Finish the verse game: 40 famous Bible verses to complete (KJV)
Play the finish the verse game with 40 famous KJV Bible verses in three rounds, exact answers and references, plus simple rules for playing in a group.
In this article
- How to play the finish the verse game in a group
- Round 1: Warm-up verses (1–14)
- Round 2: Verses most Christians know (15–28)
- Round 3: Hard mode (29–40)
- Ways to vary the game
- Where these 40 verses come from
- How to turn the game into real memorization
- How to make your own finish the verse cards
- Frequently asked questions
The finish the verse game is simple: one person reads the first half of a well-known Bible verse, and the others try to say the rest word for word. Below are 40 famous verses from the King James Version in three rounds, from easy to hard, each with the exact KJV ending and its reference, plus rules for playing it with a group.
Every answer was checked against the KJV text, so you can settle arguments. Where the KJV wording differs from what people know from modern translations, there's a short note.
You can play alone as a memory test, at a small group, at a youth night or around the dinner table. It needs no props, just this page on one phone.
How to play the finish the verse game in a group
You need one reader (the "host") and at least two players. Teams of two to four work best for groups of eight or more, because people who know fewer verses can still help.
- Pick a version. This page uses the KJV. If your group mostly reads a modern translation, say up front that the meaning counts for half a point.
- The host reads the start of the verse exactly as written, ending with the "…".
- Players answer. Either go around in order (one try each), or play "first hand up." For teams, give 10 seconds to agree on one answer.
- The host reads the answer and the reference from the page, then any note below it.
- Score it: 1 point for the exact KJV ending, half a point for the right meaning in other words, and 1 bonus point for naming the book and chapter.
- Play one round at a time. A round of fourteen verses usually fits in 10 to 15 minutes.
A good rule for mixed groups: let anyone "steal" a missed verse for half a point. It keeps everyone listening, not only the person whose turn it is.
The game works because remembering is harder than recognizing. Reading a verse you know feels easy; producing its second half on the spot shows whether it is really "hid in your heart."
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
If you want to keep the verses you missed and review them until they stick, Bible Academy has a memory verse list with built-in review.
Round 1: Warm-up verses (1–14)
Short, famous lines. Most people who grew up around church will get ten or more. If you didn't, this round is the best place to start memorizing.
1. In the beginning God created …
Answer: "…the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
2. The Lord is my shepherd; …
Answer: "…I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). Printed KJV Bibles set "LORD" in small capitals here, because it stands for God's personal name in Hebrew.
3. Jesus …
Answer: "…wept" (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the KJV, two words.
4. Pray …
Answer: "…without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
5. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, …
Answer: "…and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).
6. I can do all things …
Answer: "…through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).
7. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; …
Answer: "…and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).
8. For all have sinned, …
Answer: "…and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
9. This is the day which the Lord hath made; …
Answer: "…we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
10. Ye are the light of the world. …
Answer: "…A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid" (Matthew 5:14). Note "an hill," not "a hill." KJV English often uses "an" before an h.
11. And ye shall know the truth, …
Answer: "…and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
12. He that loveth not knoweth not God; …
Answer: "…for God is love" (1 John 4:8).
13. The Lord bless thee, …
Answer: "…and keep thee" (Numbers 6:24).
14. Jesus Christ the same …
Answer: "…yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). KJV writes "to day" as two words.
Round 2: Verses most Christians know (15–28)
Longer endings. Give the point for the exact KJV wording, half a point for the right meaning in other words.
15. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, …
Answer: "…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
16. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, …
Answer: "…and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
17. For the wages of sin is death; …
Answer: "…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
18. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, …
Answer: "…the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
19. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; …
Answer: "…and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
20. Be still, …
Answer: "…and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). The verse goes on: "I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Award a bonus point for it.
21. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, …
Answer: "…the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
22. To every thing there is a season, …
Answer: "…and a time to every purpose under the heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Verses 2 to 8 then list the fourteen pairs, starting with "A time to be born, and a time to die."
23. In the beginning was the Word, …
Answer: "…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
24. Delight thyself also in the Lord; …
Answer: "…and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4).
25. Casting all your care upon him; …
Answer: "…for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Modern versions such as the NIV say "Cast"; the KJV has "Casting," because the sentence starts in verse 6.
26. But be ye doers of the word, …
Answer: "…and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22).
27. Create in me a clean heart, O God; …
Answer: "…and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).
28. Greater love hath no man than this, …
Answer: "…that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
Round 3: Hard mode (29–40)
These are well known, but the KJV wording is long or differs from modern translations. Getting the meaning right is good. Getting every "thee" and "thou" right is excellent.
29. And we know that all things work together for good …
Answer: "…to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
30. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, …
Answer: "…thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (Jeremiah 29:11). Modern versions say "plans" and "a future and a hope"; the KJV says "thoughts" and "an expected end." Accept the meaning, award the full point only for KJV wording.
31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; …
Answer: "…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). Order matters: mount up, run, walk. People often mix up "weary" and "faint."
32. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; …
Answer: "…be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:9). "Whithersoever" means "wherever."
33. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, …
Answer: "…but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). Three things: do justly, love mercy, walk humbly.
34. Charity suffereth long, …
Answer: "…and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up" (1 Corinthians 13:4). "Charity" is the KJV's word for love here. A player who says "Love is patient, love is kind" knows the verse in a modern version.
35. But the fruit of the Spirit is …
Answer: "…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5:22). The list finishes in verse 23 with "meekness, temperance." Nine in all; a bonus point for naming all nine.
36. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, …
Answer: "…and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Four uses in order: doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness.
37. Be careful for nothing; …
Answer: "…but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6). "Be careful for nothing" means "don't be anxious about anything," not "be careless."
38. All we like sheep have gone astray; …
Answer: "…we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
39. Pride goeth before destruction, …
Answer: "…and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). The popular saying "pride goes before a fall" merges the two halves.
40. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: …
Answer: "…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Ways to vary the game
Once your group knows the format, change one rule to keep it fresh. Each of these works with the 40 verses above.
| Variation | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse round | Host reads the ending; players give the beginning | Groups that found Round 1 too easy |
| Name the reference | Host reads the whole verse; players name book and chapter | Practicing where verses are found |
| Fill in the blank | Host reads the full verse with one key word missing ("Thy word is a ___ unto my feet") | Kids, newcomers, ESL readers |
| Chain | Each player adds the next three words until someone gets stuck | Small groups of 3–6 |
| Translation swap | Host reads the KJV start; players finish in their own translation, then compare | Groups with mixed Bibles |
| Speed round | 60 seconds, as many verses as the team can finish | Youth nights, competitive groups |
For a fill-in-the-blank version, take any verse above and remove its most important noun or verb. "Be still, and ___ that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) is a good one: the missing word, "know," is the whole point of the verse.
For more party-style games, our Bible trivia for youth group list has team formats that pair well with this one, and our Bible games for youth group add active games like the walls of Jericho and Nehemiah's wall.
Where these 40 verses come from
The list leans on the books people quote most. Here's how the 40 verses spread across the Bible.
| Part of the Bible | Verses in this game | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Law and history (Genesis to Joshua) | 3 | Genesis 1:1, Numbers 6:24, Joshua 1:9 |
| Wisdom and Psalms | 9 | Psalm 23:1, Proverbs 3:5, Ecclesiastes 3:1 |
| Prophets | 4 | Isaiah 40:31, Jeremiah 29:11, Micah 6:8 |
| Gospels | 9 | John 3:16, Matthew 6:33, John 14:6 |
| Letters | 15 | Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:13, Hebrews 11:1 |
If your group struggles with the Psalms questions, the Psalms book summary and the Psalms quiz are good next steps. For John's Gospel, which supplies six of the 40, try the John quiz.
Quick quiz: Psalms
Which word opens the first psalm?
The book opens with “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” “Why” opens Psalm 2. Psalms 1:1
Which psalm begins with “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”?
It is Psalm 23, a psalm of David: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalms 23:1
Which psalm begins with “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name”?
Psalm 103, by David, opens this way and urges us not to forget “all his benefits.” Psalms 103:1–2
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.
How to turn the game into real memorization
A game shows you which verses you know. Memorizing is what happens next. A simple plan:
- Write down every verse you missed or only got half right.
- Pick three of them for this week. Not ten.
- Say each one aloud once a day, starting with the reference, then the text, then the reference again.
- Test yourself the way the game did: read the first half, cover the rest, finish it.
- Space out the reviews. Once you can say a verse without help, review it after two days, then after a week, then after a month.
That last step is the core of spaced repetition, explained in our guide to spaced repetition for Bible memory. For more verses to add to your list, see Bible verses to memorize and the shorter set in short Bible verses to memorize.
Scripture itself pictures the word being repeated in ordinary moments of the day, at home and on the road:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
The app's memory verses feature keeps your list and brings each verse back for review, so you don't have to remember what to review.
How to make your own finish the verse cards
If you want to play with verses from a sermon series or the book your group is studying, you can make your own set in 15 minutes.
- Split at a natural pause: a comma, a semicolon or a colon. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; …" works better than cutting mid-phrase.
- Give enough to recognize the verse. "For God so loved the world …" is enough. "For God …" isn't.
- Use one translation per game. Mixing KJV and modern wording makes scoring unfair.
- Check every word against a Bible before you play. Memory drifts toward the version people hear most: modern translations such as the NIV begin 1 Peter 5:7 with "Cast," while the KJV says "Casting all your care."
- Write the reference on the back of each card, so the bonus question is ready.
Want to play every day instead of once a month? Our daily Bible quiz has a question for each day of the month, and how to memorize scripture covers longer passages.
Frequently asked questions
What is the finish the verse game?
The finish the verse game is a Bible memory game where one person reads the beginning of a well-known verse and the other players complete it from memory. It's usually scored with a point for exact wording and sometimes a bonus for naming the reference. It works for all ages, needs no materials, and quickly shows which verses a group really knows.
How do you play finish the verse in a group?
Choose a host who reads the first half of each verse. Players answer in turn or race to raise a hand, alone or in teams. The host reads the correct ending and reference. Give 1 point for exact wording, half a point for the right meaning, and a bonus point for the book and chapter. A round of fourteen verses fits in about 10 to 15 minutes.
Which Bible version should I use for finish the verse?
Use the version most of your group reads, and stick to one per game. The KJV is a good choice for a game because its wording is distinctive and many famous verses are best known in it, such as Psalm 23:1 and John 3:16. If your group reads a modern translation, accept the meaning for half a point.
What are the easiest verses for a finish the verse game?
Short, famous verses are the easiest: Genesis 1:1, Psalm 23:1, John 11:35, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Psalm 119:105. Start beginners or kids with these, then move to longer verses such as John 3:16, Romans 8:28 and Isaiah 40:31. Round 1 on this page is built from exactly these easy verses.
Is finish the verse good for memorizing scripture?
Yes, as a test. Having to produce the second half of a verse is the same skill you need to remember it later, so the game shows clearly what you know and what you don't. To memorize, take the verses you missed, review a few each day, and space the reviews out over days and weeks.