New Year Bible verses (KJV) by theme, with the context behind each one and a plan to memorize 12 in 2027

The most-loved New Year Bible verses are Lamentations 3:22-23 ("new every morning"), Isaiah 43:19 ("I will do a new thing"), 2 Corinthians 5:17 ("all things are become new"), Philippians 3:13-14 ("forgetting those things which are behind") and Proverbs 3:5-6 ("he shall direct thy paths"). None of them was written for January 1st, but each speaks to fresh starts, plans and trust in God.

Most lists stop at the quote. That's how Jeremiah 29:11 ends up on mugs with no hint that it was written to exiles who had seventy years in Babylon ahead of them. Knowing the setting doesn't take anything away from these verses. It usually makes them stronger.

So this guide groups New Year verses by theme, gives each one its exact King James wording and a line of context, and ends with a plan to memorize twelve of them in 2027, one per month. You'll also find what the Bible itself says about the start of a year (it's more interesting than you'd expect).

New Year Bible verses at a glance

Here are the verses this guide covers, grouped by what you might need as a year begins.

If you only pick one, Lamentations 3:23 is nine words long and fits on a sticky note. Picking a verse is the easy part, though. Most of us can't recite last January's verse by March. The app's memory verses keep a short review list for you, so the verse you choose this week is still with you in December.

Fresh starts: verses about mercy that is new

Lamentations 3:22-23

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.

Lamentations is a book of grief. It mourns Jerusalem after the Babylonians destroyed it, and Jewish and Christian tradition has long linked it with the prophet Jeremiah. Chapter 3 is the darkest part of the book until verse 21: "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope."

That's the setting of "new every morning". It isn't a cheerful slogan for people whose year went well. It's what someone said while sitting in ruins. If you're ending 2026 tired or disappointed, this is your verse. The Lamentations summary gives the whole book in a few minutes, and the Lamentations quiz checks what you caught.

Isaiah 43:18-19

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing" (Isaiah 43:18-19). God speaks to Israel, and the "former things" are His own past wonders, above all the crossing of the sea (Isaiah 43:16-17). The point isn't that the exodus didn't matter. It's that God was about to do something so great it would make the old story look small: "I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." David's prayer after his sin with Bathsheba is the honest way to start a year: not with a list of improvements but with confession. 1 John 1:9 is its New Testament partner: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

New in Christ: the newness that isn't about January

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Plenty of people use this verse for a new year, and that's fine as long as you know what it promises. Paul isn't talking about a better version of you after a few good habits. He's describing what happens to anyone who is "in Christ": a new creation, by God's work, not by a calendar date.

That matters for resolutions. Your standing with God doesn't depend on how well you keep them. You build habits because you're already His, not to earn your way in. Ezekiel 36:26 says the same thing from the Old Testament side: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you."

Revelation 21:5 takes it to the end of the story: "Behold, I make all things new." Every January is a small picture of a much bigger renewal God has promised.

Leaving the past behind

Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote Philippians in chains (Philippians 1:13). Just before these verses, he lists his impressive religious past and calls it loss compared with knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7-8). So "forgetting those things which are behind" covers his failures, like persecuting the church, and also his achievements. Both can keep you looking backward.

"I press toward the mark" is the language of a runner. It's a good verse for a year when you're tempted to coast. For more on the letter, see the Philippians summary or follow Paul's life from Damascus to Rome.

Luke 9:62

"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus says it to someone who wants to follow Him later. It's a hard word, and a useful one if you keep restarting the same commitment every January.

Making plans for the year (without pretending you control it)

Proverbs 16:9

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps." Proverbs doesn't tell you to skip planning. It assumes you will plan, and reminds you who actually guides the outcome. Proverbs 16:3 adds: "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."

James 4:13-15

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

James is talking to people who plan a whole year of business with full confidence. His answer isn't "don't plan". It's "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." Write your goals for 2027, then hold them with open hands.

Psalm 90:12

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90 is the only psalm its heading calls "A Prayer of Moses the man of God" (Psalm 90:1). Moses sets the shortness of life (Psalm 90:10) against God, who has been "our dwelling place in all generations". Counting your days isn't meant to scare you. It's meant to help you spend them on what lasts.

Matthew 6:33-34

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Jesus says it right after telling His followers not to worry about food and clothes. The next verse fits January well too: "Take therefore no thought for the morrow." Plan, yes. Worry, no.

Quick quiz: Proverbs

According to Proverbs 1:7, what is “the beginning of knowledge”?

The study of ScriptureThe fear of the LORDListening to the eldersLife experience

To which animal is the sluggard sent to learn wisdom?

The beeThe lionThe antThe eagle

To whom does the book’s first verse attribute the Proverbs?

SolomonAgurLemuelHezekiah

Continue the quiz

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

Trust and courage for what's ahead

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." It's one of the most memorized passages in the Bible, and it's short enough (27 words in the KJV) to learn in a week. The Proverbs summary shows where it fits in Solomon's teaching to his son.

Joshua 1:9

"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." God says it to Joshua as Moses has just died and Israel is about to cross the Jordan. New leader, new land, no map. If your 2027 includes a move, a new job or a first semester somewhere, it's hard to find a better verse.

Deuteronomy 31:8

"And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." Moses says it to Joshua in front of all Israel. Hebrews 13:5 later quotes the promise for Christians: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Isaiah 40:31

"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." Notice the order: flying, running, then walking. Most of a year is walking. This verse promises strength for that part too.

Verses about the whole year

A few verses actually mention the year, and they're worth knowing because they're rarely on the usual lists.

• Psalm 65:11. "Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness." David pictures a harvest year overflowing because of God's care.
• Deuteronomy 11:12. The promised land is "A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year."
• Hebrews 13:8. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Eleven words, and the best verse for the last night of a year: everything else changes, He doesn't.
• Numbers 6:24-26. The priestly blessing ("The Lord bless thee, and keep thee") is a natural way to open a New Year's Eve gathering or a first small group of the year.

Is New Year's in the Bible?

The January 1st New Year isn't in the Bible. But the Bible does talk about the start of a year, and it ties it to redemption.

As Israel prepared to leave Egypt, God told Moses: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Exodus 12:2). That month was Abib (Exodus 13:4), later called Nisan (Esther 3:7). Israel's calendar started with the Passover, the night God rescued them. You can read it in the ten plagues and the Passover.

Two other "first day of the first month" moments stand out:

• The tabernacle. God told Moses to set it up "On the first day of the first month" (Exodus 40:2), and it happened "in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month" (Exodus 40:17). See building the tabernacle.
• Ezra's trip. Ezra "upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon", and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, "according to the good hand of his God upon him" (Ezra 7:9). A four-month trip, started on day one of the year. It's told in Ezra returns to Jerusalem.

Leviticus 23:24 also sets "a memorial of blowing of trumpets" on the first day of the seventh month. Jewish tradition later came to celebrate that day as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. For Christians, the main lesson is simple: in the Bible, a new year starts by remembering what God has done.

What about Jeremiah 29:11?

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 is probably the most shared New Year verse, and it's worth reading in context. Jeremiah 29:1 says these are "the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent" to the people carried away to Babylon. The letter tells them to build houses, plant gardens and "seek the peace of the city" where they were captives (Jeremiah 29:5-7). Then verse 10: "after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you".

So the promise of an "expected end" came with a long wait. Many of the first readers would not live to see the return. Christians apply the verse today because it shows God's heart toward His people, and that's right. Just don't read it as a guarantee that 2027 will go to plan. Read it as a promise that God is good to His people even in a hard season, and that He keeps His word on His timeline. The Jeremiah summary gives the full background, and the return from exile shows how the promise was kept.

A plan to memorize 12 New Year verses in 2027

Here's a simple goal for the year: one verse a month. It's slow on purpose. If you've tried to memorize too much before and quit, this is the pace that works.

This list sticks to New Year themes, from fresh mercy in January to the Jesus who doesn't change in December. If you'd rather follow the church calendar (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas), our New Year Bible reading challenge has a second 12-month list built that way, and our Thanksgiving Bible verses can get you started this November.

That's 254 words in all, counted in the KJV, or about five words a week. Philippians 1:6 makes a good November verse: "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

How to run it:

1. Week 1 of the month: learn it. Read the verse in context (the whole paragraph), say it out loud a few times a day, then try it from memory.
2. Review on a schedule. Recall it on days 2, 4, 7, 14 and 30 after you learn it. Our guide to spaced repetition for Bible memory explains why this works better than rereading.
3. Keep old verses alive. Once a week, recite every verse you've learned so far this year. By December, that's twelve verses in about two minutes.
4. Say the reference too. "Lamentations 3:23, new every morning." Knowing where a verse lives helps you find it and share it.
5. If you miss a month, don't double up. Take the next month's verse and come back to the skipped one in December.

For more methods (first letters, writing it out, linking it to a routine), see how to memorize Scripture. If a month's verse feels long, swap it for one of our short Bible verses to memorize, all under 15 words.

Doing the review schedule by hand is where most people lose track. In Bible Academy you save each verse to your memory verses and the app brings it back for review, with Eden reminding you on the days you'd forget.

Pair your verses with a reading plan

A memory verse goes deeper when you read the book it comes from. If you're also making a Bible reading goal for 2027, our New Year Bible reading challenge helps you pick a plan you'll actually finish, and the Bible reading plan for 2027 gives a full year of readings.

One easy pairing: read Philippians in January (four chapters, one a week) while you memorize your first verse, then read Proverbs in February, one chapter a day, while you learn Proverbs 3:5-6. You can also test yourself with the Proverbs quiz or the Philippians quiz when you finish.

For a longer list of verses to learn after these twelve, see 52 Bible verses to memorize by theme.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Bible verse for the New Year?

Lamentations 3:22-23 is a strong choice: "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." It was written after Jerusalem's fall, so its hope holds up in hard years too. Other favorites are Isaiah 43:19, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 3:13-14 and Proverbs 3:5-6.

Does the Bible talk about the New Year?

The January 1st New Year isn't in the Bible, but the start of a year is. In Exodus 12:2, God told Israel that the month of the Passover "shall be the first month of the year to you." Exodus 40:17 says the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, and Ezra 7:9 says Ezra left Babylon on that same date.

What Bible verse talks about a new beginning?

2 Corinthians 5:17 is the clearest: "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Isaiah 43:19 ("Behold, I will do a new thing"), Ezekiel 36:26 ("A new heart also will I give you") and Revelation 21:5 ("Behold, I make all things new") also speak about new beginnings that God brings about.

Is Jeremiah 29:11 about the New Year?

No. Jeremiah 29:11 is part of a letter Jeremiah sent to Jewish captives in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1), promising a return "after seventy years" (Jeremiah 29:10). Christians still find comfort in it because it shows God's good intentions toward His people. Read in context, it's a promise of God's faithfulness through a long, hard season, not a guarantee that the coming year will go smoothly.

What is a short Bible verse for New Year's cards?

Good short options in the KJV are Hebrews 13:8 ("Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever", 11 words), Lamentations 3:23 ("They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness", 9 words) and Psalm 65:11 ("Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness", 12 words). Psalm 118:24 also works for New Year's Day: "This is the day which the Lord hath made".

How many Bible verses should I memorize in a year?

Twelve, one a month, is a realistic goal for most adults, especially if you've quit before. The twelve verses in this guide total 254 words in the KJV. Learn each one during the first week of its month, review it on days 2, 4, 7, 14 and 30, and recite all your verses once a week so the early ones stay fresh.