The best Bible verses for joy (KJV) include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for joy (KJV), each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:"1 Thessalonians 1:6
"And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:"1 Thessalonians 1:6
"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"1 Thessalonians 2:19
"For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;"1 Thessalonians 3:9
"Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand."2 Corinthians 1:24
"And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all."2 Corinthians 2:3
"Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation."2 Corinthians 7:4
"And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more."2 Corinthians 7:7
"How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality."2 Corinthians 8:2
"Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;"2 Timothy 1:4
"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"Colossians 1:11
"And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates."Deuteronomy 16:14
"Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;"Deuteronomy 28:47
"Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works."Ecclesiastes 9:7
"Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me."Galatians 4:15
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 joy (KJV) are 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 1 Thessalonians 2:20. 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 joy (KJV) 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 joy (KJV), chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.