Revenge is a powerful and complex emotion, often born from deep wounds. The Bible, however, encourages believers to transcend vengeance and embrace forgiveness and divine justice. This collection of 90 Bible verses about revenge highlights the spiritual principles that guide us towards peace, love, and trust in God’s judgment. Join us as we uncover the transformative power of forgiveness and the peace found in trusting the Lord’s righteous plans.

God’s Prohibition Against Revenge

• Leviticus 19:18 – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
• Proverbs 24:29 – “Do not say, ‘I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.'”
• Deuteronomy 32:35 – “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
• Proverbs 20:22 – “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”
• Matthew 5:38-39 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”
• Luke 6:27-28 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Examples of Forgiveness Over Revenge

• Genesis 50:20 – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
• Acts 7:60 – “Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.”
• Luke 23:34 – “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”
• Genesis 45:5 – “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
• 2 Samuel 19:22 – “David replied, ‘What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?'”
• Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
• Matthew 18:21-22 – “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'”
• Mark 11:25 – “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

The Consequences of Revenge

• Proverbs 17:13 – “Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.”
• Proverbs 25:21-22 – “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
• Psalm 94:1-2 – “The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.”
• Romans 13:4 – “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
• Nahum 1:2 – “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies.”
• Obadiah 1:15 – “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”
• Proverbs 16:32 – “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
• Micah 5:15 – “I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
• Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Avoiding Revenge and Trusting God’s Justice 

• Psalm 37:28 – “For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.”
• Psalm 103:6 – “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”
• Psalm 9:7-8 – “The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”
• Psalm 94:23 – “He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.”
• Psalm 37:1-2 – “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.”
• Isaiah 30:18 – “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
• Jeremiah 9:24 – “But let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”
• Zephaniah 3:5 – “The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.”
• Psalm 7:11 – “God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.”
• Psalm 58:11 – “Then people will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.'”

Overcoming Evil and Revenge with Good

• Romans 12:20 – “On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'”
• 1 Peter 2:23 – “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”
• Matthew 5:44 – “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
• Proverbs 25:21 – “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”
• Ephesians 4:31 – “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
• Colossians 3:8 – “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

Teaching Against Revenge

• Matthew 5:43-44 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
• Romans 12:17 – “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.”
• 1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
• Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”
• James 1:19-20 – “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
• Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
• Proverbs 12:16 – “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.”

Shunning Revenge and Relying on God’s Justice

• Romans 2:5 – “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
• 2 Thessalonians 1:6 – “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.”
• Revelation 6:10 – “They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?'”
• Revelation 19:2 – “‘For true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.'”
• Psalm 76:8-9 – “From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet—when you, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.”
• Isaiah 61:8 – “‘For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.'”
• Jeremiah 51:36 – “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.'”
• Lamentations 3:64 – “Pay them back what they deserve, Lord, for what their hands have done.”

Living at Peace and Forgoing Revenge

• Hebrews 12:14 – “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
• 1 Peter 3:11 – “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.”
• James 3:18 – “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
• Psalm 34:14 – “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
• Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
• Proverbs 12:20 – “Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.”
• 2 Corinthians 13:11 – “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”
• Ephesians 4:3 – “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Blessing Instead of Cursing and Revenge

• Romans 12:14 – “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
• Luke 6:28 – “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
• James 3:9-10 – “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
• Luke 6:27 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
• 1 Corinthians 4:12 – “We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it.”
• Colossians 3:13 – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Christ’s Teachings on Revenge

• Luke 6:29 – “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.”
• Matthew 5:39-40 – “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.”
• Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
• Matthew 7:12 – “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
• Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Old Testament on Revenge

• Exodus 21:24 – “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
• Leviticus 24:19-20 – “Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury.”
• Deuteronomy 19:21 – “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
• Numbers 35:19 – “The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upo
• 1 Samuel 24:12 – “May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.”
• 1 Kings 2:32 – “The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it, he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he.”
• 1 Samuel 26:10 – “As surely as the Lord lives,’ he said, ‘the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.'”
• Isaiah 35:4 – “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.'”
• 2 Kings 9:7 – “You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.”

New Testament on Revenge

• Romans 12:19 – “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
• Hebrews 10:30 – “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.'”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:15 – “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”
• 1 Peter 3:9 – “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
• James 1:20 – “Because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
• 1 Corinthians 6:7 – “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?”
• 2 Timothy 4:14 – “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.”

Personal Responsibility and Revenge

• Proverbs 19:11 – “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
• Romans 12:18 – “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
• Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Conclusion

As we’ve explored these 90 Bible verses about revenge, we’ve seen how Scripture guides us away from vengeance and towards forgiveness, peace, and trust in God’s justice. By embracing these teachings, we can let go of our desire for retribution and find healing in God’s love. Let these verses inspire us to live with grace and compassion, trusting that God’s plan for justice is always perfect.