22 Bible Verses about Loving Your Enemies

but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who traduce you, and persecute you:

and pray for those, who maliciously abuse you.

Let your actions be such, with regard to others, as you should think reasonable with regard to yourselves, for this is the substance of the law and the prophets.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God.

bless them who persecute you: bless them, but curse not. rejoice with those that do rejoice, and weep with those that weep. have the same respect for one another. let not your behaviour be haughty, but soften'd to the condition of those below you. be not wise in your own conceits.read more.
Render no man evil for evil. mind such things as are approved not only by God, but by men. do all you can to live peaceably, if it be possible, with all mankind. dear brethren, avenge not yourselves, but leave that to the resentment of another: for it is written, "vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head . be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.

but as for you, love your enemies, do good, and lend without expecting any advantage from it: so shall your reward be great, in acting like the children of the most high: for he is kind to the most ungrateful wretches.

let all your transactions flow from social affections.

my dear children, I am with you but for a little while. you shall seek me: but as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you, "where I am going you cannot come." a new commandment I give unto you, "that ye love one another; that you would have the same love for one another as I have had for you." by this mutual love shall all men know that you are my disciples.

For tho' I should speak with the eloquence of men, and of angels, and not have social affection, I should be like sounding brass, or a noisy cymbal. and tho' I should have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and tho' I had all the faith necessary to remove mountains, and had no benevolence, it would signify nothing. and tho' I distribute my whole substance to the poor, and give my body to be burned, and have not social affection, it profits me nothing.read more.
Social affection is patient, is kind; is a stranger to envy; is not insolently vain, nor arrogant: does not behave indecently, is not self-interested, is not easily provoked, nor suspects any ill; it does not countenance injustice, but smiles upon virtue; it excuses all things, believes what is favourable, hopes for the best, and suffers the worst. Social affection will never fail: but as for prophecies, they shall be out of use; as for languages, they shall cease; as for knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Let love be without dissimulation. abhor that which is evil, adhere to that which is good. in brotherly kindness be passionately affected to one another; in honour prefer one another: in business be not slothful, but of an active mind, making the best use of every incident.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the pacific: for they shall be the children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted upon the account of righteousness: for their's is the kingdom of heaven.read more.
Blessed shall you be when men shall revile and persecute you, and falsely charge you with all manner of evil for your attachment to me. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great will be your reward in heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

but he that shall persevere unto the end, shall be preserved.

but he answered them, go, tell that fox, that to-day and to-morrow I am casting out demons, and performing cures, and the third day my course will be finished: till then I must be stirring about, to-day, and to-morrow, and the next day: for a prophet cannot be put to death any where, but at Jerusalem. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest those, who are sent unto thee: how often would I have gather'd thy children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and ye would not?"read more.
you will soon find your aboad become desolate. I declare unto you, you shall not see me till the time, when you will say, "blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord."

but Jesus turn'd about and said to them, daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for your selves, and for your children. for now the time is coming, when it will be said, happy are the barren, and they who never bare, happy the breast, that never gave suck. then shall they cry to the mountains, fall on us; and to the hills, cover us.read more.
for if the green wood burn thus, how will the dry wood flame? At the same time, two malefactors were led along to be crucified with Jesus. accordingly, when they came to the place call'd Calvary, they crucified him there, and the two malefactors; the one at his right, the other at his left. and Jesus said, "father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." then they divided his raiment among them by throwing lots, while the people who stood looking on, and the senators themselves contemptuously said, he sav'd others; if he be Christ, the elect of God, let him save himself. the soldiers too, who came to bring him vinegar, insulted him, saying, if thou art the king of the Jews, save thy self.

was there ever any prophet whom your fathers did not persecute? have they not slain those who predicted the coming of that just person whom you have so lately betrayed and murder'd? you, I say, who received the law by the administration of angels, but have not however observ'd it. When they heard these things, they were transported with rage, and gnashed their teeth against him.read more.
but he, full of the holy spirit, fix'd his eyes towards heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. and he said, there I see the heavens open, and the son of man standing on the right hand of God. then they broke out into a loud cry, and stopping their ears, fell upon him all at once. then they dragg'd him out of the city, and stoned him: the false witnesses having laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. Thus they stoned Stephen, while he was calling upon God, and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." and on his knees he cried with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." and having said this, he expired.

I don't imagine, my brethren, that I am arriv'd at the goal; but this I do, unmindful of what is pass'd, I stretch towards that which is in view, I press towards the mark for the prize to which God has called me from above by Jesus Christ.

If then you are risen with Christ, seek the things, that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. let the things above, and not such worldly matters be the object of your thoughts. for you are dead to them, and Christ has secured your life with God.read more.
Christ is your life, and when he shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory.

Consider the various tryals that surround you, my brethren, as matter of great joy; knowing this, that the bringing your faith to the test, produces constancy. but constancy should be brought to its perfection, that you may be entirely accomplished, without any defect.read more.
If any of you is deficient in prudence, let him ask it of God, who liberally gives to all without upbraiding: and he will give it.

that ye may be the children of your father who is in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

You have heard that it hath been said, "you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy:"

You have heard that it hath been said, "you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy:" but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who traduce you, and persecute you: that ye may be the children of your father who is in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.read more.
but if you love only them who love you, what reward can ye have? do not the heathens themselves do as much? and if ye salute your brethren only, what mighty matter is that? do not even the heathens do the same? be ye therefore perfect, even as your father who is in heaven is perfect.

But as for you, who hear me, love your enemies: do good to those, who hate you: bless those, who curse you: and pray for those, who maliciously abuse you. if any one strike you on one cheek, present to him the other likewise: or if any one seize your cloak, surrender your coat also.read more.
give to all that ask: and if a man takes away your goods, don't demand them again. behave to others in the same manner, as you desire they would behave to you. for if you only love those, who love you, where's the obligation? the very heathen return love for love. if you return one kind office by another, where's the obligation? the heathen themselves do as much. if you lend with the expectation of gaining by it, where's the obligation? for the heathen lend to one another, for the prospect of an equivalent. but as for you, love your enemies, do good, and lend without expecting any advantage from it: so shall your reward be great, in acting like the children of the most high: for he is kind to the most ungrateful wretches. be ye therefore merciful, as your father is merciful.