If you are looking for Bible verses about bearing one another’s burdens in the King James Version, this list gives you the passages Scripture uses to describe that calling, shown in the KJV and arranged by the kinds of seasons where you will most need them. It is written for anyone who is carrying a heavy load, or who is trying to help someone else carry theirs. These verses share one thread: the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone, and God’s own care for us is the pattern for how we care for one another.
Verses for Carrying a Friend Through Grief
Grief has a way of making people feel they must hide their pain or handle it alone. The verses in this group speak to both sides of that moment, the one who is hurting and the one who has come to stand beside them.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
(KJV)
Paul makes this command plain: carry one another’s loads. When you sit with a grieving friend this week, do one concrete thing, such as bringing a meal, sending a short message on the hard anniversary, or simply offering to drive them to an appointment they dread.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
(KJV)
Rejoicing and weeping are both named here as shared work. Notice when someone near you is in tears, and resist the urge to rush them toward cheer. Let your presence say that their sorrow matters to you.
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 writes that God comforts us so that we can comfort others in the same troubles. Think of one old wound that God has already healed in you, and ask whether it could now help you speak carefully to someone who is walking through that same valley.
Verses for Shouldering Someone Else’s Weight
Some seasons bring a friend or family member whose needs are heavier than they can manage. These passages describe the patience and practical love that bearing a load requires, including the willingness to stay when the work is slow.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
(KJV)
Two people working together gain more than one working alone, and the passage notes what happens when one falls and has no one to lift them. Consider who in your life has no one to help them up right now, and ask God to show you whether you are the one he is asking.
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
(KJV)
This proverb names a friend who loves at all times, and a brother born for adversity. Decide now that you will still show up when the crisis has lost its novelty and the only thing left is the long, ordinary work of helping.
Philippians 2:4
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
(KJV)
Paul asks believers to look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others. Before your next conversation with someone who is struggling, pause and ask what they actually need from you, rather than assuming you already know.
Verses for Your Own Heavy Days
Bearing burdens is never only a task for others. These verses speak to the moments when you are the one who is weary, and they remind you that God does not expect you to hold everything by yourself.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
(KJV)
Jesus invites the weary and heavy laden to come to him and find rest, and he describes his yoke as easy. When you feel overloaded, take a few minutes to name the specific weight you are carrying and bring it to him in prayer before you pick it up again.
Psalm 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD , and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
(KJV)
David calls on his readers to cast their burden upon the Lord. Write this verse on a card and place it where you will see it during your commute or at your kitchen sink, reminding yourself to hand over one anxious thought each time you read it.
1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(KJV)
Peter tells believers to cast all their care upon God because he cares for them. If you tend to think your worries are too small or too much to bring, let this verse answer that thought with the simple reminder that he is already paying attention.
How to Use These Verses
Start by choosing two or three of these passages that match the season you are in right now, rather than trying to memorize all fifteen at once. Write them in a notebook or on sticky notes, and keep one where you will meet it at a predictable time, such as your morning coffee or before bed. Reading the same verse for a full week often does more than skimming a dozen.
When you pray these verses, read the reference aloud, then pause and ask God to show you one person whose burden you can help carry this week. Let the verse shape the prayer rather than using it as a formula. If you are the one who is weary, read the verse slowly, then name the specific weight you are bearing and tell God you are handing it over.
A Short Prayer for Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Lord, you carried our sins and sorrows on the cross, and you have never asked us to carry anything alone. Thank you for the people you have placed around us, and for the way you use ordinary friendship to show your love. Open my eyes to the person who is struggling near me this week, and give me the humility to ask what they need instead of assuming. When my own load grows heavy, remind me to come to you first, and to receive the rest you offer. Make me faithful in small acts of help, and let my life point others to the care that never fails. Amen.
