Benedictions: 30 Scripture Blessings to Close Your Worship Service

Yahweh bless you, and keep you. Yahweh make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.

— Numbers 6:24–26 (WEB)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's love, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

— 2 Corinthians 13:14 (WEB)

Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

— Hebrews 13:20–21 (WEB)

Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

— Jude 24–25 (WEB)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

— Romans 15:13 (WEB)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

— Philippians 4:7 (WEB)

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.

— 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 (WEB)

Go now into the waiting weeks, watchful for the light that is coming. And may the God who kept his promise to Israel keep his promise to you; may Christ the Morning Star rise in your hearts; and may the Spirit make you people of patient hope.

— Original

Go in the joy of the God who did not stay far off, but came near, and was laid in a manger, and was called Emmanuel. And may the Word made flesh dwell among you, full of grace and truth, this day and always.

— Original

Go out as people of the empty tomb. May the God who raised Jesus from the dead raise your hopes, raise your courage, and raise your eyes; and may the life that death could not hold be at work in you until he comes.

— Original

Go gently. May the God of all comfort hold what you cannot carry, may Christ who wept at a graveside weep with you, and may the Spirit keep watch through the long nights until joy comes in the morning.

— Original

Go — you are sent. May the God who called you go before you, may Christ who is with you to the end of the age walk beside you, and may the Spirit give you words when you have none. And may the work of your hands outlast you.

— Original

Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

— Ephesians 6:23–24 (KJV)

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

— 1 Peter 5:10–11 (KJV)

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.

— 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (WEB)

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

— 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (KJV)

The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

— Psalm 121:7–8 (KJV)

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

— Ephesians 3:20–21 (WEB)

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

— 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13 (KJV)

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

— Romans 15:5–6 (KJV)

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

— Galatians 6:18 (KJV)

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

— Psalm 67:1–2 (KJV)

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

— 2 Corinthians 13:11 (KJV)

Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

— 1 Peter 5:14 (KJV)

Go out under a sky you did not make, following a light you did not light. May the God who guided strangers to a child in Bethlehem guide you home by another road; may Christ be the star you steer by; and may the Spirit make you a light to somebody still travelling.

— Original

Go into these forty days unhurried. May the God who fed his people in the wilderness feed you, may Christ who was tempted and did not fall hold you up, and may the Spirit teach you what you are hungry for. And may the dust you came from remind you whose breath you carry.

— Original

Go out on the wind. May the God who filled a house with fire fill you, may Christ who promised you a Helper keep his promise, and may the Spirit give you courage in rooms where courage is expensive. Go and speak. You will be understood.

— Original

Go back to Monday. May the God who is not only found in sanctuaries meet you in the kitchen and the corridor; may Christ be as real in the ordinary hours as he has been in this one; and may the Spirit make faithfulness in small things the shape of your whole life.

— Original

Go out wet, and go out claimed. May the God who named you at these waters never unname you; may Christ, whose death and life you have just been buried and raised into, be your whole hope; and may the Spirit finish what has begun here today.

— Original

Go out full, and go out generous. May the God who has given you more than you counted keep on giving; may Christ who fed thousands from almost nothing multiply what you hold; and may the Spirit make your gratitude cost you something before the week is over.

— Original

What is the difference between a benediction and a closing prayer?

A closing prayer speaks to God on behalf of the people. A benediction speaks to the people on behalf of God — it pronounces blessing rather than requesting it. Many services include both: a pastoral prayer near the end, then a benediction as the final word.

Who is allowed to give the benediction?

Practice varies. In liturgical traditions it is reserved for an ordained minister, who pronounces it in the second person ("The Lord bless you"). In most free-church settings any service leader may give it, and lay leaders often shift to the first person plural ("The Lord bless us") to avoid claiming a priestly role.

Should the congregation stand for the benediction?

Usually yes. Standing signals sending rather than reflection. Some congregations also lift open hands to receive the blessing, and the minister raises or extends both hands over the people.

Can I use the same benediction every week?

Yes — and there is a real argument for it. A repeated benediction becomes memorized scripture that people carry for decades. A common compromise is one fixed benediction most weeks and a seasonal one during Advent, Lent, and Easter.

What is the most-used benediction?

The Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24–26 and the Apostolic benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14 are the two most widely used across traditions. Both are short, trinitarian in feel, and directly scriptural.