Advent Bible Verses: one a day until Christmas
Twenty-five short readings, one for each day from December 1 to Christmas Day. They trace God's promise of a Saviour from the first pages of Genesis to the manger in Bethlehem. Read one at breakfast, at bedtime, or when you light the Advent candles.
December 1: The first promise
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15 · KJV
Advent starts on December 1. Come back each day for the next reading.
The full Advent reading plan
- Dec 1
The first promise
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15 - Dec 2
A blessing for all nations
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Genesis 22:18 - Dec 3
A star out of Jacob
I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Numbers 24:17 - Dec 4
A sign: Immanuel
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 - Dec 5
A great light
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isaiah 9:2 - Dec 6
Unto us a child is born
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 - Dec 7
A branch from Jesse
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isaiah 11:1 - Dec 8
Prepare the way
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3 - Dec 9
The gentle shepherd
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:11 - Dec 10
A righteous King
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD , that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jeremiah 23:5 - Dec 11
Little Bethlehem
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2 - Dec 12
The messenger
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1 - Dec 13
A prayer answered
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 1:13 - Dec 14
Highly favoured
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:28 - Dec 15
His name is Jesus
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:31 - Dec 16
The Son of God
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35 - Dec 17
Be it unto me
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:38 - Dec 18
Mary's song
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Luke 1:46 - Dec 19
Joseph's dream
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 1:20 - Dec 20
He shall save his people
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21 - Dec 21
No room in the inn
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7 - Dec 22
Good tidings of great joy
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10 - Dec 23
A Saviour is born
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11 - Dec 24
Glory to God
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:14 - Dec 25
The Word made flesh
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
How to use this Advent plan
Read the verse for the day together, then talk about one question: what does this verse tell us about Jesus? Younger children can colour or draw the scene, and older children can look up the verses around it.
The days follow the story in order, so if you miss one, simply read two the next day.
All Scripture from the King James Version (KJV), public domain.