 17:3-4
3 Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
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Jesus says to rebuke a brother who sins and to forgive him when he repents, even if the offense happens again. This verse does not ask you to forget or to trust blindly. Consider what boundaries are wise in your situation while still choosing a forgiving heart.
How to Use These Verses
Write the verses you are working with on an index card or in a note on your phone, and keep it where you will see it during the day. Choose one verse per week rather than trying to absorb the whole list at once. Reading it aloud, slowly, often helps the words move from the page into your memory.
Pair the verses with prayer by bringing the specific person or memory to God in your own words. You may need to return to the same verse many times before your feelings catch up with your choice. Forgiveness is a process, and these passages are meant to be read and reread over the seasons of your life.
A Short Prayer for Forgiveness
Lord, you have forgiven me more than I can repay, and I am grateful beyond words. Some hurts are still tender in my heart, and I confess that I want to hold onto them. Help me see the people who have wronged me as you see them, and give me the courage to release them into your hands. Where I have wounded others, show me the honest words to say and the humility to say them. Make my heart gentle and my tongue patient, and let your mercy flow through me to someone who needs it today. Amen.
