The 17 bible verses about forgiveness kjv below keep the familiar wording of 1611, so you can read, memorize or share them exactly as written.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12 (KJV)
In the KJV Lord’s Prayer, forgiveness is something we both ask for and give. The word debts pictures sin as something owed, and the verse ties our own pardon to how freely we release others. It is among the best known bible verses about forgiveness kjv.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Matthew 6:14 (KJV)
Jesus returns to the point right after the prayer, as if he knew it would be hard to hear. The verse is not about earning forgiveness. It shows that a heart that clings to bitterness cannot easily receive mercy.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
Paul gives us a pattern and a reason: forgive because you have been forgiven. In the KJV the phrase tenderhearted keeps the warmth in the instruction, so it reads as an invitation, not a rule.
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Colossians 3:13 (KJV)
Forbearing means putting up with each other, and the verse admits that real quarrels happen. It sets Christ’s forgiveness as the model, which makes this one of the more practical bible verses about forgiveness kjv for everyday relationships.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (KJV)
Faithful and just are two words that steady a nervous conscience. God forgives not as a favor that might be withdrawn but as something consistent with his own character, and the cleansing goes beyond pardon to renewal.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalms 103:12 (KJV)
East and west never meet, unlike north and south, which is why the image is so complete. David, who knew his own serious failures, chose a picture of distance that cannot be measured.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psalms 51:1 (KJV)
This is David’s prayer after his greatest sin. He asks nothing on his own merit; he appeals to God’s lovingkindness. Among the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, it is the model prayer of repentance.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18 (KJV)
God invites a conversation, not just a verdict. Scarlet and crimson were fast dyes that could not be washed out, which makes the promise of snow and wool all the more striking.
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Isaiah 43:25 (KJV)
The repeated I, even I, shows God taking the initiative. He forgives for his own sake, because of who he is, not because we have earned it. That is a strong ground for hope among bible verses about forgiveness kjv.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luke 6:37 (KJV)
Three commands travel together here: do not judge, do not condemn, do forgive. The old KJV rhythm makes them easy to remember. Jesus links a merciful spirit toward others with receiving mercy ourselves.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Luke 23:34 (KJV)
Spoken from the cross, these words are the highest example of forgiveness in Scripture. Jesus prays for the very people driving the nails, and his request shows that forgiveness does not wait for an apology.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:19 (KJV)
Peter preaches to a crowd that had called for Jesus’ death, and still offers them a full pardon. The phrase times of refreshing turns forgiveness into something that feels like cool water after a long walk.
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Micah 7:18 (KJV)
Delighteth in mercy is a lovely phrase. God does not forgive reluctantly; he enjoys it. For people who fear he is waiting to punish, this verse among the bible verses about forgiveness kjv offers a different picture.
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Matthew 18:21-22 (KJV)
Peter thought seven was generous. Jesus multiplies it beyond counting to make a point: forgiveness is not a ledger to be kept but a way of life. The KJV phrase seventy times seven has entered everyday speech.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Psalms 86:5 (KJV)
Ready to forgive describes a God who is already leaning toward us. Plenteous in mercy suggests there is more than enough. It reminds us that no one who calls on him is turned away at the door.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
Paul links forgiveness with redemption, a price paid. The phrase riches of his grace is generous language, and the verse is a favorite among bible verses about forgiveness kjv in services of communion and baptism.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:25 (KJV)
Jesus gives a very practical prayer habit: before you pray, check whether you are holding something against someone. Forgiveness is treated as part of prayer itself, not a separate task.
When English speakers say forgive us our trespasses, they are quoting a rhythm set in the early seventeenth century. The translators of the King James Version worked for years on word choice, and many of their phrases for pardon are still in everyday speech: blotted out, as white as snow, seventy times seven.
That is one reason people search for bible verses about forgiveness kjv in particular. They may have learned a verse as a child, heard it at a funeral, or want the stately wording for a card. The KJV gives a sense of weight and memory that modern wording sometimes does not.
This page keeps that language as it is. The notes beneath each verse are plain modern English, so you get the beauty of the old text along with a clear explanation of what it means.
In the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, forgiveness is not forgetting and not pretending something did not matter. It is a decision to release a debt, to refuse to hold a wrong against someone any longer. When God forgives, the sin is dealt with fully and no longer stands between us and him.
The Hebrew and Greek words used in the bible verses about forgiveness kjv carry pictures: to lift, to cover, to send away, to release. Each stresses a different angle, but all agree that forgiveness involves someone taking a weight off another person’s shoulders.
That is why the bible verses about forgiveness kjv treat forgiveness as costly. Someone has to absorb the hurt rather than pass it back. For God, the cost was the cross. For us, it is the effort of letting go of what we are owed.
The Lord’s Prayer is probably the most repeated passage in the English language, and the clause about forgiveness is its only one with a condition attached. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Jesus then comments on it directly in Matthew 6:14-15, as if to make sure we do not skip over it.
The KJV uses debts in Matthew and trespasses in the familiar liturgical form. Both words work: a debt is something owed, a trespass is a boundary crossed. Either way, we are asking God to treat our failures as he hopes we will treat other people’s.
Praying the clause slowly can be sobering. Say it and ask yourself who you are still holding a debt against. The prayer will often bring a name to mind within seconds.
Before the Bible asks us to forgive anyone, it tells us God has forgiven. Ephesians 4:32 says to forgive as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you, and Colossians 3:13 repeats the idea. The order matters. Our forgiveness is a response, not a way of earning anything.
This changes how forgiving others feels when you read the bible verses about forgiveness kjv. We are not generating mercy out of nowhere; we are passing on what we received. Many of the bible verses about forgiveness kjv put the gift of divine pardon at the front so that human forgiveness can rest on it.
If you struggle to forgive, begin by sitting with how much has been forgiven you. It softens the ground more reliably than any argument.
First John 1:9 is a verse many carry in their pocket, and it is central among bible verses about forgiveness kjv. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive. Confession means agreeing with God about what we did, without excuse. It is not groveling, and it is not self-punishment. It is honesty, offered to someone who promised to respond with pardon.
Of all the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, this one answers the question of what to do when you know you have failed. You say so. God forgives, and he cleanses, which means he deals with the stain as well as the guilt. The relief can be real and immediate.
If the weight of a particular sin lingers, Bible verses for forgiveness and repentance goes deeper into how turning back to God works in practice.
Psalms 51, central to the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, was written after David’s terrible misuse of power. He had no excuse and he did not try to make one. He appealed instead to God’s lovingkindness and tender mercies, the only ground on which anyone can ask for forgiveness. It remains the model of how to pray after serious wrongdoing.
Notice the verbs: have mercy, blot out, wash me, cleanse me. Each describes cleaning, as if David were scrubbing a stain that would not come out. Among the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, this psalm is the longest and most honest, and it is worth reading in full.
It also ends with hope. A broken and contrite heart, God will not despise. People who feel they have gone too far to be forgiven will find, in the psalm, that this is exactly the kind of heart God welcomes.
Psalms 103:12 gives one of the most visual pictures of forgiveness anywhere in the bible verses about forgiveness kjv. East and west never meet. You can travel in one direction forever without arriving at the other. That is how far God has put our transgressions.
The psalm sits within a longer description of God’s character: slow to anger, rich in mercy, as a father pities his children. Bible verses about forgiveness kjv like this one make the point that God’s forgiveness is not grudging or partial. It is complete and it is characteristic of him.
When old regrets return at night, say the verse back to them. You are not denying what happened. You are reminding yourself where God has put it.
Isaiah 1:18 may be the best known image of cleansing among bible verses about forgiveness kjv. Scarlet and crimson dyes were famously hard to remove from cloth. The prophet says God can make them white as snow, which is a way of saying that even stubborn stains are not beyond him.
The context is worth noting. God opens with come now, and let us reason together. It is an invitation to talk, with a promise at the end. In the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, this verse shows that forgiveness is offered within a relationship, not simply declared from a distance.
Read it on a winter morning if you can, looking out at fresh snow. The image sticks, and it can stay with you in moments when guilt tries to reclaim the day.
Colossians 3:13, Matthew 6:14 and Mark 11:25 all turn from receiving forgiveness to giving it. Together they present it as ordinary Christian behavior, something to practice daily, not an occasional heroic act. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv are consistent on this point.
Forgiving others is rarely easy. It may take weeks or years, and it often has to be chosen again each time the memory returns. That does not mean you have failed. Forgiveness is a decision first and a feeling later, and the feeling sometimes lags far behind.
For further help, Bible verses for forgiving others looks at passages specifically written to help us let go of what has been done to us.
Readers of bible verses about forgiveness kjv often find it easier to believe God forgives them than to forgive themselves. They replay the mistake, rehearse what they should have done and treat their own memory like a judge. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv make no distinction here: if God has removed the transgression, we are not wiser to hold on to it.
Self-forgiveness is not self-excuse. It accepts that the wrong was real, takes whatever responsibility is possible and then agrees with God that the matter is closed. Psalms 103:12 and Isaiah 43:25 are good verses for this, since they speak of God choosing not to remember.
Bible verses about forgiving yourself is a gentle companion page for anyone who is stuck in that loop.
Peter was trying to be generous when he suggested forgiving seven times, and the bible verses about forgiveness kjv record Jesus’ surprising answer. In Jewish teaching, three was the usual limit. Jesus answers with seventy times seven, a number so large that no one can keep count. The point is not arithmetic but attitude: stop keeping score.
He follows with the parable of the unforgiving servant, who was forgiven an enormous debt and then choked a colleague over a tiny one. It is a sharp story and an honest one. We are all both the forgiven servant and the one tempted to demand repayment.
Bible verses about forgiveness kjv like Matthew 18:21-22 are not asking us to be doormats. They are asking us to refuse the corrosion of resentment, even when boundaries and consequences are still needed.
Bible verses about forgiveness kjv do not erase consequences. A person who has stolen may still need to repay; a person who has abused trust may still need to earn it back, slowly. Forgiveness releases the hatred and the demand for revenge, while wisdom decides what happens next.
This matters especially in cases of serious harm. Nothing in the bible verses about forgiveness kjv asks someone to stay in danger or to pretend an abuser is safe. You can forgive in your heart and still protect yourself, report a crime or end a relationship.
Where harm has been grave, seek support from a counselor, pastor or trusted friend. Forgiveness is hard enough without carrying it alone, and the process often takes professional care and plenty of time.
Luke 23:34 stands apart from every other verse in the bible verses about forgiveness kjv. Jesus is dying in public agony, and his first thoughts are for the people who put him there. He asks the Father to forgive, and he gives a reason: they know not what they do.
It does not excuse them. It names their blindness with compassion. Of all the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, this is the one that shows forgiveness at its most costly and most free. Stephen would later echo it as he was stoned, and countless believers since have prayed it for their enemies.
If you are struggling to forgive someone who has deeply wronged you, Father Forgive Them Bible Verse looks closely at this moment and what it can teach us.
Acts 3:19 pairs forgiveness with refreshing. The picture is of a person who has been carrying a heavy load being able to set it down and breathe. Many who have received forgiveness describe exactly this: lighter, cleaner and able to look people in the eye again.
The same relief is available to the person who forgives. Resentment is heavy to carry, and many discover that letting it go refreshes them more than they expected. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv promise a lift that works in both directions.
Give yourself permission to enjoy it. Walk outside, open a window, take a deep breath. Forgiveness is not only a duty but a gift.
Marriages that live out bible verses about forgiveness kjv thrive on small forgivenesses repeated daily. Forgiving the unwashed dish, the forgotten errand, the sharp word at the end of a long day. Over decades, those tiny releases add up to a gentle home. Ephesians 4:32 reads like a marriage manual: kind, tenderhearted, forgiving.
Bigger wounds need more care. Betrayal, broken trust and long silence call for honest conversation, patience and often outside help. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv here set the direction without pretending the path is quick.
Try to say sorry first and mean it. Few things soften a house more reliably than a sincere apology followed by a sincere acceptance.
Family hurts run deep because they begin early, and bible verses about forgiveness kjv speak to them. A parent’s harsh word, a sibling’s betrayal, an inheritance quarrel: such wounds can sit for years. Colossians 3:13 admits that there may be a quarrel against any, and it says to forgive anyway, as Christ forgave.
Reconciliation takes two, but forgiveness only takes one. You can release a family member in your heart even if they never apologize. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv encourage you to take that step for your own peace, whatever response follows.
When it is safe and wise, a small gesture like a card or a call can open a door. Leave the response in God’s hands.
Some wounds are too large for even the best bible verses about forgiveness kjv to heal with a quick prayer. If that is where you are, be gentle with yourself. Ask God to be willing to be willing. That honest prayer, I cannot, but I want to, is one he has answered many times.
Reading bible verses about forgiveness kjv slowly, one a day, can slowly soften the ground. Pair them with prayer for the person who hurt you, even a short one. Praying for someone has a way of shifting how we feel about them without any act of will.
Take your time. Seek counsel. Forgiveness is a journey that God walks with you, and he is more patient than we are.
Children understand fairness before they understand grace. They keep score, and they will tell you exactly how many turns their brother has had. Teaching forgiveness means showing it. When a parent says I’m sorry and I forgive you, a child absorbs the pattern better than any sermon.
Short bible verses about forgiveness kjv such as Ephesians 4:32 are easy to learn. Say it after an argument has settled, when hearts are soft. Ask what it means to be tenderhearted and let them answer in their own words.
Praise the small steps, a shared toy or a spoken sorry. Children who learn that forgiveness is normal at home tend to carry it into their own friendships.
Grace and forgiveness are close relatives in the bible verses about forgiveness kjv. Grace is the unearned kindness of God; forgiveness is one of the main ways it shows up. Ephesians 1:7 puts them side by side: the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.
The bible verses about forgiveness kjv therefore keep returning to the generosity of God. He is not forgiving reluctantly or after calculating how much we deserve. He is rich in grace, and forgiveness is one of the ways he spends it.
To go deeper, Bible verses about grace and forgiveness looks at how the two ideas are woven through the Bible.
Prayer is the place where bible verses about forgiveness kjv usually become real. A simple pattern helps. Name what happened, honestly. Tell God how it hurt. Say that you choose to release the person, and ask him to help you mean it. Finally, ask him to bless them, even if only in a small way.
Repeat when the memory returns. You will probably need to pray this more than once, perhaps many times. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv are not magic words but anchors, and they help us come back to the same decision with a steady mind.
See Bible verses about prayer and forgiveness for passages that join the two practices.
The KJV is well suited to memorization because of its rhythm. Try Psalms 103:12 or Ephesians 4:32. Write one on a card, put it where you will see it, and say it each morning for a week. By Friday you will be saying it without looking.
Memorized bible verses about forgiveness kjv are especially useful at the moment of offense, when there is no time to find a book. A short verse remembered in the car, in the office or at the dinner table can change your response before the words leave your mouth.
Over time, a handful of verses become a quiet resource, a source of calm that you carry everywhere.
Some of the hardest forgiveness work comes after years of silence between two people. A friendship ended over a careless remark, a brother and sister stopped speaking after a funeral, a business partner walked away. Each side may be sure the other should move first, and the silence grows quietly heavier. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv do not ask you to wait for the other person to change.
Mark 11:25 speaks to this directly: when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any. The instruction is to deal with your own heart right where you stand, without waiting for an apology that may never come. You can pray for the person, wish them well, and release the matter even if you never speak again.
If the way opens for contact, keep it simple. A short note saying you have been thinking of them and hold nothing against them is enough. You cannot control the answer, but you can offer the door.
There is a common idea that forgiving someone means losing, as if the other person got away with it. The Bible presents it the other way around. Forgiveness takes strength, the strength to refuse the easy satisfaction of revenge and to stay open when it would be simpler to harden. Jesus on the cross was in no sense weak.
Resentment gives the person who hurt you continued power over your thoughts, your sleep and your mood. Releasing it takes that power back. Among the bible verses about forgiveness kjv, Luke 6:37 puts it in a practical way: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. The act changes the one who performs it, usually for the better.
You may still feel the sting for a long time. That is normal and does not mean you did not forgive. It means you were hurt, and forgiving is the way you refuse to let the hurt decide who you become.
Right after answering Peter, Jesus told of a king whose servant owed him an impossible sum, something like a lifetime of wages many times over. The servant begged for time, and the king did far more than grant it; he cancelled the whole debt. Then the same servant found a fellow worker who owed him a small amount and had him thrown into prison.
The king’s reaction is severe, because the servant had refused to pass on what he had received. This parable lies behind several bible verses about forgiveness kjv, especially Matthew 6:12 and Ephesians 4:32. It shows that the debt God forgives us is vast and the debts others owe us are small by comparison.
That does not make our hurts trivial. It places them in proportion, and it reminds us why mercy is the sensible response to people who owe us, when we ourselves have been so freely let off.
If you do not know where to begin, here is a prayer you may use or change. Lord, I have done wrong, and you know exactly what it was. I do not want to hide it or explain it away. Please forgive me, as you promised you would. Wash me clean, and help me begin again today. Thank you for your mercy. Amen.
The prayer follows the shape of the bible verses about forgiveness kjv in 1 John 1:9 and Psalms 51:1. It confesses, asks for mercy and trusts the promise. There is no need for long words, because God hears the honest heart more clearly than the polished sentence.
If you need to forgive someone, you can pray: Lord, I release this person to you. I do not want to carry this any longer. Help me to see them as you see them, and fill the space where the anger was with your peace.
Forgiveness lies at the center of the Christian faith. God forgives, we are invited to receive it, and we are asked to pass it on. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv gathered here show it in many lights: as a debt cancelled, a stain washed, a distance placed between us and our failures.
Choose one of these verses and make it your own this week. If you need forgiveness, hear the invitation to confess and be cleansed. If you need to forgive, ask for strength to release. Either way, you are walking a path others have walked, and God goes with you.
May the old words of the King James Version give you something steady to stand on. He is ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon him.
After these bible verses about forgiveness kjv, you may want to keep reading with these related pages: Bible verses about forgiveness, God’s forgiveness, forgiving others, God’s mercy, sin and forgiveness, Forgive your enemies, forgiveness and healing, forgiveness and love, more KJV Bible verses, Bible verses about grace.
To study these verses in more depth, try Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible.
Matthew 6:12, Ephesians 4:32, 1 John 1:9 and Psalms 103:12 are among the most famous bible verses about forgiveness kjv. They cover asking for pardon, giving it to others, confessing sin and trusting that God has removed it completely.
The KJV says to forgive as Christ forgave you in Colossians 3:13 and warns in Matthew 6:14 that our own forgiveness is linked with how we treat others. These bible verses about forgiveness kjv present forgiving as a daily habit of the heart.
A trespass is a step across a boundary, and the KJV uses it in Matthew 6:14 and Mark 11:25 for wrongs against others. Many bible verses about forgiveness kjv also use debts, transgressions and iniquity, each giving a slightly different picture of sin.
Scripture says he is ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all who call on him (Psalms 86:5), and 1 John 1:9 promises cleansing from all unrighteousness. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv invite everyone to come to God sincerely.
Jesus answered Peter with seventy times seven in Matthew 18:22, meaning there is no limit. The bible verses about forgiveness kjv ask us to stop keeping score, though forgiveness does not require staying in unsafe situations or ignoring consequences.
Short ones fit best: Ephesians 4:32, Psalms 103:12 and Isaiah 1:18 are warm and widely recognized. Choose one of these bible verses about forgiveness kjv and add a line of your own so the card feels personal and sincere.
