If you are looking for Bible passages about a forgiving heart, this list gives you verses that speak to the moment someone has wronged you, the slow work of letting go, and the grace that makes forgiveness possible at all. It is written for anyone who wants Scripture close at hand when resentment sits heavy or when a relationship needs repair. These passages share one thread: forgiveness is rooted in how God has first forgiven us, and it is practiced in daily choices, not only in big feelings.
Verses for When Someone Has Hurt You
Being wronged is painful, and the instinct to keep score is strong. The verses in this group do not pretend the hurt is small. They point you toward a way of holding the wound that makes room for mercy rather than bitterness.
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 directly to forgiveness, reminding you that the bar is set by how God has treated you. Try naming one specific way you have been forgiven this week, then let that memory shape how you speak to the person who hurt you.
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 treats forgiveness as a response to a real offense, not a denial that one happened. When resentment returns, you can say a short sentence to God: “I release this to you today,” and then return to the task at hand.
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 links our forgiveness of others with our experience of God’s forgiveness, which is sobering and clarifying. Use this passage as a gentle checkpoint: before you pray the Lord’s Prayer tonight, consider whether there is someone you still need to release.
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 speaks plainly about rebuking a wrongdoer and then forgiving when they repent, even repeatedly. If you have been waiting for an apology that never comes, this passage invites you to keep your heart open while still speaking honestly about what happened.
Verses for the Long Road of Letting Go
Some forgiveness happens in a moment, but much of it unfolds over weeks, months, or years. These passages speak to the days when you have said you forgave someone and still feel the sting when their name comes up.
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 describes God’s removal of our sins as a distance too great to measure. When old memories resurface, you can remind yourself that God is not keeping a file, and ask him to help you stop reopening what he has already set aside.
Isaiah 43:25
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
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Here God declares that he blots out transgressions for his own sake and does not call them to mind. Consider writing this verse on a card and placing it where you usually rehearse the offense, as a visible reminder of the freedom God offers.
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 pardons iniquity and delights in mercy, casting sins into the depths of the sea. This is a good passage to read slowly aloud, letting its imagery of mercy and sea depths settle your anxious thoughts.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
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In the middle of grief, the writer finds that God’s mercies are new every morning. If forgiving feels like a daily decision, let this passage shape your morning routine by asking God for fresh mercy before you open your phone or face the day.
Verses About Grace Received and Given
Forgiveness is not only something we do for others. It begins with grace we did not earn. These passages connect our own need for mercy with our willingness to show 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 assures believers that confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing because God is faithful and just. Before you ask God to help you forgive someone, begin by honestly naming your own part in the conflict, trusting that his faithfulness covers what you confess.
Romans 5:8
But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
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Paul shows that God’s love was demonstrated while we were still sinners, long before we deserved it. Let this truth soften your view of the person who hurt you, remembering that you yourself were loved before you had made things right.
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 the act of forgiving anyone you have something against. If you come to God with a request and feel resistance in your heart, pause and name the person you need to release before you continue.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
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When Peter asks how many times he must forgive, Jesus answers with a number that signals limitless mercy. When you feel you have forgiven enough, let this passage stretch your expectations and invite God to enlarge your capacity.
Proverbs 19:11
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. It is his glory to overlook an offense.
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This proverb notes that a person’s good sense slows anger and that overlooking an offense brings honor. Practice this wisdom by pausing before you respond to a small irritation, asking whether the offense is worth holding onto at all.
How to Use These Verses
Start by choosing one or two passages that match your current situation rather than trying to memorize the whole list. Write them by hand in a notebook or on a note card, and keep it somewhere you will see it, such as near your bathroom mirror, on your car dashboard, or beside your Bible. Handwriting slows you down enough to let the words sink in.
Pray the verses back to God in your own words, especially the ones that feel hardest. You might say, “Lord, Colossians 3:13 is my instruction today, and I need your help to live it.” Revisit the same passages over several weeks, because forgiveness often grows through repetition rather than a single insight.
A Short Prayer for a Forgiving Heart
Lord, you have forgiven me more than I can count, and I thank you for mercy I did not earn. I bring you the hurt I am still carrying, and I ask you to help me loosen my grip on it. Where I have been rehearsing the offense, turn my thoughts toward your faithfulness instead. Soften my heart toward the person who hurt me, and give me the courage to speak truthfully when truth is needed. Teach me to forgive as often as I need to, and let my forgiveness reflect the grace you have shown me. Amen.
