Lent Bible Readings, Fasting Verses & a 40-Day Plan (KJV)
Lent is forty days of deliberate subtraction — a season the church built around the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Below: what Lent actually is, a forty-day KJV reading plan, what Scripture says about fasting, and readings for Ash Wednesday.
What is Lent, and when does it start?
Lent is the forty-day season before Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. Sundays are traditionally not counted, which is why the calendar span runs to about forty-six days.
The number comes from the wilderness: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred" (Matthew 4:1-2). Moses and Elijah each had a forty-day fast before that. Lent is the church walking the same distance on purpose.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
A 40-day Lent Scripture reading plan
Six weeks, one short KJV reading a day, ending in Holy Week.
Week 1 — the wilderness: Matthew 4:1-11, Deuteronomy 8:1-10, Psalm 51, Isaiah 58:1-12, Joel 2:12-17, Psalm 32.
Week 2 — repentance: Luke 15:11-32, Psalm 103, 1 John 1, 2 Corinthians 7:8-11, Hosea 6:1-6, Psalm 130.
Week 3 — the cost: Luke 9:23-27, Mark 8:34-38, Philippians 3:7-14, Luke 14:25-33, Romans 12:1-2, Galatians 2:20.
Week 4 — mercy: Luke 18:9-14, Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 5:1-16, James 2:1-17, Isaiah 1:10-20, Psalm 25.
Week 5 — the road to Jerusalem: Luke 19:1-10, John 11:1-44, Mark 10:32-45, John 12:20-36, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22.
Week 6 — Holy Week: Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:12-19, Matthew 26:1-16, John 13:1-17, John 18-19, Matthew 27:57-66, Matthew 28:1-10.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
What the Bible says about fasting
Scripture assumes fasting rather than commanding it. Jesus says "when ye fast," not if — and his instruction is almost entirely about hiding it.
"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret."Matthew 6:16-18 (KJV) — read in context
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free."Isaiah 58:6 (KJV) — read in context
"Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments."Joel 2:12-13 (KJV) — read in context
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
Ash Wednesday readings
The traditional readings are Joel 2:12-17, Psalm 51, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10, and Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-21. The ashes recall Genesis 3:19 — "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
If you are keeping Lent at home, read Psalm 51 aloud on the first morning and decide what you are giving up before the day is over. A fast decided on day three is usually a fast abandoned by day ten.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
Free printable PDFs for Lent
Every printable is free, KJV, and cleared for church and classroom use — no signup, no watermark.
Lent service kit — order of service and bulletin inserts
A kit for the Sundays in Lent — wilderness calls to worship, a Psalm 51 confession, and inserts on fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.
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.
Daily Quiet Time Checklist
A simple printable tracker for forty days of reading and prayer.
Lent verse of the day
Free KJV verse widget for your church site through the whole Lenten season.
Copy the embed code
<iframe src="https://www.biblesundays.com/embed/verse?ref=psalm-51-10&theme=paper&size=md" width="100%" height="260" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Lent verse of the day"></iframe>Frequently asked questions
Is Lent in the Bible?
The season is a church tradition rather than a biblical command. Its content is scriptural: forty days of fasting follows the pattern of Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), Moses on Sinai (Exodus 34:28), and Elijah at Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).
How long is Lent and when does it start?
Forty fasting days beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. Sundays are not counted as fast days, so the calendar span is about forty-six days.
What should I give up for Lent?
Something you will actually miss, and something that frees time or money for prayer and mercy. Isaiah 58 warns against a fast that changes your diet but not your treatment of other people.
What does the Bible say about fasting?
That it should be private (Matthew 6:16-18), joined to repentance (Joel 2:12-13), and expressed in justice and generosity (Isaiah 58:6-7).
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Ash Wednesday Hub
KJV Ash Wednesday verses, the traditional readings, what the ashes mean in Scripture, a short service outline, and free printable verse cards for Lent.
Epiphany Hub
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