The best Bible verses for labor include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for labor, each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see."Isaiah 21:3
"At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see."Isaiah 21:3
"Be ashamed, O Sidon, and you, O fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”"Isaiah 23:4
"“Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor."Isaiah 31:8
"“Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror."Isaiah 47:12
"That is all they can do for you— these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you."Isaiah 47:15
"But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”"Isaiah 49:4
"Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."Isaiah 55:2
"“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son."Isaiah 66:7
"From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our fathers’ labor— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters."Jeremiah 3:24
"We have heard reports about them, and our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor."Jeremiah 6:24
"What will you say when the Lord sets over you those you cultivated as your special allies? Will not pain grip you like that of a woman in labor?"Jeremiah 13:21
"“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor."Jeremiah 22:13
"You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!"Jeremiah 22:23
"Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale?"Jeremiah 30:6
"Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor."Jeremiah 48:41
Scripture returns to labor often enough that no single verse covers it. The 15 passages below come from across the Old and New Testaments, and they do not all say the same thing — read together they give a fuller picture than any one of them does alone.
Each links to a study page with the full passage, its context, and the text in six translations, so a verse that catches your attention can be followed properly rather than left as a fragment.
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The most-cited Bible verses for labor are Isaiah 21:3, Isaiah 23:4, Isaiah 31:8. 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 labor 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 labor, chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.