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For many people, the familiar words of scripture are a source of deep comfort after a loss. The Psalms in particular are full of honest sorrow — they do not pretend that grief is easy — alongside steady assurance that the brokenhearted are not abandoned.
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The verses below are taken from the King James Version, which is in the public domain and remains one of the most loved English translations. Where a verse is given in modern wording, it is marked “After” the reference.
These verses are often read at funerals, written in sympathy cards, or kept by the bedside for difficult nights.
If you would like a verse matched to how you feel today, write a few words in the reflection space on our home page.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.
— Psalm 34:18 (KJV)He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
— Psalm 147:3 (KJV)Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
— Matthew 5:4 (KJV)Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
— Matthew 11:28 (KJV)And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying.
— Revelation 21:4 (KJV)Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
— Psalm 30:5 (KJV)Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.
— Psalm 23:4 (KJV)God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
— Psalm 46:1 (KJV)Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee.
— Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
— Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
— John 14:27 (KJV)And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds.
— Philippians 4:7 (KJV)To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
— Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
— Ecclesiastes 3:4 (KJV)For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
— 2 Corinthians 4:16 (KJV)Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation.
— Romans 12:12 (KJV)Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
— Romans 12:15 (KJV)His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.
— Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV)I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
— Psalm 121:1 (KJV)And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
— After 1 Corinthians 13:7–8Do not worry about tomorrow; each day has enough trouble of its own.
— After Matthew 6:34Jesus wept.
— John 11:35 (KJV)A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.
— Proverbs 17:22 (KJV)Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.
— Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV)For love is strong as death.
— Song of Solomon 8:6 (KJV)Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
— Psalm 56:8 (KJV)Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.
— Joshua 1:9 (KJV)He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
— Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV)I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep.
— Psalm 4:8 (KJV)When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.
— Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.
— Psalm 55:22 (KJV)Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge.
— Ruth 1:16 (KJV)So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
— Psalm 90:12 (KJV)To give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.
— Isaiah 61:3 (KJV)Bear ye one another's burdens.
— Galatians 6:2 (KJV)I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
— Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)Two are better than one… For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.
— Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (KJV)I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
— 2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
— Psalm 23:1–2 (KJV)He restoreth my soul.
— Psalm 23:3 (KJV)Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
— Ephesians 4:26 (KJV)Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another.
— Colossians 3:13 (KJV)I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
— Philippians 4:13 (KJV)In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
— Psalm 94:19 (KJV)Neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.
— After Romans 8:38–39Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God.
— Psalm 42:11 (KJV)For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
— 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)Be still, and know that I am God.
— Psalm 46:10 (KJV)For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
— Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)