Looking for Bible verses about marriage for a wedding toast, an anniversary card, or simply to read together on a hard day? Here are the verses couples return to most, quoted word for word from the King James Version with their book, chapter, and verse.
This guide gathers marriage Bible verses about how marriage began, verses about love and marriage for the ceremony, verses on patience and forgiveness for ordinary weeks, verses for husbands and wives, and verses for the season when a new baby turns two people into a family. A quick table shows which verse fits a wedding program, a card, or a sign over the bed, and the short blessings near the end are original to Betteroo.
The Bible’s first words about marriage come from Genesis. They are read at more weddings than almost any other passage, and Jesus quotes them himself in Matthew 19.
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.Genesis 2:18 (KJV)
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.Genesis 2:24 (KJV)
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.Matthew 19:6 (KJV)
Marriage is honourable in all,Hebrews 13:4 (KJV)
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.Proverbs 18:22 (KJV)
If You Only Read One
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. (Ecclesiastes 4:9 to 10, KJV)
It is the most practical marriage verse in the Bible. Romance gets the headlines, but this is what a good marriage feels like on an ordinary Tuesday: when one of you falls, the other one helps you up.
Bible Verses About Love and Marriage for a Wedding
The King James Version uses the word “charity” in 1 Corinthians 13. It translates the Greek word agape, the selfless love that many modern translations simply render as “love.”
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;1 Corinthians 13:4 to 5 (KJV)
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:1 Corinthians 13:7 to 8 (KJV)
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it:Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV)
My beloved is mine, and I am his:Song of Solomon 2:16 (KJV)
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:Song of Solomon 6:3 (KJV)
For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:Ruth 1:16 (KJV)
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.Ecclesiastes 4:12 (KJV)
Ruth 1:16 was first spoken by a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law, not between spouses, but its promise of loyalty has made it a wedding favorite for centuries. Ecclesiastes 4:12 is often read with a “cord of three strands” unity ceremony, where the third strand represents God.
Marriage Verses in the Bible About Patience and Forgiveness
Weddings last a day. These are the verses on marriage for the years after, when the dishes pile up and someone forgot to call.
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.Ephesians 4:2 to 3 (KJV)
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.Colossians 3:13 to 14 (KJV)
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.1 Peter 4:8 (KJV)
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;Romans 12:10 (KJV)
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.Galatians 6:2 (KJV)
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:Proverbs 3:3 (KJV)
Bible Verses for Husbands and Wives
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;Ephesians 5:25 (KJV)
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.Ephesians 5:33 (KJV)
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.1 Peter 3:7 (KJV)
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.Proverbs 31:10 to 12 (KJV)
Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.Proverbs 5:18 (KJV)
Notice the phrase “heirs together of the grace of life” in 1 Peter 3:7. Husband and wife are pictured as equal heirs, walking side by side. For more words to share, see our husband quotes and our anniversary wishes.
Bible Verses for Marriage When the Kids Come
A first baby changes a marriage overnight. Sleep disappears, conversations shrink to feeding times, and it is easy to become two tired coworkers. These verses are a good reminder that the marriage is the foundation the family is built on.
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:Psalm 127:1 (KJV)
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.1 John 4:7 (KJV)
We love him, because he first loved us.1 John 4:19 (KJV)
Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?Ecclesiastes 4:11 (KJV)
A small habit for tired parents
Pick one short verse from this page and tape it to the bathroom mirror or the bottle-prep counter. Read it aloud together once a day, even if it is at 2 a.m. while one of you warms a bottle. It takes ten seconds and it keeps you on the same team.
Which Marriage Verse to Use Where
Occasion
Verse
Why it works
Wedding ceremony reading
1 Corinthians 13:4 to 8
The classic description of love
Unity or cord ceremony
Ecclesiastes 4:12
A threefold cord is not quickly broken
Wedding program or invitation
Song of Solomon 6:3
Short and personal
Wedding card
Genesis 2:24
Two become one
Anniversary card
Song of Solomon 8:7
Love that lasts through floods
Sign over the bed
Song of Solomon 2:16
Brief and tender
After an argument
Ephesians 4:32
Kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
New parents’ first year
Ecclesiastes 4:9 to 10
Lift each other up
Quick guide: which Bible verse about marriage to use for each occasion.
Original Marriage Blessings to Write Under a Verse
Pair any verse above with one of these short, original lines in a card or on a wedding guest book page.
“May your home be full of grace, and your hands always find each other in the dark.”
“Two hearts, one table, and a lifetime of saying sorry first.”
“May your love be patient on the long nights and joyful on the bright mornings.”
“Here is to the marriage that keeps choosing kindness when no one is watching.”
“May the cord that binds you be woven with faith, laughter, and forgiveness.”
“When the babies come and the sleep goes, may you still be each other’s favorite person.”
“A good marriage is two people who keep turning toward each other. Keep turning.”
“May every year find you a little more patient and a little more in love.”
How to Use Bible Verses for Marriage at Home
Read one together each night. A single verse before bed takes less than a minute.
Write one in your anniversary card every year, and keep the cards in one box.
Pray a verse back to God for your spouse by putting their name into it.
Choose a family verse for your home and let the kids grow up hearing it.
Keep a hard-day verse ready, such as Ephesians 4:32, for the weeks you need it most.
About 44 percent of American adults say they pray at least once a day, according to Pew Research Center. For many couples, a shared verse is an easy first step toward praying together.
Marriage gets tested most in the baby years, often because both parents are running on almost no sleep. 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
More sleep, more patience, a happier marriage.
Betteroo builds a gentle, personalized sleep plan around your baby’s age and temperament, so both of you can rest. It takes about three minutes.
Genesis 2:24, ‘they shall be one flesh,’ and Ecclesiastes 4:9 to 10, ‘Two are better than one,’ are two of the most loved Bible verses about marriage. For a wedding reading, 1 Corinthians 13:4 to 8 is the classic choice.
What Bible verse is good for a wedding card?
Short verses work best in a card. Song of Solomon 6:3, ‘I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine,’ and Ecclesiastes 4:12, ‘a threefold cord is not quickly broken,’ are both popular, paired with a personal blessing.
What does the Bible say about love and marriage?
The Bible describes marriage as two becoming one flesh (Genesis 2:24) and love as patient, kind, and enduring (1 Corinthians 13:4 to 7). Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 add the everyday call to be kind and forgive one another.
What is the threefold cord verse about marriage?
It is Ecclesiastes 4:12: ‘a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’ Many couples read it at their wedding to picture a marriage made stronger by a husband, a wife, and God woven together.
Rested parents make a stronger team.
Betteroo builds a gentle, personalized sleep plan around your baby’s age and temperament. About three minutes to start.
