This list gives you Bible verses about forgiving others, each with a short explanation of what it asks of you and how to live it out. It is written for anyone who is carrying a grudge, rehearsing an old hurt, or trying to forgive someone who has not apologized. The verses here share one thread: forgiveness is rooted in how God has first forgiven us, and it is a practice you can return to again and again rather than a feeling you must manufacture.
Verses for Remembering How You Have Been Forgiven
When someone has wronged you deeply, the first step is often remembering that you yourself have needed mercy. These verses turn your attention from the offense to the forgiveness that shaped your own life, which makes it easier to extend grace to someone else.
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 connects kindness and tenderheartedness with forgiveness and points to God in Christ as the pattern. Try naming one specific way God has forgiven you this week, then let that memory shape how you respond when the old hurt comes up.
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 ties forgiveness to patience and to the Lord’s own forgiveness of you. Notice the word “as”: your forgiveness is measured by his. When you feel the urge to hold something back, pause and recall the debt you were released from.
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 standing before the Father in a way that is sobering. Read it slowly and ask honestly whether you are holding anything tight. Then bring that specific person before God in prayer, even if you are not yet ready to feel warmly toward them.
Verses for Working Through a Hard Hurt
Forgiveness is rarely a single decision. Some days the hurt is quiet, and other days it returns with force. These verses speak to the slow, repeated work of choosing to release what someone did, one day at a time.
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 ties prayer to forgiveness, showing that releasing others is part of coming honestly before God. Before you pray about a request, check whether anything is standing between you and the other person. Say the forgiveness out loud, even if your heart is still catching up.
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 does not pretend that wrongs are small, and he also expects a community that forgives even repeatedly. This passage speaks to the person who has been hurt again and again. Decide ahead of time what boundary you need, and then keep the door of forgiveness open within it.
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 often he must forgive, Jesus answers with a number that is meant to be impossible to count. The point is not a limit but a posture of ongoing grace. When you find yourself keeping score, take it as a cue to return to the Lord and begin again.
Verses for When Reconciliation Feels Out of Reach
Forgiveness and reconciliation are related but not identical. Sometimes the other person is unrepentant, far away, or no longer safe to be near. These verses help you release the matter to God while still living wisely.
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 urges believers not to take revenge and to leave justice in God’s hands. This frees you from carrying the role of judge. When you feel the pull to make someone pay, speak your concern to God and trust him to deal with what you cannot.
Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
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This verse recognizes that peace depends partly on others and partly on you. You are asked to do what is within your power. Ask yourself what the healthiest honest step toward peace looks like, even if the other person does not take one too.
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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Wisdom sees that overlooking an offense is a kind of strength, not weakness. This does not mean ignoring harm. It means choosing not to be ruled by every slight. Practice this by letting one small, unnecessary irritation pass today without comment.
Verses for Those Who Need to Forgive Themselves
Some of the hardest forgiveness is the kind you need to extend to yourself. Guilt can make you feel you must keep punishing your own failures. These verses point you back to God’s mercy, which is wide enough to hold your mistakes too.
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 that God is faithful and just to forgive when we confess. Confession is honest, and forgiveness is God’s answer. Name what you did before him, then receive his forgiveness rather than arguing with it.
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 the distance God puts between us and our sins with a vivid image of east and west. That distance is the measure of his mercy. When guilt returns, remind yourself that God has not kept a file open on what you have already confessed.
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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Even in a book of grief, the writer finds that God’s compassions are new every morning. Each day offers a fresh start rather than a verdict on yesterday. Let the morning be the place where you choose to accept his mercy again.
How to Use These Verses
Choose one or two verses that fit where you are right now rather than trying to absorb the whole list at once. Write the reference on a card or in a notes app, and read it at the same time each day, such as when you first wake up or before bed. Copying the verse by hand can help it settle into your memory more slowly.
When you pray with these verses, read the passage aloud, then name the person and the specific hurt before God. Ask him to show you what forgiveness looks like in this situation, whether that means releasing a debt, setting a boundary, or simply stopping the replay in your mind. You can return to the same verse for weeks, and that repetition is part of how forgiveness takes root.
A Short Prayer for Forgiving Others
Lord, you have forgiven me more than I can repay, and I thank you for it. I bring to you the person who has hurt me, and I confess how tightly I have been holding on. Help me to remember your mercy when the anger rises, and give me the words and the restraint I need. Where I cannot yet feel forgiveness, help me to choose it anyway, one honest step at a time. Heal what has been broken in me, and leave justice in your hands. Amen.
