The best Bible verses for suffering (NIV) include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for suffering (NIV), each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."1 Thessalonians 1:6
"You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."1 Thessalonians 1:6
"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."2 Corinthians 1:5
"If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer."2 Corinthians 1:6
"And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."2 Corinthians 1:7
"So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,"2 Timothy 1:8
"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."2 Timothy 1:12
"for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained."2 Timothy 2:9
"persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them."2 Timothy 3:11
"Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you."Deuteronomy 28:53
"I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory."Ephesians 3:13
"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."Hebrews 2:10
"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering."Hebrews 10:32
"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."Hebrews 13:3
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."Isaiah 53:3
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 suffering (NIV) are 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 1:5, 2 Corinthians 1:6. 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 suffering (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 suffering (NIV), chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.