The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
The priestly blessing: the Lord bless you, keep you and give you peace.
Bible Verses for a Birthday
The Bible verses most chosen for a birthday are Numbers 6:24-26, Psalm 118:24 and Psalm 139:13-14. A birthday is a good day to give thanks for a life, and the Bible offers words for it: blessings to speak over someone, thanks for another year, and prayers for the one ahead.
A verse for you
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
The priestly blessing: the Lord bless you, keep you and give you peace.
KJV16 Bible verses for a birthday
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Today is a gift: a day the Lord has made, and a reason to rejoice in it.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Every life is knit together by God: fearfully and wonderfully made.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
Paul, writing to friends far away: every memory of them turns into thanks to God.
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Written after disaster: God’s mercies have not run out. They are new every morning.
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
A prayer for every birthday: teach us to count our days, so that we grow wise.
Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
A blessing first prayed over a king, now a warm wish for anyone: may God give you your heart’s desire and bring your plans to pass.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
A harvest psalm: God crowns the year with His goodness. A fitting line for a new year of life.
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
John’s greeting to his friend Gaius: a wish for health and well-being, body and soul. It is a friend’s wish, not a promise of wealth.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
God shows the path of life, and in His presence is fullness of joy.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Written to exiles told to settle in Babylon for seventy years: God’s thoughts toward His people were peace and a future with hope, even through a long wait.
And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
God to His people: I made you, and I will carry you, even when your hair turns gray.
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
God is with you, mighty to save. He rejoices over you with singing and rests in His love for you.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
The family of the woman of strength rises up to call her blessed. A favorite for a mother’s birthday.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Children are a heritage from the Lord, a gift and a reward.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights.
What the Bible says
The Bible has no birthday verse as such, and the two birthdays it mentions, Pharaoh’s (Genesis 40:20) and Herod’s (Mark 6:21), are not happy stories. What it does have is a deep sense that every life is a gift: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Each year is one more of the days God has given, and “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
For a card, the classic is the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.” It was given for blessing God’s people, and Jews and Christians have spoken it over one another for thousands of years. Psalm 20:4 and 3 John 1:2 are wishes rather than promises: Psalm 20 is a prayer for a king before a battle, and John wishes his friend Gaius good health as his soul prospers. They are warm words to send, not guarantees of wealth or health.
Birthdays also remind us that time passes. Psalm 90:12 turns that into a prayer: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” For an older birthday, Isaiah 46:4 is God’s word to His people: “even to hoar hairs will I carry you.” And Lamentations 3:22-23 fits any new year of life: His mercies “are new every morning.”
Choose for the person. For a mother, Proverbs 31:28: “Her children arise up, and call her blessed.” For a child, Psalm 139:13-14 or Psalm 127:3. For a friend, Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” For yourself, a quiet prayer from Psalm 16:11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life.”
A prayer
Lord, thank You for this life and for another year of it. Bless and keep the one whose birthday it is, make Your face shine upon them, and give them peace. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning. Teach us to number our days and to grow in wisdom, and show us the path of life for the year ahead. Amen.
Questions people ask
What is a short Bible verse for a birthday card?
Numbers 6:24, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee,” and Psalm 118:24 are the most chosen. Psalm 65:11, “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness,” fits a birthday especially well, and Psalm 139:14, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” is a favorite for children.
What Bible verse can I write for my mom’s birthday?
Proverbs 31:28, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed,” is the classic. Proverbs 31:25, “Strength and honour are her clothing,” and Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” are also loved, with Numbers 6:24-26 as a blessing.
What is a good Bible verse for a friend’s birthday?
Philippians 1:3 says thank you for them; Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loveth at all times,” says you are there; Psalm 20:4 is a wish that God would give them their heart’s desire. 3 John 1:2 is John’s own greeting to a friend, wishing him health and well-being.
What verse is good for a child’s birthday?
Psalm 139:13-14 tells a child they were made with care, and Psalm 127:3 calls children “an heritage of the Lord.” Luke 2:52, which says Jesus grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man,” makes a good birthday prayer for a growing child.
Does the Bible say anything about celebrating birthdays?
It neither commands nor forbids it. The two birthday feasts it describes, Pharaoh’s and Herod’s, are remembered for what the rulers did, not for the celebration itself. Most Christian traditions see a birthday as a natural time to thank God for a life, while a few groups choose not to celebrate them.
Keep exploring
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