8 Bible Verses for Forgiveness (KJV) and a Prayer

8 KJV Bible verses about forgiveness, for forgiving others and receiving God's forgiveness, with short reflections and a prayer.

Ricky P

10/10/20262 min read

Forgiveness is rarely a one-time decision. It's a choice you sometimes have to make again the next morning, especially when the hurt runs deep. The Bible doesn't ask you to pretend the wrong didn't happen. It asks you to release it into God's hands, the same way He released yours. Here are eight King James verses on forgiving and being forgiven.

The verses

1. Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

The pattern for forgiving someone else is God's forgiveness of you. It's not earned; it's given.

2. Colossians 3:13 (KJV)

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

"Forbearing" means making room for people before they even ask for it.

3. Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Jesus ties forgiving others to receiving forgiveness. Holding on to a grudge holds you back too.

4. Mark 11:25 (KJV)

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Unforgiveness and prayer don't mix well. This verse puts them in the same breath on purpose.

5. 1 John 1:9 (KJV)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

When you're the one who needs forgiving, this is the promise: confess, and He is faithful.

6. Luke 6:37 (KJV)

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."

Forgiving someone doesn't mean saying what they did was fine. It means letting go of the judge's seat.

7. Psalm 103:12 (KJV)

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

East and west never meet. That's how completely God removes what's confessed to Him.

8. Matthew 18:21-22 (KJV)

"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."

Jesus isn't asking you to count to 490. He's asking you to stop counting.

A prayer for forgiveness

Lord, there's someone I'm struggling to forgive, and I need Your help to let it go. Thank You for forgiving me first, through Christ, over and over. Soften my heart toward the person who hurt me the way Jesus softened mine, and heal the part of me still holding on. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Putting it into practice

  • Write down the specific hurt, then write "I release this to God" underneath it.

  • Pray for the person who hurt you by name, even if it's hard at first.

  • If you need to forgive yourself for something, read 1 John 1:9 out loud.