22 Bible Verses about Loving Your Enemies

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors,

bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Therefore, you must always treat other people as you would like to have them treat you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God, and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

Bless your persecutors; bless them; do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be too ambitious, but accept humble tasks. Do not be conceited.read more.
Do not pay anyone back with evil for evil. See that you are above reproach in the eyes of everyone. If possible, for your part, live peaceably with everybody. Do not take your revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's anger, for the Scripture says, "Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay them back, says the Lord." No! If your enemy is hungry, feed him! If he is thirsty, give him something to drink! For if you do, you will heap burning coals upon his head! Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Do everything with love.

My children, I am to be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but, as I said to the Jews, where I am going you cannot follow, I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must love one another. By this they will all know that you are my disciples??y your love for one another."

I will show you a far better way. If I can speak the languages of men and even of angels, but have no love, I am only a noisy gong or a clashing cymbal. If I am inspired to preach and know all the secret truths and possess all knowledge, and if I have such perfect faith that I can move mountains, but have no love, I am nothing. Even if I give away everything I own, and give myself up, but do it in pride, not love, it does me no good.read more.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not envious or boastful. It does not put on airs. It is not rude. It does not insist on its rights. It does not become angry. It is not resentful. It is not happy over injustice, it is only happy with truth. It will bear anything, believe anything, hope for anything, endure anything. Love will never die out. If there is inspired preaching, it will pass away. If there is ecstatic speaking, it will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Your love must be genuine. You must hate what is wrong, and hold to what is right. Be affectionate in your love for the brotherhood, eager to show one another honor, not wanting in devotion, but on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God! "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons! "Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!read more.
"Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account. Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you!

But he who holds out to the end will be saved.

He said to them, "Go and say to that fox, 'Here I am, driving out demons and performing cures, today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be through. But I must go on today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.' O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! murdering the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused!read more.
Now I leave you to yourselves. And I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be he who comes in the Lord's name!' "

But Jesus turned to them and said, "Women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but weep for yourselves and for your children, for a time is coming when they will say, 'Happy are the childless women, and those who have never borne or nursed children!' Then people will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us up!'read more.
For if this is what they do when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two criminals were also led out to execution with him. When they reached the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, with the criminals one at his right and one at his left. And they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots for them, while the people stood looking on. Even the leading councilors jeered at him, and said, "He has saved others, let him save himself, if he is really God's Christ, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also made sport of him, coming up and offering him sour wine, saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!"

Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? They killed the men who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and killed??53 you who had the Law given to you by angels, and did not obey it!" When they heard that, they were enraged and ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at God's right hand.read more.
And he said, "Look! I can see heaven open, and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand!" But they uttered a great shout and stopped their ears, and they rushed upon him all together, and dragged him out of the city and stoned him, the witnesses throwing down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out, "Lord, do not lay this sin up against them!" With these words he fell asleep.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have captured it yet, only, forgetting what is behind me, and straining toward what lies ahead, I am pressing toward the goal, for the prize to which God through Christ Jesus calls us upward.

If, then, you have been raised to life with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are where Christ is, above, seated at God's right hand. Fix your thoughts on the things that are above, not on those that are on earth. For you have died, and your life now lies hidden with Christ in God.read more.
When Christ, who is our true life, shall make his appearance, then you also will appear glorified with him.

You must find the greatest joy, my brothers, in being involved in various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith leads to steadfastness, and steadfastness must have full play, so that you may be fully and perfectly developed without any defects.read more.
If any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to everyone, and does not reproach one with it afterward, and he will give it to him.

so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.

"You have heard that they were told, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

"You have heard that they were told, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors, so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.read more.
For if you love only those who love you, what reward can you expect? Do not the very tax-collectors do that? And if you are polite to your brothers and no one else, what is there remarkable in that? Do not the very heathen do that? So you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is.

"But I tell you who hear me, love your enemies, treat those who hate you well, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To the man that strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the man who takes away your coat, do not keep back your shirt either.read more.
Give to everyone that asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. And treat men just as you wish them to treat you. If you love only those who love you, what merit is there in that? For even godless people love those who love them. And if you help only those who help you, what merit is there in that? Even godless people act in that way. And if you lend only to people from whom you expect to get something, what merit is there in that? Even godless people lend to godless people, meaning to get it back again in full. But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked. You must be merciful, just as your Father is.