Thanksgiving Bible verses

Psalms of thanks to read aloud

Good for opening a Thanksgiving meal, service or family devotion.

1. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

   Psalm 100:4-5

   The classic Thanksgiving reading: enter his gates with thanksgiving, for the LORD is good.

2. O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

   Psalm 107:1

   Give thanks because he is good and his mercy endureth for ever, one of the most repeated lines of thanks in the Bible.

3. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

   1 Chronicles 16:34

   The same call to give thanks, sung when David brought the ark to Jerusalem.

4. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

   Psalm 136:1

   Opens a psalm in which every one of its 26 verses ends "his mercy endureth for ever," made for reading responsively.

5. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

   Psalm 95:2

   Come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise.

6. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

   Psalm 92:1-2

   It is a good thing to give thanks, morning and night.

7. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

   Psalm 147:7

   Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving, with a harp, a good verse before a hymn.

8. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

   Psalm 9:1

   Praise with the whole heart and tell of all his marvellous works.

For the table and the harvest

Verses that thank God for food, rain and harvest. Many families read one as a blessing before the meal.

1. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

   Deuteronomy 8:10

   When you have eaten and are full, bless the LORD for the good land he has given.

2. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

   Psalm 145:15-16

   The eyes of all wait on God, who gives food in due season and opens his hand.

3. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

   John 6:11

   Jesus gave thanks for five loaves before he fed the crowd, the pattern for saying grace.

4. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

   1 Timothy 4:4

   Every creature of God is good if it is received with thanksgiving.

5. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

   Psalm 65:11

   Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, a natural verse for the end of harvest.

6. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

   Acts 14:17

   God gives rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

7. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

   Genesis 8:22

   God's promise after the flood that seedtime and harvest shall not cease.

8. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

   Leviticus 23:39

   Israel's harvest feast: after gathering the fruit of the land, they kept a feast unto the LORD for seven days.

9. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

   Psalm 67:6

   The earth shall yield her increase, and God shall bless us.

Giving thanks in every season

For a year that was hard. The Bible asks for thanks in every thing, not only for good things.

1. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

   1 Thessalonians 5:18

   In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

2. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

   Philippians 4:6

   Bring every worry to God by prayer, with thanksgiving.

3. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

   Ephesians 5:20

   Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of Jesus.

4. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

   Colossians 3:17

   Whatever you do in word or deed, do it giving thanks to God.

5. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

   Habakkuk 3:17-18

   Even with no fruit on the vine and no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD.

6. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

   Daniel 6:10

   Facing the lions' den, Daniel still prayed and gave thanks three times a day, as he did before.

7. Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

   Colossians 2:7

   Rooted and built up in Christ, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Remember what God has done

Thanksgiving in the Bible is remembering out loud.

1. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

   Psalm 103:2-5

   Forget not all his benefits, then a list of them: forgiveness, healing, redemption, mercy.

2. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

   Psalm 126:3

   The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

3. What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

   Psalm 116:12

   What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

4. 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.

   James 1:17

   Every good gift comes down from the Father of lights.

5. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

   Luke 17:15-16

   Of ten healed lepers, one turned back to give thanks, and he was a Samaritan.

6. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

   1 Corinthians 15:57

   Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Short verses for a Thanksgiving card

1. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

   Psalm 118:24

   This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

2. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

   Colossians 3:15

   Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, and be ye thankful.

3. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

   Psalm 34:1

   I will bless the LORD at all times.

4. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

   Psalm 28:7

   The LORD is my strength and my shield, and with my song will I praise him.

5. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

   Hebrews 13:15

   The sacrifice of praise: the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.