Bible verses for sleep
The Bible verse most often read for sleep is Psalm 4:8: In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep
. Close behind are Proverbs 3:24, your sleep will be sweet
, and Jesus in Matthew 11:28, I will give you rest
. Below are all twenty-four passages in this library, printed in full, each with a line on when it helps most.
Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, LORD, alone, make me live in safety.
The plainest sentence in the Bible about falling asleep, and the last line of David’s evening psalm.
Proverbs 3:24
When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.
A father’s promise to a child: lying down without fear. Short enough to learn tonight.
Psalm 3:5
I laid myself down and slept. I awakened, for the LORD sustains me.
The morning partner of Psalm 4:8. Read it on waking after a night you were afraid of.
Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones.
For the one who stays up late because the work is never finished. Sleep is given, not earned.
Matthew 11:28-30
28Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus’ invitation to the tired. Good when the weight is the whole week.
Psalm 23:1-3
The LORD is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
The psalm most people already know by heart, which is exactly why it works in the dark.
Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
The night prayer for protection, prayed at bedtime in churches for centuries. Verse 5 names the terror by night.
Psalm 121:3-4
He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Someone stays awake so that you can sleep. Read it when you feel you must keep watch.
Philippians 4:6-7
6In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
For anxiety at bedtime: say the requests, then let peace stand guard over the mind.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God.
Seven words for a racing mind. Breathe out on them.
Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
One sentence for fear: it tells you where to put your trust while you are still afraid.
Psalm 139:11-12
11If I say, Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night, 12even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.
For fear of the dark itself. The night is not dark to God.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
For grief that gets louder at night. God is near the broken hearted.
Psalm 16:7-9
7I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons. 8I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
For the hours when thoughts circle: let the heart be taught in the night seasons instead.
Psalm 63:6
when I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches.
For lying awake: a psalm that turns wakefulness into remembering.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
For a night of tears. It lets the weeping stay and still promises the morning.
Psalm 131
1LORD, my heart isn’t haughty, nor my eyes lofty; nor do I concern myself with great matters, or things too wonderful for me. 2Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3Israel, hope in the LORD, from this time forward and forever more.
Three verses about a quieted soul, like a child asleep on a parent. The gentlest psalm in the book.
Matthew 6:34
Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
For tomorrow’s list. Tomorrow has its own day; tonight only needs tonight.
1 Peter 5:7
casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
Name each worry, then hand it over. A bedtime practice in one verse.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.
Perfect peace for a mind that rests on God. Good to repeat slowly with the eyes closed.
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
For fear that will not settle: five promises in a row, from presence to holding you up.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
Spoken by Jesus on the night before the cross. Peace given by someone who knew what the night held.
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
God rejoicing over you with singing. A lullaby picture, and lovely to read over a sleeping child.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
For a night you want to be over: mercies are new every morning.
How to use a verse for sleep tonight
- Choose one verse and save the rest for other nights. Pick the line above that sounds most like your night.
- Read it aloud once, slowly, then once more with the light off. A quiet voice slows the breath without trying.
- Say to God, in one plain sentence, what you are still holding.
- Keep the shortest phrase of the verse and let it repeat on each out breath until you stop counting.
- If you would rather not hold a lit screen, open the verse in the quiet room: a dark screen, the words, and real rain that fades on a timer.
Which verse for which night
- Worried about tomorrow: Matthew 6:34 or 1 Peter 5:7. More on the anxiety at night page.
- Awake for hours: Psalm 63:6-8 and Psalm 16:7-9. See when you can’t sleep.
- Awake at 3 a.m.: Psalm 139:11-12, on a page that never brightens.
- Afraid, or after a bad dream: Psalm 56:3 and Isaiah 41:10. See bad dreams.
- Grieving: Psalm 34:18 and Psalm 30:5.
- Tucking in a child: Proverbs 3:24 and Zephaniah 3:17. See bedtime with kids.
What the Bible says about sleep
Scripture treats sleep as a gift and an act of trust. he gives sleep to his loved ones
, says Psalm 127. David lies down in danger and wakes up kept (Psalm 3). Jesus sleeps on a cushion in a boat in a storm (Mark 4). An angel lets an exhausted prophet sleep and eat, twice, before anything else is asked of him (1 Kings 19).
Two things run through all of it. Sleep is possible because God stays awake: he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
And rest comes before the work is finished. That is why these verses help on the nights when nothing has been resolved.
A word on the translation
Every verse here is from the World English Bible, a public domain modern translation, with the divine name shown as the LORD. Many sleep verse lists never say which Bible they quote. We do, and we quote it exactly: a build check refuses to publish a page whose wording does not match the text.
Questions people ask
What is the best Bible verse for sleep?
Psalm 4:8 is the one most people reach for, because it is about sleep itself: In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, LORD, alone, make me live in safety.
Proverbs 3:24 is a close second, and easier for children.
What does the Bible say about sleeping peacefully?
It ties peaceful sleep to trust in God, whatever the circumstances: God keeps watch (Psalm 121), gives sleep (Psalm 127:2), and makes the sleeper safe (Psalm 4:8). Proverbs 3:24 says When you lie down, you will not be afraid.
What Bible verses can I read before bed for protection?
Psalm 91 is the traditional night prayer for protection, and Psalm 121 says the one who keeps you will not slumber. Psalm 4:8 ends with make me live in safety
. All three are printed in full on their own pages here.
Is there a Bible verse for sleepless nights?
Psalm 63:6 was written by someone lying awake: when I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches.
The can’t sleep page gathers the verses and practices for long nights.
Which Bible translation are these verses from?
The World English Bible, a public domain translation, with the divine name shown as the LORD. You may copy, print and share every verse freely.