17 Bible Verses about Vengeance

Ye have heard, that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, Set not yourselves against him that injures you, but if any one smite thee on thy right cheek, rather turn to him the other also: and if any one would go to law with thee, to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also, rather than strive with him:read more.
and if any one shall force thee one mile, go with him two. Give to him that asketh thee, and him, that would borrow of thee, turn not away. Ye have heard, that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine 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 that abuse you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your heavenly Father; for He causeth his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust. For if ye love only them that love you, what reward do ye expect? do not even the publicans the same? and if ye embrace your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not the publicans so likewise? Be ye therefore perfect in love and goodness, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Then said Jesus to him, Put up thy sword into it's place; for they that take the sword shall perish by the sword: dost thou think that I cannot now apply to my Father, and He will send me more than twelve legions of angels? but how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, which say that thus it must be?

And He said unto them, wheresoever ye enter into a house, there stay till ye leave that place. And whosoever will not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom or Gomorrah in the day of judgement, than for that city.

But I say unto you my hearers, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that abuse you; to him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and let him that taketh away thy cloke, have thy coat too rather than strive with him:read more.
give to him that asketh thee, and from him that taketh thy goods on loan demand nothing. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them in like manner. If ye love only them that love you, what thanks are due to you? for even the wicked love those that love them: and if ye do good offices to them that do good to you, what thanks are due to you? for even wicked men do the same. And if ye lend to those from whom ye expect to receive, what thanks are due to you? for sinners also lend to sinners that they may receive an equivalent. But do ye love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing from it: and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the sons of the most High; for He is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked: be ye therefore merciful as your heavenly Father also is merciful.

and why do ye not even of yourselves judge what is right? When thou art going with thine adversary to the magistrate, endeavour while thou art in the way to be discharged, least he force thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer carry thee to prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not come out from thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

About that time Herod the king exerted his power to distress some of the church. And he cut off James, the brother of John, with the sword. And seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to apprehend Peter also, (in the days of unleavened bread:)read more.
whom he seized and put into prison, delivering him to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him; intending, after the passover, to bring him out to the people. Peter was therefore kept in custody: but incessant prayer was made to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him forth, that very night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the guards at the door watched the prison. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the room; and smiting Peter on the side, he waked him, and said, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself and tie on thy sandals: and he did so. And he saith unto him, Throw thy garment round thee, and follow me. So he went out and followed him; and he did not know, that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision. And passing through the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate, that leadeth into the city, which of its own accord opened to them: and they went out and passed on through one street; and then the angel departed from him. And Peter being come to himself said, Now I know truly, that the Lord hath sent his angel and hath delivered me from the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And considering with himself, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was sirnamed Mark, where many were gathered together and praying.

Render to no one evil for evil: behaving honorably in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as ye can, live peaceably with all men. Avenge not yourselves, my beloved; but rather give place to the wrath of others: for it is written, "Vengeance belongeth to me, I will recompence, saith the Lord."read more.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

For it seems to me that God hath as it were exhibited us the apostles last upon the stage as appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ: we are weak, but ye are strong: ye are honoured, but we are despised. Even to this present time we suffer both hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling:read more.
and we labour working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless: when persecuted, we bear it: when defamed, we intreat. We are made as the filth of the world, and the refuse of all things to this day.

Dare any of you, having a matter of complaint against another, try it before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy of judging the smallest controversies? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? what! and not worthy of judging the affairs of this life?read more.
Therefore if ye have controversies about the things of this life, do ye set them to judge, who are despised by the church? I speak it to your shame. What! is there not one wise man among you, that is able to judge between his bretheren? But one brother goeth to law with another, and this before infidels. Now there is certainly a fault among you, that ye have law-suits with one another: why do ye not rather endure wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? But ye do wrong and defraud, and that even your brethren.

My brethren, be not children in sense: but in malice be infants, and in your judgements shew yourselves to be men.

Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath;

that ye may be blameless and inoffensive, the children of God without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom ye shine as lights in the world,

seeing it is a righteous thing with God to render affliction to those that afflict you; and to you, who are in trouble, rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:read more.
who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, by the presence of the Lord and by his glorious power:

If any one that violateth the law of Moses, dieth without mercy under two or three witnesses, of how much greater punishment, think ye, shall he be counted worthy, who hath trampled under foot the Son of God, and accounted the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and abused the Spirit of grace? For we know who hath said, "To me belongeth vengeance, I will recompense, saith the Lord:" and again, "The Lord will judge his people."read more.
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man doth not practise the righteousness of God.

And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they maintained. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell upon the earth? And white robes were given to each of them, and it was told them to rest a little while longer, till the number of their fellow-servants, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be complete.