You have enemies, and pretending you don’t won’t make them disappear. Someone is actively working against you, undermining your efforts, spreading lies about you, or trying to harm your reputation.
Maybe it’s a coworker who sabotages your projects, a family member who turns others against you, or someone from your past who won’t let go of their grudge. The injustice burns, the betrayal stings, and every instinct tells you to fight back, to defend yourself, to make them pay for what they’ve done.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said,
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
It’s counterintuitive, almost offensive to our sense of justice, but it’s exactly what Jesus taught. These verses reveal that God’s strategy for dealing with enemies is radically different from the world’s approach.
Instead of revenge, He calls for blessing. Instead of retaliation, He commands love. Instead of destruction, He offers a pathway that protects your soul while leaving justice in God’s capable hands.
Bible Verses About Dealing With Enemies
1. Matthew 5:44 – Love Your Enemies and Pray for Those Who Persecute You
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
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2. Romans 12:19-20 – Do Not Take Revenge
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. 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.”
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3. Proverbs 25:21-22 – If Your Enemy Is Hungry, Give Him Food
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.
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4. Luke 6:27-28 – Do Good to Those Who Hate You
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.
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5. Proverbs 24:17-18 – Do Not Gloat When Your Enemy Falls
Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.
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6. Romans 12:21 – Overcome Evil With Good
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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7. Psalm 23:5 – You Prepare a Table Before Me in the Presence of My Enemies
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
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8. Exodus 23:4-5 – Help Your Enemy
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.
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9. 1 Peter 3:9 – Do Not Repay Evil With Evil
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.
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10. Matthew 5:38-39 – Do Not Resist an Evil Person
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.
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11. Proverbs 16:7 – He Makes Even His Enemies Live at Peace
When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them.
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12. Psalm 37:1-2 – Do Not Fret Because of Those Who Are Evil
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.
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13. Romans 12:14 – Bless Those Who Persecute You
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
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14. Leviticus 19:18 – Do Not Seek Revenge
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
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15. 2 Samuel 16:11-12 – Leave Him Alone; Let Him Curse
David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
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16. Proverbs 20:22 – Wait for the Lord, and He Will Avenge You
Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.
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17. Luke 23:34 – Father, Forgive Them
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
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18. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 – Nobody Pays Back Wrong for Wrong
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
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19. Psalm 35:1-3 – Contend, Lord, With Those Who Contend With Me
Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.”
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20. Proverbs 24:29 – Do Not Say, “I’ll Do to Them as They Have Done”
Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”
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21. Matthew 5:43-45 – That You May Be Children of Your Father in Heaven
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.
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22. Psalm 18:17 – He Rescued Me From My Powerful Enemy
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
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23. 1 Samuel 24:12 – May the Lord Judge Between You and Me
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.
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24. Job 31:29-30 – I Have Not Rejoiced at My Enemy’s Misfortune
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.
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25. Psalm 110:1 – Until I Make Your Enemies a Footstool
The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
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26. Romans 5:10 – While We Were God’s Enemies
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
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27. Psalm 3:1-3 – Many Are My Enemies
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
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28. Proverbs 16:32 – Better to Be Patient Than a Warrior
Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.
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29. Hebrews 10:30 – The Lord Will Judge His People
For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
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30. 2 Chronicles 20:15 – The Battle Is Not Yours, but God’s
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.'”
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31. Psalm 27:2 – When the Wicked Advance Against Me
When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
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32. 1 Peter 2:23 – He Entrusted Himself to Him Who Judges Justly
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.
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33. Acts 7:60 – Lord, Do Not Hold This Sin Against Them
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.
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34. Genesis 50:20 – You Intended to Harm Me, but God Intended It for Good
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
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35. Psalm 138:7 – You Stretch Out Your Hand Against the Anger of My Foes
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.
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Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Dealing With Enemies
God’s approach to enemies is so counterintuitive that it almost seems foolish until you realize the wisdom behind it. Revenge keeps you chained to your enemy, letting them control your emotions, your peace, and your character.
When you love your enemies and pray for them, you’re not saying what they did was okay. You’re refusing to let their evil make you evil. You’re choosing to trust God’s justice instead of seeking your own, and you’re protecting your soul from the bitterness that destroys from the inside out.
What’s remarkable is that this approach often disarms enemies in ways retaliation never could. When you respond to hatred with love, to curses with blessings, to harm with kindness, you’re doing something so unexpected that it can break through walls nothing else could penetrate.
Sometimes your enemy stays your enemy. But sometimes your kindness becomes the tool God uses to turn an enemy into a friend. Either way, you’ve kept your character intact and left justice where it belongs: in God’s hands.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I have enemies who are actively working against me, and everything in me wants to fight back. The injustice is overwhelming, and I want them to pay for what they’ve done. But You’re calling me to something different, something that goes against every instinct I have.
Help me to love my enemies even when they don’t deserve it. Give me the strength to pray for those who persecute me, to bless those who curse me, and to do good to those who hate me. This feels impossible in my own strength, so I need Your Spirit to produce in me what I could never manufacture myself.
Protect me from the bitterness and hatred that wants to take root in my heart. Don’t let their evil turn me evil. Help me to overcome evil with good, to leave revenge in Your hands, and to trust that You will handle what I cannot fix.
Fight for me when I’m too weak to fight for myself. Be my shield, my defender, and my advocate. Bring justice in Your timing and Your way. Use even this situation for good somehow, and help me to keep my character intact through it all.
In Jesus’ Victorious Name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.