What is the most popular Bible verse about work?

Colossians 3:23 is the verse most people know, the call to put your whole heart into whatever you do as service to the Lord rather than to people. Proverbs 16:3 is a close second, about committing your plans to God. Ecclesiastes 9:10 rounds out the trio with its push to give your work everything you have while you can.

What does the Bible say about hard work and laziness?

Proverbs is blunt about laziness, pointing to the ant as a role model (Proverbs 6:6) and warning that idle hands lead to poverty (Proverbs 10:4). Paul went further and said that a person unwilling to work should not expect to eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). At the same time, the Bible commands rest, so biblical diligence never means working seven days without stopping.

Is there a Bible verse for starting a new job?

Yes, several fit that moment well. Proverbs 16:3 is a natural first-day prayer about committing your work to God. Psalms 90:17 asks God to make the work of your hands last, which makes it a favorite for new ventures and career changes. And Colossians 3:23 sets the tone for how to show up every day after that.

Bible Verses About Work

A random verse drawn from 26 passages chosen for this topic.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Colossians 3:23KJV

TranslationFrom

Drawing from 26 verses

The Bible takes work seriously. Before anything went wrong in the world, God placed Adam in the garden with a job to do, which means labor was part of the original design, not a punishment.

That framing changes everything. Work is not just a paycheck. Scripture treats honest labor as a form of worship, something you can do with your whole heart as service to God himself.

The verses collected here cover the full range. Proverbs praises diligence and warns against laziness with blunt, almost funny images like the ant and the sluggard. Ecclesiastes reminds us that enjoying your work is a gift from God. Paul tells the early churches to work quietly, provide for their families, and do everything for God's glory.

People look for these verses at recognizable moments. Sunday night dread before a new week. A job interview in the morning. A promotion, a layoff, a business launch, or a season where the work feels invisible and unappreciated.

The tool above draws a random verse about work from this collection. Click it when you need a reset before a shift, a meeting, or a long day. If the first verse does not land, draw another.

Some practical uses. Write one on a sticky note by your monitor. Open a team devotional with one. Send one to a friend starting a new job. Pray one on the commute.

Two themes are worth noticing as you read. First, the Bible dignifies all honest work, not just ministry or impressive careers. Farming, building, serving, managing a household, all of it counts. Second, Scripture keeps warning against opposite errors: laziness on one side, and overwork that chases wealth on the other.

There is also comfort here for anyone whose work feels pointless. Paul wrote that labor done for the Lord is never wasted, even when nobody notices.

So take a verse with you into the week. Work shaped by Scripture tends to become steadier, humbler, and a lot less anxious.

All 26 verses about work, in the King James Version

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Colossians 3:23
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:24
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Genesis 2:15
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
Proverbs 16:3
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Proverbs 6:6
He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Proverbs 10:4
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
Proverbs 12:11
The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Proverbs 13:4
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
Proverbs 14:23
He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Proverbs 18:9
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
Proverbs 22:29
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
Ecclesiastes 2:24
And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:13
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Psalms 90:17
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Psalms 128:2
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Ephesians 4:28
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Philippians 2:14
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1 Thessalonians 4:11
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:10
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
1 Timothy 5:8
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exodus 20:9

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular Bible verse about work?: Colossians 3:23 is the verse most people know, the call to put your whole heart into whatever you do as service to the Lord rather than to people. Proverbs 16:3 is a close second, about committing your plans to God. Ecclesiastes 9:10 rounds out the trio with its push to give your work everything you have while you can.
What does the Bible say about hard work and laziness?: Proverbs is blunt about laziness, pointing to the ant as a role model (Proverbs 6:6) and warning that idle hands lead to poverty (Proverbs 10:4). Paul went further and said that a person unwilling to work should not expect to eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). At the same time, the Bible commands rest, so biblical diligence never means working seven days without stopping.
Is there a Bible verse for starting a new job?: Yes, several fit that moment well. Proverbs 16:3 is a natural first-day prayer about committing your work to God. Psalms 90:17 asks God to make the work of your hands last, which makes it a favorite for new ventures and career changes. And Colossians 3:23 sets the tone for how to show up every day after that.