The best Bible verses for authority (NIV) include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for authority (NIV), each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."Colossians 2:10
"and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."Colossians 2:10
"far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."Ephesians 1:21
"I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah."Isaiah 22:21
"The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?"Jeremiah 5:31
"Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”"John 2:18
"No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”"John 10:18
"For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him."John 17:2
"And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to."Luke 4:6
"All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!”"Luke 4:36
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”"Luke 5:24
"For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”"Luke 7:8
"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,"Luke 9:1
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."Luke 10:19
Translations differ in what they optimise for. Some follow the original wording closely at the cost of a natural English sentence; others read smoothly and make interpretive choices to get there. Neither is wrong, but they produce noticeably different verses.
Each of the 15 verses below is shown in the translation you asked for, and every verse links to a page comparing all six side by side — which is usually the fastest way to see where the translators disagreed.
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The most-cited Bible verses for authority (NIV) are Colossians 2:10, Ephesians 1:21, Isaiah 22:21. This page collects 15 of them, each with its full passage, context and the text in six translations.
Read the verse in its surrounding passage before you use it — a verse that fits in isolation sometimes says something different in context. Compare two translations where the wording is unclear, and pick for the person who will read it rather than for the theme.
Scripture returns to authority (NIV) across both testaments rather than settling it in one passage, which is why the verses on this page do not all say the same thing. Read together they give a fuller answer than any single verse does.
There is no single best translation. The NIV and NLT read most naturally and communicate well to someone outside the church; the ESV and NASB stay closer to the original wording; the KJV carries the phrasing most people recognise. Every verse here links to a page showing all six side by side.
More than any page can list. This one carries the 15 that are most often turned to for authority (NIV), chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.