30 Bible Verses about Loving Your Enemies

But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you.

Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets."

Dear friends, let us continuously love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God.

Bless those who persecute you. Keep on blessing them, and never curse them. Rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Cry with those who are crying. Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are.read more.
Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people. Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord." But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head." Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

If your enemy hungers, give him food to eat; and if he thirsts, give him water to drink. For you'll be piling burning coals of shame on his head and the LORD will reward you.

Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind even to ungrateful and evil people.

If you see your enemy's donkey lying helpless under its load, you must not abandon it; rather, you are certainly to return it to him.

Everything you do should be done lovingly.

Little children, I'm with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but what I told the Jewish leaders I now tell you, "Where I'm going, you cannot come.' I'm giving you a new commandment"to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

If I speak in the languages of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. Even if I give away everything that I have and sacrifice myself, but have no love, I gain nothing.read more.
Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited, and she is never rude; she never thinks just of herself or ever gets annoyed. She never is resentful; is never glad with sin; she's always glad to side with truth, and pleased that truth will win. She bears up under everything; believes the best in all; there is no limit to her hope, and never will she fall. Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are languages, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other. Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.

"How blessed are those who are pure in heart, because it is they who will see God! "How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God's children! "How blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!read more.
"How blessed are you whenever people insult you, persecute you, and say all sorts of evil things against you falsely because of me! Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That's how they persecuted the prophets who came before you."

Don't say "I'll avenge that wrong!" Wait on the LORD and he will deliver you.

But the person who endures to the end will be saved.

He told them, "Go and tell that fox, "Listen! I am driving out demons and healing today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish my work. But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day, because it's not possible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you people were unwilling! read more.
Look! Your house is left vacant to you. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

But Jesus turned to them and said, "Women of Jerusalem, stop crying for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children, because the time is surely coming when people will say, "How blessed are the women who couldn't bear children and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then people will begin to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!', and to the hills, "Cover us up!' read more.
And if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with Jesus. When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Jesus kept saying, "Father, forgive them, because they don't know what they're doing." Then they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. Meanwhile, the people stood looking on. The leaders were mocking him by saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one!" The soldiers also made fun of Jesus by coming up and offering him sour wine, saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!"

Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. read more.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him, ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them!" After he had said this, he died.

Don't rejoice when your enemy falls; don't let yourself be glad when he stumbles. Otherwise the LORD will observe and disapprove, and he will turn his anger away from him. Don't be anxious about those who practice evil, and don't be envious of the wicked.read more.
For the wicked man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

"You should not have gloated over your brother, on the day of his calamity. You should not have rejoiced when the descendants of Judah were perishing. You should not have boasted when they were in distress. "You should not have entered the gate of my people on the day of their disaster. Also, you should not have gloated over Judah's misfortune on the day of his disaster, nor should you have plundered his wealth on the day of his disaster.

"Have I rejoiced in the destruction of those who hate me, or have I been happy that evil caught up with him? No, I haven't allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse.

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God's heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus.

"Don't remember the former things; don't dwell on things past.

Therefore, if you have been raised with the Messiah, keep focusing on the things that are above, where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God. Keep your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life has been safely guarded by the Messiah in God. read more.
When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you, too, will be revealed with him in glory.

Being slow to get angry compares to great understanding as being quick-tempered compares to stupidity.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.read more.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him.

so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.

"You have heard that it was said, "You must love your neighbor' and hate your enemy.

"You have heard that it was said, "You must love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. read more.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don't they? And if you greet only your relatives, that's no great thing you're doing, is it? Even the unbelievers do the same, don't they? So be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

"But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you. If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one as well, and if someone takes your coat, don't keep back your shirt, either. read more.
Keep on giving to everyone who asks you for something, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not insist on getting it back. Whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them. "If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect to get something back, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back what they lend. Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind even to ungrateful and evil people. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."