Mercy

Mercy is compassion shown to the guilty or the needy, including the withholding of deserved punishment. God is rich in mercy and calls on people to show mercy to others.

God is merciful

• Exodus 34:6-7
  ⁶And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, ⁷Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
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• Psalm 103:8-12
  ⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. ⁹He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. ¹⁰He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. ¹¹For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. ¹²As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
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• Lamentations 3:22-23
  ²²It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. ²³They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
  Show context · Read Lamentations 3 →
• Micah 7:18
  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.Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance— who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
  Show context · Read Micah 7 →

Saved by mercy

• Ephesians 2:4-5
  ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!
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• Titus 3:5
  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
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• 1 Peter 1:3
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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Asking for mercy

• Psalm 51:1
  Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
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• Luke 18:13
  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’
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• Luke 18:38
  And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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• Hebrews 4:16
  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
  Show context · Read Hebrews 4 →

Being merciful

• Matthew 5:7
  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
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• Luke 6:36
  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
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• Micah 6:8
  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
  Show context · Read Micah 6 →
• James 2:13
  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
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Mercy and not sacrifice

• Hosea 6:6
  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
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• Matthew 9:13
  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
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• Matthew 12:7
  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
  Show context · Read Matthew 12 →

See also

• Grace
• Forgiveness
• Love of God
• Kindness

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.