Poetry & Wisdom Verses to Live By
(Psalm 1:1-2) Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.
(Psalm 1:6) For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
(Psalm 3:3) But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my Glory, the One who lifts my head high.
(Psalm 8:3-4) When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?
(Psalm 9:1) I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.
(Psalm 14:1) The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
(Psalm 16:8) I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.
(Psalm 16:11) You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
(Psalm 18:1-3) I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge… my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
(Psalm 18:30) God’s way is perfect. All the Lord ’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
(Psalm 19:1-2) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
(Psalm 19:7-9) The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
(Psalm 19:14) May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 23) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(Psalm 24:1-2) The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
(Psalm 27:1-3) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?... Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.
(Psalm 27:14) Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
(Psalm 29:11) The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace.
(Psalm 31:24) Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD.
(Psalm 32:8) The LORD says, “I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you.”
(Psalm 33:4-5) For the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice…
(Psalm 33:12) Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.
(Psalm 33:20-22) We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let Your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in You alone.
(Psalm 34:7-8) The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.
(Psalm 34:17-19) The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all…
(Psalm 36:1-4) I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.
(Psalm 37:3-6) Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your fairness like the noonday sun.
(Psalm 37:39) The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
(Psalm 42:11) Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
(Psalm 46:1-3) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
(Psalm 46:10) He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
(Psalm 51:1-2) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity.
(Psalm 51:10) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and make my spirit right again.
(Psalm 54:4) Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the supporter of my soul.
(Psalm 55:22) Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let
the righteous be shaken.
(Psalm 56:4) In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
(Psalm 62:6-8) Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
(Psalm 63:1-4) O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You! As long as I live I will pray to you.
(Psalm 68:5) A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.
(Psalm 68:19) Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
(Psalm 71:4-8) My God, save me from the power of the wicked and from the hold of evil and cruel people. LORD, You are my hope. LORD, I have trusted You since I was young. I have depended on You since I was born; You helped me even on the day of my birth. I will always praise You. I am an example to many people, because You are my strong protection. I am always praising You; all day long I honor You.
(Psalm 73:26) My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Psalm 77:11-12) I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.
(Psalm 84:10) Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
(Psalm 90:2-4) Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn people back to dust… A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
(Psalm 90:12) Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
(Psalm 91:2) I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"
(Psalm 91:11) For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…
(Psalm 92:12-15) The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.”
(Psalm 94:12-13) Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD, the one you teach from your law; you grant them relief from days of trouble…
(Psalm 94:18-19) When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
(Psalm 95:1-2) Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving…
(Psalm 100) Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
(Psalm 103:8) The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness.
(Psalm 103:17-18) But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep His covenant.
(Psalm 105:1) Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done.
(Psalm 116:1-2) I love the LORD, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.
(Psalm 116:15) Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.
(Psalm 117) All of you nations, come praise the Lord! Let everyone praise Him. God's love for us is wonderful; His faithfulness never ends. Shout praises to the Lord!
(Psalm 118:5-8) When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me? The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in human beings. (Psalm 118:5-8)
(Psalms 118:24) This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Psalm 119:2) Blessed are those who keep His rules, who try to obey Him with their whole heart.
(Psalm 119:9) How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to God’s word.
(Psalm 119:10) I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands.
(Psalm 119:11) I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
(Psalm 119:30) I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on Your laws.
(Psalm 119:89-91) Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve You.
(Psalm 119:105-6) Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous laws.
(Psalm 119:114) You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your Word.
(Psalm 121:1-2) I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
(Psalm 127:3) Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
(Psalm 130:5) I wait for the LORD to help me, and I trust His word.
(Psalm 139:7-10) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
(Psalm 139:13-16) For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.
(Psalm 139:23-24) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 143:8) Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.
(Psalm 143:10) Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God! Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
(Psalm 145:8) The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy.
(Psalm 145:18-19) The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
(Psalm 147:3) The LORD heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
(Proverbs 1:7) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 2:6-8) For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the righteous; He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.
(Proverbs 3:5-6) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.
(Proverbs 3:11-12) My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.
(Proverbs 4:7) The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
(Proverbs 4:23) Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
(Proverbs 4:26-27) Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
(Proverbs 5:21) For your ways are in full view of the Lord , and He examines all your paths.
(Proverbs 6:16-19 NASB) There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
(Proverbs 9:10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(Proverbs 10:9) Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
(Proverbs 10:12) Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
(Proverbs 10:17) Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
(Proverbs 11:3) Good people will be guided by honesty; dishonesty will destroy those who are not trustworthy.
(Proverbs 12:1) Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
(Proverbs 12:15) The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
(Proverbs 12:16) Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.
(Proverbs 12:23) The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.
(Proverbs 12:24) Hard workers will become leaders, but those who are lazy will be slaves.
(Proverbs 12:25) Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
(Proverbs 13:3) Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.
(Proverbs 13:4) Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
(Proverbs 13:6) Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
(Proverbs 13:10) Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.
(Proverbs 13:16) Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly.
(Proverbs 13:20) Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
(Proverbs 14:7) Stay away from fools, because they can’t teach you anything.
(Proverbs 14:29) People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.
(Proverbs 15:1) A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
(Proverbs 15:2) Wise people use knowledge when they speak, but fools pour out foolishness.
(Proverbs 15:29) The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
(Proverbs 15:31-32) Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Those who disregard discipline despise themselves…
(Proverbs 16: 1-3) We humans make plans but the Lord has the final word. We may think we know what is right, but the Lord is the judge of our motives. Share your plans with the Lord, and you will succeed.
(Proverbs 16:6) Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided.
(Proverbs 16:9) In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
(Proverbs 16:24) Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
(Proverbs 17:9) Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
(Proverbs 17:17) A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
(Proverbs 17:25) Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitterness to their mothers.
(Proverbs 18:13) Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
(Proverbs 18:22) He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
(Proverbs 19:11) Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
(Proverbs 19:20-21) Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
(Proverbs 20:3) Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.
(Proverbs 20:7) The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.
(Proverbs 21:2) A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.
(Proverbs 21:3) To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
(Proverbs 21:21) Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
(Proverbs 22:4) Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.
(Proverbs 22:6) Start children off on the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:9) Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor.
(Proverbs 23:12) Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge.
(Proverbs 24:3) By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.
(Proverbs 27:2) Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips.
(Proverbs 27:17) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
(Proverbs 29:18) Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed are those who heed wisdom’s instruction.
(Proverbs 29:25) Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
(Proverbs 31:30-31) Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11) He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If they fall down, they can help each other up. Pity those who fall and have no one to help them up!
(Ecclesiastes 4:12) And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
(Ecclesiastes 7:9) Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
(Ecclesiastes 11:5) As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13) Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.