40 Bible Verses On Revenge That Teach Us Forgiveness

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Is revenge ever justified? It’s never God’s will for us to exact revenge on anyone. We can educate ourselves more on the concept of vengeance with bible verses on revenge. What does the bible say about revenge? Vengeance should be God’s and God’s alone. Because He is a just god and the ultimate judge.

Not just bible verses, but many revenge quotes also shed light on vengeance as God’s. Jim Brown once said, “It is up to God to take revenge. Only God can judge. I don’t have to worry about getting even with anybody or taking out any kind of aggression on anybody. Doing that is a weakness, anyway.” There is no need for aggression towards those who have wronged us. These bible verses on revenge teach us to live in peace and harmony with the people around us. Through this, we can enjoy life the godly way, trusting the Lord to administer the justice we deserve.

Bible Verses On Revenge

These quotes about revenge that we find in the Bible teach us how to handle (and how to let go of) revenge through God’s grace. Is silence the best revenge? Ultimately, bible verses about revenge teach us not to pursue revenge nor how to extract it. Instead, they show us there are other ways to better understand what is vengeance and how we can lift up these worries to God.

1. Romans 12:19 – Vengeance Is Mine, Says The Lord

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Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

What Is God Saying:  Our feelings of wanting to seek out revenge must be lifted up to the Lord, for God’s vengeance will seek justice for us. Humble ourselves and let God take control. 

2. Deuteronomy 32:35 – God Will Avenge Us

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Deuteronomy 32:25 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

What Is God Saying:  In His own godly way, the Lord will repay those who hurt us. We need not do anything and must have faith in the Lord’s work.

3. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 – God Is Just

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2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

What Is God Saying:  Our all-knowing God is aware of who strays from His holy word. It is He who will straighten those who have wronged us.

4. Proverbs 20:22 – We Are Avenged In God’s Time

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Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.

What Is God Saying:  This scripture on revenge instructs us to hold ourselves back from acting on anger. Be patient, because God will avenge us in His own time.

5. Colossians 3:25 – God Grants Justice To All

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Colossians 3:25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

What Is God Saying: God grants us justice because He loves us. His justice will always find us and He will judge fairly and in complete holiness, not favoring one over the other.

6. 1 Peter 3:9 – Respond With Love, Not Hate

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1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

What Is God Saying:  One of the greatest ways to be a witness for God is to love and show love. We can start by responding in love to those who have wronged us.

7. 2 Corinthians 13:11 – Restore Peace

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2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

What Is God Saying:  Instead of focusing on revenge, focus on restoration for it breeds unity in Christ. And when we do, God’s love and peace overflow amongst us.

8. Matthew 5:38-39 – Turn The Other Cheek

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Matthew 5:38-39 You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

What Is God Saying:  Reject the idea of revenge and retaliation; don’t give in to such temptations. Be the person God wants you to be and turn the other way. 

9. Proverbs 24:29 – Do Not Hurt Those Who Hurt You

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Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”

What Is God Saying:  God teaches us to respond to everything – even harmful words and actions – with kindness and grace. Because retaliating perpetuates a harmful cycle of pain for everyone.

10. Leviticus 19:18 – Let Go Of Grudges

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Leviticus 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

What Is God Saying:  Bible verses on revenge, like this one, teach us that bearing a grudge is not the will of the Lord. But we are to love our neighbors, just as God has instructed in the ten commandments.  

11. Romans 12:18 – Live In Peace

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Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

What Is God Saying:  God calls for us to make an effort to live at peace with our brothers and sisters. Conflicts must not be escalated; we must instead promote harmony in one another.

12. Luke 6:27-28 – Love Your Enemies

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Luke 6:27-28 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

What Is God Saying:  We are called to be kind to those who hurt us. Be like Job and offer prayers for those who have hurt you, because they too are hurting on the inside.

13. Proverbs 6:34 – Jealousy Breeds Vengeance

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Proverbs 6:34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

What Is God Saying:  Do not give in to jealousy, because this opens a path to vengeance. We have nothing to be jealous over because God provides us with all that we need.

14. Matthew 10:23 – Avoid Conflict

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Matthew 10:23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

What Is God Saying:  We can avoid vengeful feelings by turning away from conflict and seeking refuge in God.  

15. Leviticus 24:21 – Hurting Others Is A Sin

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Leviticus 24:21 Whoever kills an animal must take restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.

What Is God Saying:  Inflicting harm upon our neighbors, especially intentionally, is a grave sin because only God has the authority and right to give and take away lives.

16. Proverbs 25:21-22 – Show Kindness To Enemies

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Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

What Is God Saying:  We become good examples of God’s love by showing love and kindness to those who want to hurt us.

17. Romans 12:14 – Blessings Over Revenge

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Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

What Is God Saying:  It is better to ask God to bless those who have hurt us, instead of asking Him to avenge us. 

18. 1 Peter 2:23 – Reject Retaliation

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1 Peter 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

What Is God Saying:  There is no need for us to retaliate or respond with anger. Lift up your worries to the Lord, for He will bring us to righteousness.

19. Matthew 5:43-44 – Pray For Your Enemies

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Matthew 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

What Is God Saying:  There is no greater love than prayer. Show your enemies love by praying for them, as it’s evident that they are in need of God’s healing grace.

20. Psalm 94:1-2 – God Puts An End To Evil

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Psalm 94:1-2 The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.

What Is God Saying:  Only God can put an end to all the hurt in our world. He alone can put our harmful thoughts of vengeance to rest.

READ ALSO:  Prayer For Patience: 25 Prayers For Every Situation

Bible Verses About Revenge And Justice

Strive for equality instead of revenge. Even though it can be tempting to exact revenge on those who have wronged us, we must uphold justice. Bible verses about peace and justice remind us to be just to others, the way God is just with us. Ultimately, only the Lord has sovereignty over us, so only He can judge our actions and determine our fates.

21. Deuteronomy 23:7 – We Are All Children Of God

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Deuteronomy 23:7 Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.

What Is God Saying:  We are called to treat everyone equally, with equal amounts of respect and love. Regardless of our pasts or where we came from, we all deserve love and kindness.

22. Proverbs 21:15 – Justice Heals

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Proverbs 21:15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

What Is God Saying:  When we are avenged by the Lord, the wounds inflicted upon us by injustices are also healed.

23. Ecclesiastes 3:17 – God Judges All Deeds

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Ecclesiastes 3:17 I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”

What Is God Saying:  And when God comes again, all deeds of ours will be judged by Him. So do what is righteous in God’s eyes and He will reward you. 

24. Job 12:22 – God Rights All Wrongs

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Job 12:22 He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.

What Is God Saying:  All sins are revealed to the Lord. We find salvation in Him because only He can save us from our own wrongdoings.

25. Hosea 12:6 – Turn To God For Justice

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Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

What Is God Saying:  We can always turn to the Lord without fail. However, we must also be patient and trust that He will make things right in due time.

26. Proverbs 24:24-25 – Truth Must Prevail

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Proverbs 24:24-25 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.

What Is God Saying:  Fight for the truth. When we see wrongdoers, we must not claim them to be innocent but point out their wrongs with grace and in truth.

27. Isaiah 55:7 – Only God Can Judge Us

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Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

What Is God Saying:  Those who have sinned will always find their way back to God. We must leave it up to the Lord to free them of their sins and judge them for their deeds.

28. Amos 5:24 – Justice Is Abundant

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Amos 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

What Is God Saying:  Justice will always find us, so long as we remember to live righteously, the way God wants us to live out His word.

29. Micah 6:8 – God Calls Us To Live Justly

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Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

What Is God Saying:  Amidst all the blessings God has showered us, all He asks of us is to treat others justly, show them mercy, and love one another.

30. Zechariah 7:9 – Show Mercy And Compassion

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Zechariah 7:9 This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’

What Is God Saying:  It may be tempting to retaliate in order to avenge ourselves, but we must remember that God calls for us to be compassionate and show mercy to others.

Bible Verses About Revenge And Reconciliation

Instead of working towards revenge, we must work towards offering forgiveness. But, what is forgiveness? In short, it’s about letting go of what people have done wrong to you and not bearing grudges against them. Most importantly, forgiveness is not seeing them for what they have done, but for who they are – God’s children. These bible verses on revenge and reconciliation call for God’s people to unite as one ministry – a ministry of reconciliation (1 Corinthians 2:5-21).  As these scriptures on revenge show us, we are called to be peacemakers and forgivers, not avengers.

31. Acts 7:59-60 – Pray For Others

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Acts 7:59-60 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

What Is God Saying:  Bible verses on revenge teach us to pray for those who wronged us instead of retaliating against their anger. On their behalf, we must pray to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness.

32. Mark 11:25 – Forgive Others As God Forgives Us

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Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

What Is God Saying:  We are all imperfect, no better than another. Thus, it is not our place to withhold forgiveness, especially when God forgives all our sins without prejudice.

33. Matthew 18:21-22 – Forgiveness Has No Limit

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Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

What Is God Saying:  There is no limit to how many times we can forgive others. We must forgive unconditionally, the way God forgives us.

34. Ephesians 4:31-32 – Let Go Of Anger

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Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

What Is God Saying:  Letting go of anger is a tough lesson that we must all learn. We must let go of the bitterness and anger in our hearts and instead embrace forgiveness so that we witness our spiritual growth.

35. Matthew 5:7 – Blessed Are The Merciful

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Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

What Is God Saying:  God blesses those who are kind and merciful. When the urge to seek revenge is strong, ask the Holy Spirit to fight for us and show mercy to others. 

36. Luke 17:3 – Watch Out For One Another

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Luke 17:3 So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.

What Is God Saying:  We must watch out for one another and guide each other away from sin. Do not withhold forgiveness, especially from those who ask for it.

37. Daniel 9:9 – We All Deserve Forgiveness

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Daniel 9:9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

What Is God Saying:  Jesus died for our sins. In His eyes, whether we are righteous or wicked, we all deserve forgiveness. 

READ ALSO: 25 Powerful Prayers For Forgiveness

38. 1 Peter 4:8 – Love Those Who Hurt Us

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1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

What Is God Saying:  Love is a powerful form of forgiveness. We must always love one another, just as God always loves us in spite of our discretions.

39. Proverbs 10:12 – Love Overpowers Hatred

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Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

What Is God Saying:  The power of God’s love can turn even the most wicked good. Let’s practice love and forgiveness for one another.  

40. Hebrews 8:12 – Forgive And Forget

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Hebrews 8:12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

What Is God Saying:  When we forgive someone, we do so wholeheartedly, without any bitterness in our hearts.