If you are looking for Bible verses about forgiveness in the King James Version, this list gives you the passages Scripture uses most directly to teach how God forgives us and how we are called to forgive others. It is written for anyone who has been hurt, who is carrying resentment, or who simply wants to understand what forgiveness asks of a believer. The verses here share one thread: forgiveness flows from God’s mercy toward us, and it is meant to shape how we treat the people who have wronged us.
Verses About God Forgiving Us
Before forgiveness becomes something we give, it is something we receive. These passages describe God’s willingness to pardon sin, cleanse guilt and remember our failures no more. Reading them first keeps the call to forgive others from feeling like a demand we must meet on our own strength.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
(KJV)
David describes God’s forgiveness as a distance rather than a debt. When shame keeps replaying an old failure, try naming that sin aloud to God once, then deliberately leave it with him rather than picking it back up that evening.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(KJV)
John links confession with cleansing, and he presents forgiveness as faithful and just, not grudging. Before bed, take one honest minute to name what you did wrong today, then rest in the promise that you are already cleansed.
Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace…
(KJV)
Paul ties forgiveness to the riches of God’s grace and to redemption through Christ’s blood. Remind yourself of this when guilt feels heavier than grace, and let the word “riches” widen your sense of what you have been given.
Verses for Forgiving Someone Who Hurt You
These verses speak to the harder moment, when someone has wounded you and forgiveness does not feel natural. Jesus and the apostles treat forgiving others as a visible result of having been forgiven, not an optional extra for the especially gracious.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(KJV)
Jesus connects our forgiveness of others with the Father’s forgiveness of us, which is a sobering link. Use this passage as a gentle checkpoint: when you notice bitterness rising, pause and ask God to soften your heart toward that specific person.
Colossians 3:13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
(KJV)
Paul sets our forgiveness beside the Lord’s forgiveness of us, a pattern meant to be copied. If a grievance keeps surfacing, write down one thing you are choosing to release and the reason you are releasing it.
Mark 11:25
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
(KJV)
Jesus ties forgiveness to prayer, asking us to release any grievance we hold before we ask the Father for anything. Before your next prayer time, speak the name of the person you struggle with and tell God you are willing to let it go.
Verses About Forgiveness in Daily Relationships
Forgiveness is not only for dramatic betrayals. These verses address the ordinary friction of family, friendship and church life, where small offenses build up over time if we do not deal with them honestly and gently.
Luke 17:3-4
3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
(KJV)
Jesus pairs honest rebuke with a readiness to forgive when someone turns back. If you are the one who must speak up, do it privately and kindly, then keep the door open rather than keeping a tally of past offenses.
Proverbs 19:11
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
(KJV)
Solomon observes that restraint and overlooking an offense bring honor. In a tense conversation this week, practice pausing before you reply, and let one small irritation go without making it a matter of pride.
Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
(KJV)
Paul calls us to kindness and tenderheartedness toward one another, forgiving as God forgave us. Choose one person in your household or workplace and look for a concrete way to show them kindness today, even if no apology has come.
Verses for Times When Forgiveness Feels Impossible
Sometimes the hurt runs deep and forgiving feels out of reach. These passages acknowledge that God meets us in that struggle, and that his help in forgiving is part of his work in us, not a reward for having already succeeded.
Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
(KJV)
Paul reminds us that vengeance belongs to God, which frees us from having to win every score. When you feel the urge to get even, speak the words “this is yours, Lord” and turn your attention back to your own next step.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
(KJV)
Peter asks how many times he must forgive, and Jesus answers with a number that points to limitless grace. If you have forgiven someone many times already, do not feel you have failed; keep bringing the same offense to God as often as you need.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
(KJV)
Paul invites us to bring every concern to God in prayer, and the peace that follows guards the heart and mind. When resentment keeps returning, take it to prayer as a concern, and ask God for the peace that makes forgiveness possible.
How to Use These Verses
Write the verses you most need on a card or in a notes app, and place them somewhere you will see them, such as a bathroom mirror, a car dashboard or the first page of your Bible. Reading one verse slowly is usually better than skimming five, so pick one each morning and let it shape the day’s first decisions about how you will speak and act.
Read these passages when you are tempted to rehearse an old hurt, and pray them back to God in your own words. Name the person, name the wound and name the verse that addresses it. Repeat this as often as the memory returns, knowing that forgiveness is often a process of many small releases rather than a single moment.
A Short Prayer for Forgiveness
Lord, thank you for forgiving me when I did not deserve it and for removing my sin as far as the east is from the west. Help me to receive that mercy fully, so that it changes how I see myself and how I see others. Where I am holding onto resentment, soften my heart and give me the courage to release it to you. Teach me to forgive the way you have forgiven me, one honest step at a time. Amen.
