The verses below are gathered under three headings: what love actually looks like, what friendship and fellowship require, and how patience and forgiveness hold a marriage and a family together.
Every verse is quoted word for word from the King James Version and links into its full chapter, so you can read the surrounding verses and see the instruction in its setting.
What love actually looks like
1 Corinthians 13:4-7KJV
4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
The clearest description of love in the Bible, and it is a list of behaviours rather than feelings. Read it as a checklist and it becomes uncomfortably practical.
Read 1 Corinthians 13 in full1 John 4:7-8KJV
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Love is not merely commanded here — it is traced back to its source. The ability to love well comes from knowing God, who is love.
Read 1 John 4 in full1 Peter 4:8KJV
8And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
A single instruction with a remarkable promise attached: fervent love covers a multitude of sins. It is the oil that keeps relationships from grinding.
Read 1 Peter 4 in fullJohn 13:34-35KJV
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Jesus makes love for one another the distinguishing mark of His followers. The watching world is meant to read the gospel in how we treat each other.
Read John 13 in fullFriendship and fellowship
Proverbs 17:17KJV
17A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
A friend is defined by constancy, not by convenience. The second half of the verse goes further still — a brother is born for adversity.
Read Proverbs 17 in fullProverbs 27:17KJV
17Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Iron sharpens iron. Good friendship includes honest friction, the kind that makes both people sharper rather than merely comfortable.
Read Proverbs 27 in fullEcclesiastes 4:9-10KJV
9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Two are better than one, and the reason given is entirely practical: when one falls, the other can lift him up. Isolation is the real danger.
Read Ecclesiastes 4 in fullHebrews 10:24-25KJV
24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Gathering together is not a habit to drift away from, because it is the context in which we provoke one another to love and good works.
Read Hebrews 10 in fullMarriage, patience and forgiveness
Ephesians 5:25KJV
25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Husbands are given a standard, not a sentiment: love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. It is a call to sacrificial service.
Read Ephesians 5 in fullEphesians 4:2-3KJV
2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Lowliness, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance — the four qualities that keep peace in a household, held together by the bond of peace.
Read Ephesians 4 in fullColossians 3:13-14KJV
13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Forgiveness is stated as a duty with a reason: as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Charity is then named as the bond that holds everything else together.
Read Colossians 3 in fullMatthew 7:12KJV
12Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
The golden rule, stated positively. It asks not only that we avoid harming others, but that we actively do for them what we would want done for us.
Read Matthew 7 in fullFrequently asked questions
What is the best Bible verse about love?
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is the fullest description of love in Scripture, and it is the verse most often read at weddings. 1 John 4:7-8 explains where love comes from, and John 13:34-35 gives it as the mark of a follower of Christ.
What does the Bible say about forgiveness in relationships?
Colossians 3:13 makes forgiveness a duty, with the reason attached: as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Ephesians 4:2-3 adds longsuffering and forbearance as the qualities that preserve peace. Forgiveness is presented as something practised repeatedly, not a single event.
Which verses are good for a marriage?
Ephesians 5:25 sets the standard of sacrificial love, Ephesians 4:2-3 describes the daily conduct that keeps peace, and Colossians 3:13-14 covers forgiveness and the love that binds it all together. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is often read aloud at weddings.
What does the Bible say about friendship?
Proverbs 17:17 defines a friend by constancy and says a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 27:17 describes the honest sharpening that good friendship involves, and Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 gives the practical reason two are better than one.