Thanksgiving Bible Verses
A verse for the table, a psalm for the service, short lines for place cards and verses for a hard year, all printed in full from the King James Version.
On this page
- The best-known Thanksgiving verses
- Psalms of thanksgiving
- Thanks for the harvest and the table
- Thankful in a hard year
- Thankful for family and friends
- Thanks for God's greatest gift
- Short verses for cards
- Five verses for kids
- At the Thanksgiving table
- Psalm 100 as a responsive reading
- Readings for a Thanksgiving service
- Questions
The best-known Thanksgiving verses
Start here if you only need a few. Churches and families come back to these every November.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
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.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…
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.
Psalms of thanksgiving
The Psalms were Israel's songbook, and many of them were written to be sung while giving thanks. These read well aloud, by one voice or by a whole room.
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 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.
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…
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
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.
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Thanks for the harvest and the table
Thanksgiving began as a harvest feast, and the Bible has plenty to say about food, harvest and the God who provides both. Several of these work as a grace before the meal.
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
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.
When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
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.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Asked to say grace this year?
Read one of these verses, then pray in your own words or use a short prayer written for the day.
Thanksgiving prayersThankful in a hard year
Not every family comes to the table whole. These verses give thanks without looking away from the hard things: a loss, a lean season, an empty chair at the table.
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.
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
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.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Thankful for family and friends
Paul opened most of his letters by thanking God for the people he was writing to. These are good to read over the people around your table.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you…
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers…
Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers…
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth…
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Thanks for God's greatest gift
Behind every other gift is the one Paul calls unspeakable, which most Christians understand as Christ himself. These verses carry thanksgiving all the way to the cross and the empty tomb.
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
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.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins…
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
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.
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Short verses for cards and place cards
Short enough for a card, a place card or a letter board. Each one is an exact phrase from the KJV, so you can print it as it stands.
- “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise” Psalm 100:4
- “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness” Psalm 65:11
- “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD” Psalm 92:1
- “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” Psalm 103:2
- “They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:23
- “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” Philippians 1:3
- “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1
- “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15
Five verses for kids to learn this week
One short verse a day, from the Sunday before Thanksgiving to Thursday. On Thanksgiving Day the children can say all five at the table, which tends to go over better than any speech from an adult.
- Sunday: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good”Psalm 107:1
- Monday: “In every thing give thanks”1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Tuesday: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”Psalm 118:24
- Wednesday: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above”James 1:17
- Thursday: “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart”Psalm 9:1
Using these verses at the Thanksgiving table
Before the meal. Read Psalm 145:15–16 aloud, then pray. It takes about fifteen seconds.
A verse at every plate. Print the short verses above with the place-card button, cut them into strips and tuck one under each plate or into each napkin. Between the meal and dessert, go around the table: each person reads their verse and names one thing they are thankful for this year. A child who can’t read yet can hold the card while a neighbor reads it.
After the meal. Deuteronomy 8:10 is the Bible’s own instruction for the end of a big dinner: “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God.” Most of us pray before we eat. Israel was told to give thanks after, too.
Someone without a table. Nehemiah 8:10 sends the feast outward: “send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.” A plate for a neighbor who lives alone fits Thanksgiving better than any decoration.
Psalm 100 as a responsive reading
Psalm 100 works as a call to worship for a Thanksgiving service, or as a family reading at the table with one person leading. Print it in the bulletin or put it on the screen.
Leader: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
People: Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Leader: Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
People: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
All: For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100, King James Version
Readings for a Thanksgiving service
If your church follows the Revised Common Lectionary, the readings for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026, are Deuteronomy 8:7–18, Psalm 65, 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 and Luke 17:11–19. They also work for a Thanksgiving Eve service or the Sunday before. Here is a simple order built around them. Swap the hymns for the ones your congregation knows.
- Psalm 100Call to worship, read responsively as aboveThen sing: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
- Deuteronomy 8:7–18God brings his people into a good land and warns them not to forget who gave itThen sing: For the Beauty of the Earth
- Psalm 65“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness”Then sing: Count Your Blessings
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–15God loves a cheerful giver, and giving overflows in thanksThen take the offering for your food pantry
- Luke 17:11–19Ten lepers are healed and one comes back to say thank you. Preach from here.Then sing: Now Thank We All Our God
- Numbers 6:24–26“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee”Sing We Gather Together, then send everyone home with this blessing
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, and the first Sunday of Advent is three days later, on November 29. When you turn to the next season, our Christmas Bible verses walk through the whole Christmas story in order.
Planning the Christmas program too?
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Building the whole evening? See our Christmas program ideas.
Questions about Thanksgiving verses
What is the best Bible verse for Thanksgiving?
Two verses come up more than any others. Psalm 100:4 tells us how to come to God: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.” First Thessalonians 5:18 tells us when: “In every thing give thanks.” If you want one line the whole family can say, take “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Almost the same words appear in 1 Chronicles 16:34 and Psalms 106, 107, 118 and 136.
Which psalm is the Thanksgiving psalm?
Psalm 100. In Hebrew its heading reads “a psalm for thanksgiving” (the King James renders it “A Psalm of praise”), and it is short enough to read aloud in under a minute. Psalm 65 is the harvest psalm and the psalm appointed for Thanksgiving Day 2026 in the Revised Common Lectionary. Psalms 103, 107 and 136 are also full of thanks.
Is Psalm 103 a psalm of thanksgiving?
Yes, in everything but its title. David tells his own soul to “forget not all his benefits” and then counts them: forgiveness, healing, rescue, lovingkindness and a mouth satisfied “with good things.” It is a good psalm for a year when you need reminding.
Is Thanksgiving in the Bible?
Not the American holiday, but the habit behind it is. Israel kept a feast of ingathering when the harvest was in (Exodus 23:16, Deuteronomy 16:13–15). When Nehemiah read the law to the people, he told them to eat, drink and “send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared” (Nehemiah 8:10). George Washington’s first national Thanksgiving proclamation named Thursday, November 26, 1789, the same date as Thanksgiving this year. Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation of 1863 started the unbroken line of yearly national Thanksgivings.
What Bible verse can we say before the Thanksgiving meal?
Psalm 145:15–16: “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.” Martin Luther’s Small Catechism suggests these two verses as a blessing before meals. If you would rather pray in your own words, see our Thanksgiving prayers.
Can we print these verses in our bulletin or on place cards?
Yes. The King James Version is in the public domain in the United States, so you can copy, print and project these verses without asking anyone. (In the United Kingdom the KJV is still under Crown patent.) If your church reads from the NIV or ESV, check the publisher’s quotation limits before printing long passages.