Looking for Bible verses about fathers for a Father’s Day card, a new dad, or simply to encourage the man raising your kids? These are the verses people share most, quoted word for word from the King James Version with their references.
This guide covers Father’s Day Bible verses for cards, Bible verses about a father’s love, verses for new dads, verses about a father’s wisdom and example, verses about God as Father, and verses for anyone missing a dad. A table matches each verse to the right card, and the original blessings at the end are written by Betteroo to pair with Scripture.
Short verses fit best in a card. These fathers day Bible verses honor a dad’s character and the blessing he passes on.
The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.Proverbs 20:7 (KJV)
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.Proverbs 23:24 (KJV)
Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.Proverbs 17:6 (KJV)
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.1 Corinthians 16:13 to 14 (KJV)
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,Philippians 1:3 (KJV)
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.Proverbs 14:26 (KJV)
If You Only Read One
The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. (Proverbs 20:7, KJV)
It is the best Father’s Day verse because it is about the quiet stuff: keeping promises, telling the truth, showing up. A dad who lives that way leaves his kids a blessing no gift can match.
Bible Verses About a Father’s Love
Some of the Bible’s most moving pictures of love are pictures of a father. The prodigal son’s father running down the road is the most famous of all.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.Luke 15:20 (KJV)
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.Psalm 103:13 (KJV)
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.Proverbs 3:12 (KJV)
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went,Deuteronomy 1:31 (KJV)
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?Matthew 7:11 (KJV)
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,Malachi 4:6 (KJV)
In the KJV, “pitieth” in Psalm 103:13 means to show tender compassion. Deuteronomy 1:31 pictures God carrying his people the way a dad carries a tired child the last mile home.
Bible Verses for a New Dad
A first baby turns a man into a father overnight, usually with very little sleep. These verses are encouragement for those first months.
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.Psalm 127:3 (KJV)
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not,Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD,Genesis 18:19 (KJV)
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.Proverbs 4:1 (KJV)
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:Proverbs 1:8 (KJV)
As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,1 Thessalonians 2:11 (KJV)
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.Ephesians 6:4 (KJV)
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.Colossians 3:21 (KJV)
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children:Proverbs 13:22 (KJV)
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.Joshua 24:15 (KJV)
Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21 are the two verses in the Bible addressed directly to fathers, and both say the same thing first: do not discourage your kids. For more on the warm and steady parenting style these verses describe, see our guide to authoritative parenting.
Bible Verses About God as Father
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:1 John 3:1 (KJV)
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.2 Corinthians 6:18 (KJV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,James 1:17 (KJV)
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.Psalm 68:5 (KJV)
Psalm 68:5 is a gentle verse for anyone who grew up without a dad, or who is missing one this Father’s Day. If that is you, our absent father quotes and dad in heaven quotes may help you find words.
Which Father’s Day Verse to Use Where
Card or moment
Verse
Why it works
Father’s Day card from kids
Proverbs 20:7
His children are blessed
From a grown child
Proverbs 23:24
A wise child brings a father joy
To your husband
1 Corinthians 16:13 to 14
Strong, and all done in love
New dad’s first Father’s Day
Psalm 127:3
Children are a gift
Grandfather
Proverbs 17:6
Children’s children are his crown
Church Father’s Day program
Malachi 4:6
Hearts of fathers turned to children
Someone missing a dad
Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless
Quick guide: which Bible verse about fathers fits each card.
Original Father’s Day Blessings to Write Under a Verse
Pair any verse above with one of these short, original lines.
“Thank you for being the safe place we always run back to.”
“Your quiet faithfulness taught us more than any sermon ever could.”
“Strong hands, a soft heart, and a lifetime of showing up. Happy Father’s Day.”
“We see God’s patience every time you choose kindness over being right.”
“You carried us when we were small, and you still carry us in prayer.”
“May this year bring you rest, joy, and a few more mornings to sleep in.”
“The best inheritance you gave us is the way you love Mom.”
“To the dad up at 3 a.m. with a bottle and a prayer: you are doing holy work.”
Ways to Use Bible Verses About Fathers
Inside the card: write the verse first, then one personal line about a specific memory.
Framed gift: print a short verse like Proverbs 20:7 for his desk or workshop.
At the table: read Luke 15:20 aloud before Father’s Day lunch.
For a husband: slip a verse into his lunch or wallet with a note about the dad he is becoming.
For yourself: if you are the dad, keep Ephesians 6:4 somewhere you will see it on hard days.
About 44 percent of American adults say they pray at least once a day, according to Pew Research Center, and Father’s Day is one of the easiest days to start a family tradition of reading Scripture together.
Dads are carrying more of the night shift than ever. Here is what parents told us in Betteroo’s annual survey.
83%
of parents are exhausted or drained
The 2026 US national average
79%
are getting under 6 hours of sleep a night
The 2026 US national average
55%
of babies wake 3+ times per night
The 2026 US national average
1 in 3
moms say they feel touched out most days
The 2026 US national average
How parents are coping in 2026, from Betteroo’s State of Parent and Baby Sleep report
Metric
2026 US national average
Parents exhausted or drained
83%
Parents getting under 6 hours of sleep
79%
Babies waking 3 or more times per night
55%
Moms who feel touched out most days
1 in 3
Give Dad the gift of sleep.
Betteroo builds a gentle, personalized sleep plan around your baby’s age and temperament, so both parents get real rest. It takes about three minutes.
Proverbs 20:7, ‘The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him,’ is one of the most loved Bible verses about fathers. Psalm 103:13 and Luke 15:20 beautifully describe a father’s love.
What Bible verse is good for a Father’s Day card?
Proverbs 23:24, ‘he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him,’ and Proverbs 17:6, ‘the glory of children are their fathers,’ are short and fit well in a Father’s Day card.
What does the Bible say about a father’s love?
Psalm 103:13 compares God’s compassion to a father’s, and Luke 15:20 shows the prodigal son’s father running to embrace him. Matthew 7:11 notes that fathers know how to give good gifts to their children.
What does the Bible say fathers should do?
Ephesians 6:4 tells fathers not to provoke their children to anger but to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord. Colossians 3:21 adds ‘lest they be discouraged,’ and Deuteronomy 6:7 encourages talking about faith in everyday life.
Better nights for the whole family.
Betteroo builds a gentle, personalized sleep plan around your baby’s age and temperament. About three minutes to start.
