20 Bible Verses for a Tattoo (NIV & KJV)

A tattoo is permanent, so the words matter. These are Bible verses people choose again and again for ink, short enough to fit a wrist or forearm and strong enough to mean something every time you see them.

Below, each verse appears in the NIV and KJV so you can compare the wording and pick the one that fits your style. They're grouped by theme, from strength and faith to love and new beginnings, so you can find the line that matches what you want to carry with you.

Strength

These verses are the most tattooed in this list, and for good reason. They're short, direct, and hold up under pressure.

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”— Philippians 4:13 (NIV)“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”— Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””— Joshua 1:9 (NIV)“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”— Joshua 1:9 (KJV)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”— Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”— Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)

“Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”— Psalm 46:1 (NIV)“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”— Psalm 46:1 (KJV)

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”— 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

Faith

A faith verse works well as a tattoo because it reads like a quiet statement, something you don't have to explain to know it's true for you.

“For we live by faith, not by sight.”— 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”— 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”— Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”— Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”— Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”— Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”— Galatians 2:20 (NIV)“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”— Galatians 2:20 (KJV)

Hope and New Beginnings

If you're marking a fresh start, these verses speak to a future that's still being written.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”— Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)“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.”— Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”— Lamentations 3:22 (NIV)“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”— Lamentations 3:22 (KJV)

“They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”— Lamentations 3:23 (NIV)“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”— Lamentations 3:23 (KJV)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”— Romans 8:28 (NIV)“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”— Romans 8:28 (KJV)

Love

Verses about God's love make popular tattoos for anyone who wants a reminder that isn't tied to a single relationship or season of life.

“We love because he first loved us.”— 1 John 4:19 (NIV)“We love him, because he first loved us.”— 1 John 4:19 (KJV)

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,”— Romans 8:38 (NIV)“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,”— Romans 8:38 (KJV)

“neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”— Romans 8:39 (NIV)“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”— Romans 8:39 (KJV)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”— John 3:16 (NIV)“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”— John 3:16 (KJV)

Comfort and Courage

These fit anyone who has been through something and wants a permanent reminder that they weren't alone in it.

“Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”— Psalm 23:1 (NIV)“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”— Psalm 23:1 (KJV)

“Psalm 27 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”— Psalm 27:1 (NIV)“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?”— Psalm 27:1 (KJV)

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”— Psalm 34:18 (NIV)“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”— Psalm 34:18 (KJV)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.””— Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”— Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”— Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”— Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

How to Choose a Bible Verse for a Tattoo

The verses that tattoo well tend to share a few things. They're short enough to fit in one line or a small block of text. They stand on their own without a lot of surrounding context. And they say something you'd still want to see on your skin in twenty years, not just something that felt right this week.

Philippians 4:13 and Psalm 23:1 are two of the most requested scripture tattoos for exactly this reason. Both are under ten words in most translations, both are instantly recognizable, and both carry a complete thought. If a verse needs three sentences of explanation to make sense, it's usually not a strong fit for a tattoo.

It also helps to decide upfront whether you want the exact words, just the reference (like "Josh 1:9"), or both. The reference alone is more private, since only someone who looks it up will know what it says. The full verse makes the meaning plain to anyone who reads it.

Take your time with the wording and the translation. The NIV and KJV versions above often differ by just a few words, but one may sit better with you than the other. Once you've found the line that fits, you can carry the same words further by browsing our Bible verses about strength, Bible verses about faith, or Bible verses about hope for more context on each one, or use the QuoteGenerator tool to turn your chosen verse into a shareable graphic before you commit it to ink.