The best Bible verses for friendship (NLT) include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for friendship (NLT), each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."Proverbs 18:24
"There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."Proverbs 18:24
"Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment — to love one another — is the same message you heard before."1 John 2:7
"Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is."1 John 3:2
"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world."1 John 4:1
"Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls."1 Peter 2:11
"Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you."1 Peter 4:12
"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God."2 Corinthians 7:1
"This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory."2 Peter 3:1
"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day."2 Peter 3:8
"And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight."2 Peter 3:14
"You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing."2 Peter 3:17
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 friendship (NLT) are Proverbs 18:24, Psalms 55:13, Psalms 88:18. 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 friendship (NLT) 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 friendship (NLT), chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.