This list gives you King James Version Bible verses about encouraging others, arranged by the situations where you are most likely to need them: the morning you are tempted to stay silent, the friend who is struggling, the coworker whose work deserves notice, and the quiet ways you can build someone up over time. It is written for anyone who wants to speak life into family, friends, church members, and strangers. These verses share a common thread. They describe encouragement as something rooted in God’s own care for people, and they ask you to pass that care along in ordinary words and actions.
Verses for Noticing Someone Who Is Struggling
Encouragement often begins with paying attention. Before you can say a helpful word, you have to see that someone is weary, discouraged, or carrying a burden they have not mentioned. The verses in this section point you toward looking beyond the surface and responding with compassion.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
(KJV)
Paul asks believers to carry one another’s heavy loads, which means the work of encouragement is shared work. Today, try to name one burden a friend has mentioned and ask how you can lighten it, even if the help is as small as sending a meal or taking an errand off their list.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
(KJV)
This verse asks you to enter into other people’s emotions, both their celebrations and their sorrows. When someone shares news with you this week, resist the urge to move on quickly. Stay present with them for a moment and let your face and voice show that their experience matters to you.
Hebrews 10:24
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works…
(KJV)
The writer of Hebrews urges believers to consider how they might stir one another toward love and good works. Think about one person in your life whose faith or patience has been tested lately, and choose a specific way to spur them forward, such as inviting them to pray together or to join you in serving.
Verses for Speaking Words That Build Up
Words have a way of lasting longer than the moment in which they are spoken. The passages in this section remind you that what you say to others can strengthen their hearts or wound them, and they call you to choose words that give grace.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
(KJV)
Paul contrasts corrupt talk with words that edify and minister grace to those who hear. Before you send a text or speak in a meeting today, pause and ask whether your words will help the listener become stronger. If they will not, consider a different way to say what you need to say.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
(KJV)
Proverbs compares pleasant words to honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the body. This week, look for one honest compliment you can give someone without flattery, and name the specific quality you admire in them. Concrete praise tends to be remembered longer than general praise.
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
(KJV)
Paul asks that our speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Grace in conversation means kindness that still tells the truth. When you need to offer correction to someone you love, begin by naming what you appreciate about them, then speak the hard word with warmth and patience.
Verses for Standing Beside Someone in Hard Seasons
Sometimes encouragement means simply staying close when there is nothing neat to say. These verses speak to the times when a person needs reassurance that they are not alone and that God’s faithfulness holds steady even when circumstances do not.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
(KJV)
Paul tells the Thessalonians to comfort one another and edify one another, just as they were already doing. Choose one person who is facing a difficult season and send them a message that tells them you are thinking of them and praying for them. Consistency often means more than a single dramatic gesture.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
(KJV)
Paul describes God as the source of all comfort, who comforts us so that we can comfort others in any trouble. Think about a difficulty you have walked through in the past. This week, consider whether that experience could help you sit with someone now facing something similar, without rushing to fix their pain.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
(KJV)
The psalmist affirms that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. When a friend describes a loss or disappointment, avoid hurrying toward solutions. Sit with them, listen fully, and let them know that God’s nearness is something you believe in together.
Verses for Lifting Up Others in Daily Life
Encouragement does not always wait for a crisis. It can show up in the everyday rhythms of work, church, and home. The verses here focus on steady, faithful kindness that makes a difference over time.
Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
(KJV)
The writer urges believers to exhort one another daily, while it is called today, so that none is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Make encouragement a daily habit by sending one note, prayer, or word of thanks to someone each day this week, and notice how the practice shapes your own attention to others.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men .
(KJV)
Paul gives a set of distinct instructions: warn the unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, and be patient toward all. Different people need different kinds of encouragement. Ask yourself which of these needs is most visible in the people around you, and let that shape how you respond.
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
(KJV)
This proverb describes how iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another. Look for a conversation this week where you can offer honest feedback that helps a colleague or friend grow. Sharpening works best when it comes from respect and genuine goodwill.
Romans 15:2
Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
(KJV)
Paul says each of us should please our neighbor for his good to edification. The goal of encouragement is the good of the other person, not our own comfort. Choose one practical way to serve a neighbor or coworker this week that meets a real need they have, even if it costs you a little time.
How to Use These Verses
Consider writing two or three of these verses on a card or in a notebook that you keep where you will see them, such as near your desk, on your phone’s lock screen, or inside your Bible. When you know someone is going through a hard time, read the relevant verse before you reach out, and let it shape the words you choose. Many people find that reading a passage aloud slows them down enough to listen better.
You can also pray these verses over the people you name. Turn the language of each passage into a request on their behalf, asking God to strengthen them, comfort them, or help them grow. Praying Scripture for others keeps your encouragement anchored in God’s promises rather than in your own energy, and it often gives you the patience and humility that sincere encouragement requires.
A Short Prayer for Others
Lord, you have shown me how much you care for people in their weakness and their joy. Open my eyes to notice those who are carrying heavy loads, and soften my heart so that I do not pass them by. Guard my tongue so that my words build up rather than tear down, and give me the wisdom to speak what is needed at the right time. Help me stand beside those who are hurting, trusting that you are near to the brokenhearted. Let my encouragement point them back to your faithfulness, and use my small efforts to bring hope into their days. Amen.
