This list gives you Bible verses about forgiving others, arranged by the situations where forgiveness is hardest: the hurt that still stings, the person who never apologized, the family member you see every holiday, and the grudge you keep rehearsing at night. Each verse is paired with a short reflection and one practical way to carry it through the day.
What these passages share is a simple pattern. Forgiveness is rooted in how God has forgiven you, it is practiced in ordinary relationships, and it is an act of obedience that can be repeated even when the feelings lag behind.
Verses for When the Hurt Still Stings
Some wounds are fresh, and some have simply lived in you for years. These verses speak to the moment when you know you should forgive but your heart still feels bruised, and they remind you that God meets you in that tension.
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 forgiveness directly to God’s forgiveness of you in Christ. When the hurt is raw, try naming one specific kindness you can offer the person today, even if it is only a civil greeting, and let that small act be your first step.
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 sets the standard as the Lord’s own forgiveness. Notice that it assumes complaints will happen. When you feel the old grievance resurface, pause and say a quiet sentence to God that begins, “Lord, I choose to bear with this.”
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 own relationship with the Father, which is sobering but not meant to crush you. Consider this a reason to bring your unforgiveness to God honestly, rather than hiding it from him or from yourself.
Verses for the Person Who Never Said Sorry
Sometimes the one who hurt you has not apologized, and may never. These passages address that waiting place, where forgiveness is not conditional on the other person’s words and where you can release the debt without pretending it never happened.
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 connects forgiving someone with the act of prayer itself. Before you pray this week, name the person silently and release them in one sentence. You do not need their apology to lay down your right to repayment.
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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This passage shows that forgiveness is not a single event but a continuing posture, even toward someone who keeps returning to the same offense. Decide ahead of time what you will do the next time it happens, so that your response is shaped by a choice rather than by a flash of anger.
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 you that vengeance belongs to God. Releasing the need to balance the scales is one of the most freeing things you can do. When the urge to set the record straight rises, tell God plainly that the outcome is his to shape.
Verses for Family, Friends, and the Ones Closest to You
The people we forgive most often are those we see most often. These verses address the repeated frictions of close relationships, where forgiveness has to become a habit as much as a decision.
Ephesians 4:2
With all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love…
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Paul pairs humility and gentleness with patience, and patience is what close relationships require. At the next family gathering, practice being slower to correct and quicker to listen, and let that patience be your form of forgiveness.
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 describes overlooking an offense as a mark of wisdom and honor. Ask yourself whether a small irritation is truly worth a rift, and if not, choose to let it pass without announcing that you have done so.
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.
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Peter says love covers a multitude of sins, which means it chooses not to keep a ledger. In your closest relationships, let one ordinary failing today be covered by love rather than tallied for later.
Verses for Daily Practice and Ongoing Grace
Forgiveness is rarely finished in one prayer. These verses speak to the daily work of letting go, the mornings you wake up still carrying yesterday’s hurt and the evenings you need to lay it down again.
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 removing sin as far as east is from west. When memories of an offense return, remind yourself that you are not required to keep revisiting what God has already set aside, and redirect your attention to prayer.
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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These verses speak of mercies that are new every morning. Each day offers a fresh start for your relationships, so when you wake up, consider asking God to give you his mercy toward the person who hurt you before the day gets busy.
Micah 7:18
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.
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Micah celebrates a God who pardons iniquity and delights in steadfast love. Let his delight in mercy shape how you think about the person you are struggling to forgive, and ask him to grow that same delight in your own heart.
How to Use These Verses
Write one or two of these verses on a card or note in your phone and place it where you will see it during a moment of tension, such as the kitchen sink, your desk, or the dashboard of your car. Read it aloud once before you respond to the person who hurt you, and notice whether your next words change.
You can also pray these verses over a specific person rather than only about your feelings toward them. Name the person, read the verse, and ask God to do in them and in you what the passage describes. Returning to the same verse across several weeks often reveals how your heart has shifted, even when the situation has not.
A Short Prayer for Forgiving Others
Lord, you have forgiven me more than I can count, and I come to you today carrying the weight of someone else’s wrong against me. I do not want to hold on to it any longer, though part of me still wants to. Help me remember the mercy you have shown me, and let that memory soften what is hard in my heart. Where I cannot yet feel forgiveness, give me the willingness to choose it anyway. Bring to mind the person I need to release, and show me one small, honest step I can take in my relationship with them today. Thank you that your grace is new every morning. Amen.
