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Bible Verses About Regret

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

— Psalms 32:1

The Bible is full of people who would give anything to unsay one sentence or unmake one choice — Peter by the fire, David with Bathsheba's arithmetic. Its regret verses hold two things together: honest grief and a God who restores years the locusts ate. The fifteen verses below are the Bible's direct address to that situation, shown in full KJV text from Psalms 32:1 to Proverbs 28:13.

Quick answer: The best-known verse about regret here is Psalms 32:1: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Psalms 32:2 follows close behind: "Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." Both are public-domain translations, shown in full on the cards below with a modern-English toggle.

The 15 verses, in full text

01 · King James Version

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psalms 32:1

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02 · King James Version

Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Psalms 32:2

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03 · King James Version

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

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04 · King James Version

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

Psalms 130:3

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05 · King James Version

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.

Psalms 25:7

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06 · King James Version

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Isaiah 43:18

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07 · King James Version

Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

Jeremiah 31:19

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08 · King James Version

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

Joel 2:25

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09 · King James Version

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:17

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10 · King James Version

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Luke 15:17

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11 · King James Version

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

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12 · King James Version

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

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13 · King James Version

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:24

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14 · King James Version

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Philippians 3:13

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15 · King James Version

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

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When to read these verses

Read these when the feeling is specific enough to name and heavy enough to slow the day down. The Bible's emotional verses are unusually precise about inner states — which is why they land better read slowly than skimmed. One verse, read aloud twice, tends to do more than the whole list skimmed once.

How to use this list

Use the copy button to move a verse into the place you will actually see it — a lock screen, a note, a message to someone who shares the feeling. If you want the list to keep working after today, the random verse tool above can draw one verse from this theme on demand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Bible verse about regret?
Psalms 32:1 is the one most readers land on: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Psalms 32:2 is the usual second: "Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." The full list of fifteen is on this page — there is no single required verse, and different seasons call for different texts.
Does the Bible treat emotions like regret as a faith problem?
No — the Psalms alone contain every major inner state spoken aloud to God without rebuke, and the New Testament's commands about feelings (rejoice, be anxious for nothing) are addressed to people clearly still feeling them. Scripture's pattern is naming, then directing: the feeling is real, and it is given somewhere to go.
Where in the Bible does it talk about regret?
The verses on this page come from 11 books of the Bible — most notably Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah and 8 more — spanning both Old and New Testaments. The distribution itself is worth noticing: Scripture addresses regret in more than one voice, which is why the page shows whole verses rather than a single proof text.
How do I use a list of verses about regret?
Read the list once slowly, then keep the one verse that fits your situation close — the copy button places it wherever you will actually see it. Every card can be switched to the World English Bible for modern wording, and the random verse tool at the top of the page can draw one verse from this theme at a time if the whole list is more than today needs.

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