Good Friday Bible Verses, Readings & the Seven Last Words (KJV)
Good Friday is the day the church reads slowly. Below are the crucifixion accounts in the King James Version, the seven last words of Christ with the passage for each, a simple order of readings for a service or a family evening, and free printables.
Good Friday Bible verses (KJV)
These are the verses read from pulpits on Good Friday: the prophecy, the crucifixion, and the reason given for both.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) — read in context
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."John 19:30 (KJV) — read in context
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."Romans 5:8 (KJV) — read in context
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) — read in context
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
The seven last words of Christ from the cross
Gathered from all four Gospels, in the traditional order used in Good Friday services.
1. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). 2. "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). 3. "Woman, behold thy son!" (John 19:26-27). 4. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). 5. "I thirst" (John 19:28). 6. "It is finished" (John 19:30). 7. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
A common service format gives each word a reading, a short meditation, and a period of silence — seven stations across roughly an hour.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
Why is it called Good Friday?
The name is old English usage in which "good" meant holy — the same sense preserved in "the good book" and in the older name Godes Friday. Other languages call it Holy Friday or Great Friday; German calls it Karfreitag, sorrowful Friday.
Theologically the name holds because of what the day accomplished rather than what it looked like. Peter puts it plainly at Pentecost: Christ was "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). The worst Friday in history is called good because of Sunday.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
An order of readings for a Good Friday service
Read in sequence, with a hymn or silence between each: Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 26:36-46 (Gethsemane); John 18:1-14 (the arrest); Matthew 26:57-68 (the trial); John 19:1-16 (Pilate); Luke 23:32-46 (the crucifixion); John 19:38-42 (the burial).
End without a benediction and leave in silence. The absence is the point; the service resumes on Easter morning.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
Free printable PDFs for Good Friday
Every printable is free, KJV, and cleared for church and classroom use — no signup, no watermark.
Good Friday service kit — order of service and bulletin inserts
A quiet, cross-centred order — Isaiah 53 responsive reading, the seven sayings, and inserts for a tenebrae or evening service.
5 pages · US Letter · order of service, calls to worship, invocation and confession, responsive reading, offering sentence, benediction, two cut-out bulletin inserts, and a planning sheet. No signup.
Holy Week Reading Plan
Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, one KJV reading per day.
Good Friday verse
Embed a free KJV verse widget on your church site through Holy Week — one line of code, no signup.
Copy the embed code
<iframe src="https://www.biblesundays.com/embed/verse?ref=john-3-16&theme=dark&size=md" width="100%" height="260" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Good Friday verse"></iframe>Frequently asked questions
What Bible verses are read on Good Friday?
Most services read Isaiah 53, the passion narrative from John 18-19, and Luke 23:32-46. Isaiah 53:5 and John 19:30 are the two verses quoted most often.
What are the seven last words of Jesus?
Luke 23:34, Luke 23:43, John 19:26-27, Matthew 27:46, John 19:28, John 19:30, and Luke 23:46 — forgiveness, promise, provision, abandonment, thirst, completion, and commitment.
Why is it called Good Friday if Jesus died?
"Good" here carries its older sense of holy, and the day is named for what it achieved rather than how it felt: "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
What does "It is finished" mean?
The Greek word tetelestai was written across settled accounts to mean paid in full. Jesus is not announcing that his life is over but that the work he came to do is complete.
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