"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
— Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
People who search bible verses about loving your enemies want Scripture for the hardest love — opponents, persecutors, people who have harmed you. This page is a numbered list of fifteen passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Neighbor-love is the wider royal command under Bible verses about loving your neighbor. Forgiveness that often travels with enemy-love is under Bible verses about forgiveness. Theme pages: Love and enemies.
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15 Bible verses about loving your enemies
Matthew 5:44. "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Jesus pairs love with prayer for the people who oppose you — not only polite distance. See Love and enemies.
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." Love, do good, bless, pray — four concrete moves toward people who hate and curse.
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." Enemy-love imitates the Father's kindness to the ungrateful.
Romans 12:14. "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Paul repeats the blessing command and forbids the curse in the same breath.
Romans 12:17-18. "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Enemy-love refuses payback and seeks peace as far as it depends on you.
Romans 12:20-21. "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.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Practical mercy (food, drink) is how evil is overcome — not mirrored.
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." Paul quotes this wisdom path: meet need instead of revenge.
Matthew 5:43-45. "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, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Jesus corrects the shortcut that limited love to friends; the Father's sun and rain already reach both.
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." Blessing is the repayment — and the calling.
Exodus 23:4-5. "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it." Enemy-love in Torah looks like returning property and helping under a load.
Job 31:29-30. "If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him — I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life." Job refuses gloating and curses even in private speech.
Luke 23:34. "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'" From the cross, Jesus prays for the people harming him. See Bible verses about forgiveness.
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." Stephen echoes Jesus while being stoned — forgiveness prayed for killers.
1 Corinthians 13:5. "[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." Enemy-love refuses a growing ledger of wrongs. See 1 Corinthians 13:5.
Matthew 5:9. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Peacemaking is the posture that often accompanies enemy-love — children who look like their Father. See also Bible verses about kindness.
How to use these verses
Pick one verse for a hard name on your prayer list — not fifteen. Read it out loud. Start with prayer for the person (Matthew 5:44) before you try to feel warm. If the wound needs forgiveness language, open Bible verses about forgiveness. For foes, hostility, and rescue rather than the love command alone, open Bible verses about enemies. For neighbor-love in ordinary life, use Bible verses about loving your neighbor. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.
Questions people ask
What is the best Bible verse about loving your enemies?
Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28 are the clearest starting places. See Love and enemies.
Does loving your enemies mean staying in danger?
These verses command love, prayer, blessing, and practical mercy. They do not cancel wisdom about safety, boundaries, or justice. Live at peace "as far as it depends on you" (Romans 12:18).
How is this different from loving your neighbor?
Neighbor-love is the royal summary command. Enemy-love presses the same love toward people who hate, curse, or persecute you — the case neighbor-love is most tempted to exclude.
Which verse says bless those who persecute you?
Romans 12:14. Luke 6:28 says the same: bless those who curse you.
Where should I read next?
Read Love and enemies, Bible verses about forgiveness, and Bible verses about loving your neighbor. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.
