37 Bible Verses about Revenge, And Retaliation

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."

The LORD told him, "This won't happen, because whoever kills you will suffer seven times the vengeance." Then the LORD placed a sign on Cain so that no one finding him would kill him.

"You are not to seek vengeance or hold a grudge against the descendants of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."

To me belong vengeance and recompense. In due time their feet will slip, because their time of calamity is near and the things prepared for them draw near.

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

For instance, he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle and hit his friend, so that he died. The killer may flee to one of these cities to live. Since hile the distance may be great, the angry avenger may overtake the killer he is pursuing and kill him, in which case there will be no justice in his death, because he did not hate his friend previously. Therefore I am commanding you to reserve three cities."

Don't detest Edomites, since they are related to you. Don't detest Egyptians, either, because you were strangers in their land.

Don't say, "I'll do to him like he did to me, I'll be sure to pay him back for what he did."

Seek the welfare of the city to which I've exiled you and pray to the LORD for it, for your welfare depends on its welfare.'

If there is harm, then you are to require life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

"If a man beats a human being to death, he is certainly to be executed, but whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it life for life. If a man disfigures his fellow, whatever he did is to be done to him also. read more.
Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth just as he had caused a disfigurement against another man, so it is to be done against him. Whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it, but whoever beats a human being to death is to be put to death.

The judges will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative, do to him just as he intended to do to his relative. By doing this you will purge evil from your midst. When others hear of this, they will be afraid and will not do such an evil deed again in your midst. read more.
Your eyes must not show pity life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot."

"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evildoer. On the contrary, whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat as well. read more.
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go two with him. Give to the person who asks you for something, and do not turn away from the person who wants to borrow something from you." "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.

"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."

Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people.

Make sure that no one pays back evil for evil. Instead, always pursue what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Do not pay others back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, keep blessing them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.

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;

A while later during the wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife, bringing along a young goat, and told his father-in-law, "I'm going into my wife's room." But her father wouldn't give permission for him to go. Her father said, "Because I honestly thought that you hated her deeply, I gave her in marriage to your best man. Isn't her younger sister better than she? Please then, let her be yours instead." Samson replied to them, "This time I'll be blameless when I do something evil to the Philistines." read more.
So Samson went out, caught 300 foxes, grabbed some torches, tied the foxes together in pairs at their tails, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. Then he ignited the torches, set the foxes loose into the Philistines' unharvested grain, and burned up both the harvested shocks and the standing grain, along with their vineyards and olive groves. Then the Philistines demanded, "Who did this?" Someone said, "Samson, son-in-law of the Timnite, because his father-in-law took Samson's wife and gave her to the best man at Samson's wedding." In retaliation, the Philistines came up and burned her and her father to death. Samson replied to them, "Because you did this, I'm not going to stop until I get my revenge against you!" So he attacked them ruthlessly in a massive slaughter, then left to live in the caves of Etam.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people.

Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.

So when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, because I tell all of you with certainty that you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

They got up, forced Jesus out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off. But he walked right through the middle of them and went away.

The very fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves is already a defeat for you. Why not rather just accept the wrong? Why not rather be cheated?

But you must continue to remember those earlier days, how after you were enlightened you endured a hard and painful struggle. At times you were made a public spectacle by means of insults and persecutions, while at other times you associated with people who were treated this way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and cheerfully submitted to the violent seizure of your property, because you know that you have a better and more permanent possession.

But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?"

When one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take the matter before those who are unrighteous and not before the saints? You know that the saints will rule the world, don't you? And if the world is going to be ruled by you, can't you handle insignificant cases? You know that we will rule angels, not to mention things in this life, don't you? read more.
So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church? I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers? Instead, one brother goes to court against another brother, and before unbelieving judges, at that!

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.

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.

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.

Won't God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them? I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

"Sing for joy, nations! Sing for joy, people who belong to him! For he'll avenge the blood of his servants, turn on his adversary, and cleanse both his land and his people."

May the LORD judge between me and you, and may he take vengeance on you for me, but I won't be attacking you.

You are to attack the household of your master Ahab, so I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, as well as the blood of all of the servants of the LORD that has been spilled at Jezebel's orders.

He is the God who executes vengeance on my behalf; who destroys nations under me;

They cried out in a loud voice, "Holy and true Sovereign, how long will it be before you judge and take revenge on those living on the earth who shed our blood?"

His judgments are true and just. He has condemned the notorious prostitute who corrupted the world with her immorality. He has taken revenge on her for the blood of his servants."