22 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, pray for those who calumniate you.

"Therefore everything that you would have men do to you, do you also the same to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loves us a child of God.

Bless your persecutors, bless, and curse not. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Have full sympathy with one another. Set not your minds on high affairs, but associate with lowly folk. Do not be wise in your own conceits.read more.
Do not pay back evil for evil. Aim to do what is honorable in the eyes of all. If it be possible, so far as it lies with you, be at peace with all men. Never revenge yourself, beloved, but leave the field clear for God's wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary, therefore, If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but be overcoming evil with good.

"But you must love even your enemies and be kind to them, And lend, despairing of no man. Then your reward will be great, And you will be the sons of the Most High; For he is kind even to the ungrateful and to the evil.

Let all that you do be done in love.

"My little children, I am only to be with you a little longer. You will seek me; just as I said to the Jews, 'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say to you. I give you a new commandment, Love one another! By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another."

Though I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have no love, I am become a clanging brass, or a clashing cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I sell all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it avails me nothing.read more.
Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not; love makes no parade, is not puffed up, is not rude, nor selfish, nor easily provoked. Love bears no malice, never rejoices over wrong-doing, but rejoices when the truth rejoices. It knows how to be silent, it is trustful, hopeful, patient, enduring. Love never fails; but though there are prophecies, they will fail; though there are tongues, they will cease; though there is knowledge, it will be superseded.

Let love be without insincerity. Abhor what is evil; wed yourselves to what is good. As for brotherly love, be tenderly affectionate one to another, in honor preferring one another. In your diligence be free from sloth. Be glowing in spirit. Slave for the master.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted in the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.read more.
"Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my name's sake. "Rejoice and exult in it, because your reward was great in the heavens; for so did they persecute the prophets before you.

but he who endures to the end will be saved.

"Go, tell that fox," he answered, "'Lo, today and tomorrow I am continuing to cast out demons and perform cures, and on the third day I finish my course.' "Yet I must continue my journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it would never do for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem! "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!read more.
"Behold! Your house is left to you, desolate! I tell you that you shall never see me again until you say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord,"

But Jesus turned and said: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; "but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have never bore children, and the breasts that never suckled.' "Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'read more.
"For if this is what they do in the green tree, what will they do in the dry?" And there were led out with him to be executed, two criminals also. When they came to the place called "The Skull," there they crucified him and the criminals also, one upon his right hand, and one upon his left. Jesus kept saying, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, and the people stood looking on. Even the rulers repeatedly taunted him, saying, "He saved others, let him save himself, if this fellow is indeed the Christ of God, His Chosen One!" Even the soldiers made sport of him by coming up and offering him sour wine, saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."

"Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become??53 "you who received the law, given through angels, and obeyed it not." As they heard these words they became furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.read more.
"Look, I see heaven open," he said, "And the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." With a loud outcry they stopped their ears, and rushed upon Stephen in a body, dragged him outside the city, and stoned him, the witnesses throwing off their outer garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. So they stoned Stephen while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

Brothers, I do not regard myself to have yet laid hold of it; but this one thing I do, forgetting what is behind me, but straining every nerve toward that which lies ahead, I am ever pressing on toward the goal, for the prize of God's heavenward call in Christ Jesus.

If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ abides, seated on the right hand of God. Set your heart on things above, not on earthly things; for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.read more.
When Christ, who is our life, appears, then will you also appear with him in glory.

My brothers, when you are beset by various temptations, count it all joy, because you know that the testing of your faith is working out endurance. But let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, not lacking in anything.read more.
If any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him ask it from the God who gives to all men freely and without upbraiding; and it will be given to him.

"So you will become sons of your heavenly Father; for he makes his sun to rise upon sinners as well as saints, and sends rain upon the unjust and the just.

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

"You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. "So you will become sons of your heavenly Father; for he makes his sun to rise upon sinners as well as saints, and sends rain upon the unjust and the just.read more.
"For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you? "Even the tax-gatherers do that, do they not? And if you show courtesy to your brother only, what are you doing more than others? Even the Gentiles do that, do they not? "You then must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

"But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, Bless those who curse you, pray for those who calumniate you. To him who gives you a blow on the jaw Turn the other jaw also; And from him who is robbing you of your cloak Withhold not your coat also.read more.
Give to every one who asks you; And do not demand your goods back from him who is taking them away. And as you would like men to do to you, So do you also to them. "If you love those who love you what credit is it to you? Why even sinners love those who love them. "And if you are kind to those who are kind to you, what credit is it to you? Even sinners do the same. "And if you lend to those from whom you are hoping to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so as to get as much back. "But you must love even your enemies and be kind to them, And lend, despairing of no man. Then your reward will be great, And you will be the sons of the Most High; For he is kind even to the ungrateful and to the evil. "Do you therefore be merciful, As your Father is merciful.