Forgiveness is a powerful step towards peace and healing. It’s about letting go of past hurts to move forward with less bitterness. This journey isn’t just about making peace with others, but also about healing ourselves. From the tender mercies of the Psalms to the profound teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, each verse from these 160 forgiveness Bible verses invites us to reflect on the essence of forgiveness, encouraging us to release the burdens of the past and embrace a future filled with hope and new beginnings.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

• 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.”
• Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
• 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.”
• Luke 17:3-4 – “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
• 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.'”
• 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 – “If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.”
• 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.”
• Job 42:10 – “After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
• Matthew 5:23-24 – “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
• Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Divine Forgiveness

• Psalm 103:10-12 – “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
• Isaiah 43:25 – “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
• Micah 7:18-19 – “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
• Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
• Daniel 9:9 – “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.”
• Hebrews 9:22 – “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
• Jeremiah 31:34 – “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
• Acts 10:43 – “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
• 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.”
• Colossians 1:13-14 – “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Forgiveness and God’s Mercy

• Psalm 130:3-4 – “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.”
• Lamentations 3:22-23 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
• Numbers 14:18 – “‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’”
• Joel 2:12-13 – “‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
• Nehemiah 9:17 – “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,”
• Psalm 86:15 – “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
• Jonah 4:2 – “He prayed to the Lord, ‘Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.’”
• Exodus 34:6-7 – “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’”
• Daniel 9:18 – “Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.”
• Micah 6:18 – “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”

Personal Responsibility and Forgiveness

• Proverbs 17:9 – “Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”
• Matthew 6:12 – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
• Luke 11:4 – “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
• Ephesians 4:26-27 – “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
• Matthew 7:1-2 – “‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’”
• Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
• James 4:7 – “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
• 1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
• 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.’”
• 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

Repentance and Forgiveness

• 2 Chronicles 30:9b – “For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
• Isaiah 55:6-7 – “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
• Acts 5:31 – “God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.”
• Luke 3:3 – “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
• Acts 26:18 – “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
• 1 Kings 8:33-34 – “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.”
• Psalm 32:5 – “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
• Psalm 103:8-12 – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
• Ezekiel 18:21-22 – “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live.”
• Luke 15:7 – “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

God’s Forgiveness and Compassion

• Psalm 78:38 – “Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.”
• Isaiah 44:22 – “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
• Jeremiah 36:3 – “Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”
• Hosea 14:4 – “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.”
• Matthew 12:31 – “And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”
• Mark 2:5 – “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”
• Luke 7:47-48 – “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”
• Acts 8:22 – “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.”
• Colossians 2:13-14 – “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
• 1 Timothy 1:15-16 – “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

Seeking Forgiveness

• Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
• James 5:16 – “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
• 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
• Proverbs 24:16 – “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”
• Luke 18:13-14 – “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’”
• Daniel 9:19 – “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
• Acts 3:19 – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
• Psalm 38:18 – “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.”
• Psalm 130:4 – “But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.”
• Psalm 25:11 – “For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.”

Forgiveness and Restoration

• 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
• Psalm 116:5 – “The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”
• 1 Peter 5:10 – “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
• Joel 2:25-26 – “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.”
• Jeremiah 33:6 – “‘Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.”
• Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
• Psalm 103:4 – “Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,”
• Isaiah 43:18-19 – “‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’”
• Zephaniah 3:19 – “At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame.”
• Romans 8:1 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”