The best Bible verses for lent include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for lent, each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”"Joel 2:12
"“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”"Joel 2:12
"“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?"Isaiah 58:6
"“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."Matthew 6:16
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."James 4:8
"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God."2 Corinthians 5:20
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."Psalms 51:17
"Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."Luke 9:23
"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."Joel 2:13
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."Matthew 6:6
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."Micah 6:8
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."Romans 12:1
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."1 John 1:9
Occasions ask something specific of scripture. A verse chosen for lent is usually going to be read aloud, printed in a program, or spoken to someone at a moment they will remember for a long time — which rules out passages that need three sentences of setup before they land.
These 15 are the verses most often chosen for lent, and they are chosen for good reason: each one makes sense on first hearing, carries its meaning without commentary, and speaks to the moment rather than around it.
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The most-cited Bible verses for lent are Joel 2:12, Matthew 4:1, Psalms 51:10. 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 lent 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 lent, chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.