If you are looking for Bible verses about love in the King James Version, this list gives you the passages most often read on the subject, each shown in the KJV with a short reflection on how it applies to ordinary days. It is written for anyone who wants to remember what Scripture says about love, whether for a marriage, a family, a friendship, a church, or a difficult relationship. These verses share one conviction: love begins with God’s own character and then flows outward into how we treat other people.
Verses on God’s Love for You
Before any command to love others, Scripture begins by describing the love that God has already shown. These passages are good to read first thing in the morning, when you need reminding that your worth does not depend on how you performed yesterday.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(KJV)
This is the most familiar verse on love in the Bible, and it names the source of everything else. Try reading it slowly, pausing on the word “so,” and let it sink in before the day gets busy. Then write it on a card and keep it where you will see it at lunch.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(KJV)
Paul makes the point that God’s love was not earned or waited for; it came while we were still far from him. When you feel you have failed someone or failed God, return to this verse and let it answer the question of whether you are still loved. Speak it aloud to yourself before you pick up the phone to apologize.
1 John 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
(KJV)
John turns the focus from our search for love to God’s initiative in sending his Son. This verse helps when love feels like something you must manufacture on your own. Remember that love started with God, and let that take some pressure off your own efforts.
Psalm 136:1
O give thanks unto the LORD ; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
(KJV)
This psalm repeats one refrain again and again, as if to make sure no one forgets it. Use this verse as a simple prayer of thanks during a commute or while doing dishes. Repeating it slowly can shift a tired heart toward gratitude.
Verses on Loving Others as Christ Loved Us
The next group turns from God’s love toward us to the way that love should shape our treatment of others. These verses are useful to read before a conversation with a difficult coworker or a sharp-tongued family member.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
(KJV)
Jesus calls this a “new” commandment, and the newness is the standard: love one another as he has loved you. Before your next disagreement, ask yourself how Jesus would respond in your place, and let that question guide your first words. Write the verse on the inside of your notebook so it is there in meetings.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
(KJV)
Paul lists what love looks like in practice: patience, kindness, humility, and a refusal to keep score. Read this passage the night before a hard family gathering and choose one quality to practice the next day. Patience is a good place to start when the day is long.
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
(KJV)
Paul ends his famous chapter by setting love above faith and hope, which can feel surprising at first. This verse is worth reading when you are tempted to think that being right matters more than being loving. Let it reorder your priorities for the rest of the week.
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
(KJV)
Paul ties love to the sacrifice Christ made, calling us to walk in love as he did. This verse helps when love costs you something, such as time, comfort, or pride. Ask God to show you one small sacrifice you can make today for someone else.
Colossians 3:14
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
(KJV)
Paul describes love as the outer garment that holds all the other virtues together. This is a helpful verse to read while getting dressed, as a reminder to put on love before anything else. Try naming the other virtues you need, such as compassion and patience, and see how love binds them together.
Verses for Love in Hard Seasons
Love is easiest to speak of when life is calm. These verses speak to moments of grief, conflict, and weariness, when loving well feels most costly and most necessary.
1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all your things be done with charity.
(KJV)
Paul closes his letter with a short command that ties everything else together: let all you do be done in love. This verse is a good one to write on a sticky note for the top of your desk. It reminds you that love is meant for ordinary work as much as for dramatic moments.
Romans 12:10
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another…
(KJV)
Paul asks believers to be devoted to one another and to honor each other above themselves. In a season of conflict, this verse invites you to look for someone you can honor, even if you are still hurt. Consider sending a short note of encouragement this week.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(KJV)
Paul lists the powers that cannot separate us from God’s love, from death to present troubles. Read this passage on nights when you feel alone or when a relationship seems to be breaking. Let the list remind you that nothing outside you can cut you off from that love.
Psalm 103:17
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children…
(KJV)
The psalmist speaks of the Lord’s mercy as lasting from everlasting to everlasting, which steadies a heart that is changing with its moods. Use this verse on a hard morning as you begin your prayers. Ask God to renew your sense of his steady faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
(KJV)
Even in a book of grief, the writer names God’s mercies as new every morning. This passage is good to keep close when you wake up tired from worry or from a long night of caring for someone. Read it as you start the day and look for one small mercy you can notice before evening.
Verses on Love Through Patience and Forgiveness
Love is tested most where we are wronged or where we are slow to forgive. These verses show that forgiveness and patience are part of love, not optional extras to it.
Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
(KJV)
Paul connects kindness and forgiveness to the way God has forgiven us in Christ. This verse helps when you are holding a grudge and need a reason to let it go. Before you go to bed, name one person you are ready to forgive and pray for them by name.
Colossians 3:13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
(KJV)
Paul asks believers to bear with one another and forgive as the Lord forgave them. This is a practical verse for family life, where patience is needed most. Read it before a long car ride with someone who tests your patience.
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
(KJV)
The proverb contrasts hatred, which stirs up strife, with love, which covers offenses. This verse can guide how you speak about someone who has hurt you, choosing to cover the offense rather than spread it. Try pausing before you repeat a complaint and ask whether love would say it.
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
(KJV)
Peter says that love covers a multitude of sins, and he calls believers to have fervent love among themselves. This verse is a good companion for a difficult friendship. Ask God for the grace to overlook a small fault today and let that grace shape your words.
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?
(KJV)
Micah summarizes what God requires: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him. Read this verse when your love feels like it has become a set of rules instead of a way of living. Let it refocus you on mercy and humility.
How to Use These Verses
Many people find it helpful to write one or two of these verses on a card and keep it where they will see it during the day, such as on a bathroom mirror, in a wallet, or on the dashboard. Reading the same verse for a week tends to fix it in memory better than reading fifteen once. You might also choose a verse for each day of the week and let it guide your prayer and your conversations.
When you pray with these verses, read the passage slowly, then pause to ask God how it applies to a specific person in your life. You can speak the words back to him in your own language, thanking him or asking for help. Over time, these verses become a habit of remembering what love looks like and returning to God’s love as the source of your own.
A Short Prayer for Love
Lord, you loved me before I knew how to love you, and your love has never depended on my performance. Thank you for showing me what love looks like in Jesus. Teach me to love the people you have placed around me, especially those who are hard to love. Give me patience when I am tired, humility when I am proud, and the courage to forgive when it costs me something. Let your love fill me so that it flows out to others in small and ordinary ways today. Amen.
