Ephesians 4:26
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Anger itself is not forbidden — "be ye angry" — but it is bounded: no sin, and no overnight grudge.
Read Ephesians 4:26 in contextBible Verses for Anger
Ten hand-picked King James Version passages that deal honestly with anger — soft answers, slow wrath, and the vengeance that belongs to God alone. Every verse is fully quoted, linked to its permanent page, and free to share.
The verses
James 1:19
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
The order of operations for a hot temper: swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Read James 1:19 in contextProverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
The mechanics of de-escalation: a soft answer turns wrath away, while harsh words feed it.
Read Proverbs 15:1 in contextProverbs 29:11
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise [man] keepeth it in till afterwards.
The difference between a fool and a wise man is not feeling anger but venting it all at once.
Read Proverbs 29:11 in contextEphesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
A list of what anger spawns when it is kept: bitterness, wrath, clamour, evil speaking, malice.
Read Ephesians 4:31 in contextPsalms 37:8
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
A command aimed at the fuming heart: cease from anger — and a warning that fretting leads to doing evil.
Read Psalms 37:8 in contextColossians 3:8
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
The "put off" language of new clothes: anger, wrath and malice belong to the old self, not the new.
Read Colossians 3:8 in contextProverbs 14:29
[He that is] slow to wrath [is] of great understanding: but [he that is] hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
Slowness to wrath is a mark of understanding; a hasty spirit is called folly.
Read Proverbs 14:29 in contextRomans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
The deepest root of anger is often a desire for vengeance — and that is explicitly handed back to God.
Read Romans 12:19 in contextMatthew 5:9
Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
The beatitude that crowns the anger passages: the peacemakers are named children of God.
Read Matthew 5:9 in contextHow to use these verses
- Read one before the conversation, not after — Proverbs 15:1 works better as a plan than a post-mortem.
- Practice the James 1:19 order — hear first, speak second, and let wrath arrive last.
- Make an image of the verse you need most, and keep it where you will see it before you reply.
- Send a verse to someone in a quarrel — a soft answer can travel in a link.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about anger?
The Bible does not ban anger outright — "be ye angry, and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26). It bounds it: no overnight grudges, no vengeance (Romans 12:19), and a repeated pattern of swift hearing, slow speech and slow wrath (James 1:19).
Which translation are these verses from?
The King James Version (1769), which is in the public domain in the United States. Rights may differ outside the U.S.
Are these verses free to use and share?
Yes. The KJV text is public domain, so you may copy, quote and share these verses freely. You can also turn any verse into an image for Pinterest, Instagram or a phone wallpaper.
Do these verses come from a mood filter or a keyword search?
Neither. Each verse was hand-picked for the angry state of mind, and every passage is a full KJV verse with its context one click away.