22 Bible Verses about Loving Your Enemies

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

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

Well then, whatever you would like men to do to you, do just the same to them; that is the meaning of the Law and the prophets.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love belongs to God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God;

Bless those who make a practice of persecuting you; bless them instead of cursing them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Keep in harmony with one another; instead of being ambitious, associate with humble folk; never be self-conceited.read more.
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone; aim to be above reproach in the eyes of all; be at peace with all men, if possible, so far as that depends on you. Never revenge yourselves, beloved, but let the Wrath of God have its way; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will exact a requital ??the Lord has said it. No, if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in this way you will make him feel a burning sense of shame. Do not let evil get the better of you; get the better of evil by doing good.

No, you must love your enemies and help them, you must lend to them without expecting any return; then you will have a rich reward, you will be sons of the Most High for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the evil.

Let all you do be done in love.

My dear children, I am only to be with you a little longer; then you will look for me, and, as I told the Jews I tell you now, where I go you cannot come. I give you a new command, to love one another ??as I have loved you, you are to love one another. By this everyone will recognize that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another."

Thus, I may speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but if I have no love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal; I may prophesy, fathom all mysteries and secret lore, I may have such absolute faith that I can move hills from their place, but if I have no love, I count for nothing; I may distribute all I possess in charity, I may give up my body to be burnt, but if I have no love, I make nothing of it.read more.
Love is very patient, very kind. Love knows no jealousy; love makes no parade, gives itself no airs, is never rude, never selfish, never irritated, never resentful; love is never glad when others go wrong, love is gladdened by goodness, always slow to expose, always eager to believe the best, always hopeful, always patient. Love never disappears. As for prophesying, it will be superseded; as for 'tongues,' they will cease; as for knowledge, it will be superseded.

Let your love be a real thing, with a loathing for evil and a bent for what is good. Put affection into your love for the brotherhood; be forward to honour one another; never let your zeal flag; maintain the spiritual glow; serve the Lord;

Blessed are the pure in heart! they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers! they will be ranked sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of goodness! the Realm of heaven is theirs.read more.
Blessed are you when men denounce you and persecute you and utter all manner of evil against you for my sake; rejoice and exult in it, for your reward is rich in heaven; that is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

but he will be saved who holds out to the very end.

"Go and tell that fox," he replied, "I cast out daemons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and on the third day I complete my task! But I must journey on, to-day, to-morrow, and the next day; it would never do for a prophet to perish except in Jerusalem! O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, slaying the prophets and stoning those who have been sent to you! How often I would fain have gathered your children as a fowl gathers her brood under her wings! But you would not have it!read more.
See, your House is left to yourselves. I tell you, you will never see me till the day comes when you say, Blessed be he who comes in the Lord's name."

but Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but weep for yourselves and for your children! For there are days coming when the cry will be, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never have borne and the breasts that never have suckled!' Then will people say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'read more.
For if this is what they do when the wood is green, what will they do when the wood is dry?" Two criminals were also led out with him to be executed, and when they came to the place called The Skull they crucified him there along with the criminals, one at his right and one at his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing." Then they distributed his clothes among themselves by drawing lots. The people stood and looked on, and even the rulers sneered at him, saying, "He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One!" The soldiers made fun of him too by coming up and handing him vinegar, saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Just One. And here you have betrayed him, murdered him! ??53 you who got the Law that angels transmitted, and have not obeyed it!" When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. He, full of the holy Spirit, gazed up at heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.read more.
"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at God's right hand!" With a loud shriek they shut their ears and rushed at him like one man. Putting him outside the city, they proceeded to stone him (the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a youth called Saul). So they stoned Stephen, who called on the Lord, saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, let not this sin stand against them!" With these words he slept the sleep of death.

Brothers, I for one do not consider myself to have appropriated this; my one thought is, by forgetting what lies behind me and straining to what lies before me, to press on to the goal for the prize of God's high call in Christ Jesus.

Since then you have been raised with Christ, aim at what is above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; mind what is above, not what is on earth, for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.read more.
When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you will appear with him in glory.

Greet it as pure joy, my brothers, when you come across any sort of trial, sure that the sterling temper of your faith produces endurance; only, let your endurance be a finished product, so that you may be finished and complete, with never a defect.read more.
Whoever of you is defective in wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all men without question or reproach, and the gift will be his.

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven: he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

You have heard the saying, 'You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy.'

You have heard the saying, 'You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven: he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.read more.
For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you get for that? do not the very taxgatherers do as much? and if you only salute your friends, what is special about that? do not the very pagans do as much? You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you: bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If a man strikes you on the one cheek, offer him the other as well: if anyone takes your coat, do not deny him your shirt as well;read more.
give to anyone who asks you, and do not ask your goods back from anyone who has taken them. As you would like men to do to you, so do to them. If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Why, even sinful men love those who love them. If you help only those who help you, what merit is that to you? Why, even sinful men do that. If you only lend to those from whom you hope to get something, what credit is that to you? Even sinful men lend to one another, so as to get a fair return. No, you must love your enemies and help them, you must lend to them without expecting any return; then you will have a rich reward, you will be sons of the Most High for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.