I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
A verse for the night: lie down in peace, because the Lord keeps you safe.
Bible Verses About Sleep
The Bible’s bedtime verses are about handing the day back to God. Psalm 4:8 was written by someone with every reason to lie awake: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” Read one slowly before you turn out the light.
A verse for you
Psalm 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
A verse for the night: lie down in peace, because the Lord keeps you safe.
KJV15 Bible verses about sleep
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
Written while David fled for his life: he lay down, slept and woke, because the Lord held him up.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The One who keeps you never dozes off, not for a moment, by day or by night.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus calls the tired and overloaded to come to Him: His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
When you lie awake, the night watches can become a time to remember God and rest in His shadow.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Anxious overwork, early and late, cannot earn rest; sleep is God’s gift. A sleepless night does not mean He loves you less.
Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
By day God’s love, and by night His song and a prayer: He is with you around the clock.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Living in God’s shelter means resting in His shadow: my refuge, my fortress.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The Lord is a shepherd who provides, gives rest and restores your soul.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
A promise to lean on, not a test to pass: God Himself keeps in peace the one who leans on Him.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Even the darkness is not dark to God. Where you feel most hidden, He still sees you.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
A picture of the peace that wisdom brings at bedtime: lying down without fear.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Jesus slept through the storm, and when they woke Him, He spoke peace to the wind and the sea.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
You are allowed to hand your worries over. God cares about you personally.
Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
An honest prayer for sleepless nights: even here, the psalmist is still talking to God.
What the Bible says
In the Bible, lying down to sleep is an act of trust. Psalm 3 is headed as a psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom: he was running for his life, and still he writes, “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.” To sleep is to admit that for the next few hours you are not in control, and that Someone else is: “he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 127:2 is a gentle word against overwork, not a scolding for people who struggle to sleep. It is vain, it says, to rise early and sit up late and “eat the bread of sorrows,” because the house is God’s to build. Rest is His gift, and stopping is allowed. Jesus Himself slept on a cushion in the back of a boat while a storm raged around it.
When sleep does not come, the psalms do not pretend. “Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak,” one psalmist prays. The night can become a time to remember God rather than a battle to win: “When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.” Many people pray a single verse slowly, over and over, or hand over the day’s worries one by one (1 Peter 5:7). Christians have also long ended the day with Jesus’ last words from the cross, taken from Psalm 31:5: “Into thine hand I commit my spirit.”
Sleeplessness that lasts for weeks, or that comes with dread, low mood or panic, is worth taking to a doctor. Insomnia is common and treatable, and getting help for it is not a lack of faith. If racing thoughts are what keep you awake, see also our verses for overthinking.
A prayer
Lord, I hand this day back to You: what went well, what did not, and what is still undone. You who keep me do not slumber or sleep, so I can. I cast my cares on You one by one, because You care for me. Let me lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone make me dwell in safety. And if sleep is slow to come, let me remember You upon my bed. Amen.
Questions people ask
What is a good Bible verse to read before bed?
Psalm 4:8 is the classic: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep.” Psalm 3:5 and Psalm 121:3-4 are also short and calming. For children, many families say the blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 at bedtime.
What does the Bible say about not being able to sleep?
It knows the experience. Psalm 77:4 and Psalm 6:6 describe sleepless, troubled nights, and Psalm 63:6 turns the night watches into prayer. The God who keeps you “shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4), so you do not have to stay on guard. Lasting insomnia is also worth bringing to a doctor.
What does “he giveth his beloved sleep” mean?
Psalm 127:2 says that anxious overwork, rising early and staying up late, is in vain, because God is the one who builds and provides. Sleep is His gift to people He loves. It is not a promise that believers never have insomnia, and a sleepless night is not a sign that God loves you less.
Is there a bedtime prayer from the Bible?
Psalm 4 has been used as a night prayer for centuries, and so has Psalm 31:5, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit,” which Jesus prayed on the cross. Psalm 91 and Psalm 134 are also traditional at night. You can also pray the short prayer on this page.
Keep exploring
Bible Verses About PeaceThe Bible verses about peace people turn to most are John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7 and…Bible Verses for Anxiety and WorryThe best-known Bible verses for anxiety and worry are Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7 and…Bible Verses for OverthinkingThe Bible verses most often read for overthinking are Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:8 and…Psalm 121Psalm 121 is known as the traveler’s psalm.Psalm 91Psalm 91 is known as the psalm of protection.Bible Verses About StressWhen there is too much to carry, Jesus does not hand you a better schedule first.