This page gives you a set of Scripture passages to read through Holy Week, the final stretch of days from Palm Sunday to Easter that Christians remember Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem, his death and his resurrection. It is for anyone who wants to slow down and read the Gospel account day by day, whether you attend a church that marks these days closely or you are reading on your own. The verses below share a common thread: they follow Jesus toward the cross and then show what God did next, so you can move through the week with the story rather than racing toward Sunday.
Verses for Palm Sunday and the Triumphal Entry
Palm Sunday opens the week with a crowd shouting praise and a king riding in on a donkey. These passages set the tone, reminding you that the same Jesus who is honored that morning is the one who will soon be rejected.
Matthew 21:9
The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
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The crowd cries out with a lot of noise and very little understanding of what is coming. Read this slowly and notice how much hope is packed into a single moment. Try naming one thing you are hoping God will do this week, and let that be your own form of praise.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
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This prophecy describes a king who comes humble and riding a donkey, not a warhorse. It reminds you that God’s kind of kingship looks different from what people expect. Before your busy day begins, decide one way you can choose gentleness over force in a conversation with someone close to you.
Luke 19:40
He answered them, “I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out.”
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When the Pharisees ask Jesus to silence the crowd, he says the stones would cry out instead. Here the truth of who Jesus is cannot be hushed. Consider where you have felt pressure to keep quiet about your faith, and ask God for courage to speak plainly this week.
Verses for Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper
Maundy Thursday centers on the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples and his act of washing their feet. These verses speak to love expressed through humble service and to the new covenant Jesus established at the table.
John 13:14
If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
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Jesus, the teacher, kneels to wash the feet of his followers, a task reserved for servants. This verse invites you to look for the lowest, most ordinary way you can serve someone today. Pick one small task that no one will notice and do it quietly.
Luke 22:19
He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.”
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At the Passover meal Jesus gives bread and tells his followers to remember him. Remembrance is a practice, not just a thought. Consider sharing a meal with someone this week and using that time to recall something God has done for you.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.
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Jesus gives a new command, that his followers love one another as he has loved them. That standard is demanding, so it helps to name one specific person you find hard to love and pray for them by name. Ask God to show you where his love can move through you.
Verses for Good Friday and the Crucifixion
Good Friday is the day Christians remember the death of Jesus on the cross. These passages are hard to read, and they are meant to be read slowly. They name the suffering of Christ and the forgiveness that flows from it.
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
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Centuries before the cross, Isaiah describes a suffering servant who bears the wounds of others. This verse helps you see that the crucifixion was not a surprise to God. Take a few quiet minutes to think about a wound you carry, and offer it to the one who has already taken on pain for you.
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.
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Even while being crucified, Jesus asks God to forgive the people responsible. This is a difficult word to hold onto when someone has hurt you. Consider whether there is someone you need to release to God today, even if you are not yet ready to say you have forgiven them.
Mark 15:39
When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
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A Roman centurion watches Jesus die and recognizes who he is. Sometimes faith rises from the most unexpected witnesses. Reflect on what it means that the cross, which looks like defeat, opened the way for a clear confession of faith.
Verses for Holy Saturday and Easter Hope
Holy Saturday sits between death and resurrection, a day of silence and waiting. The verses here carry the weight of that waiting and then turn toward the hope of Easter morning.
Psalm 16:10
For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
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This psalm speaks of God not abandoning his holy one to the grave, a promise the early church read as pointing toward Jesus. Take this verse into the quiet hours of waiting. When something in your life feels finished, remember that God is not finished with it.
Matthew 28:6
He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.
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The angel announces that Jesus is not in the tomb. These words mark the turning point of the whole week. Let this verse be your Easter greeting, and consider sharing it with someone who needs to hear that death does not have the final word.
1 Corinthians 15:55
“Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”
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Paul mocks death’s apparent power because of the resurrection, speaking boldly about victory. This is a verse to say out loud. Choose one fear you have been carrying this week and speak this word of hope over it before you go to sleep.
How to Use These Verses
You can read one passage a day, following the order of events from Palm Sunday through Easter morning. Many people find it helpful to keep a notebook beside them and write down one line from each day that stands out. Reading in the morning sets the tone for the day, while an evening reading gives you a chance to reflect on what you have lived through.
Pray the verses back to God rather than only reading them. Turn a passage into a short request or a word of thanks, and let the Scripture shape your prayer. If you are reading with family or friends, take turns reading a verse aloud and sharing one thought each, which can make the week feel shared rather than solitary.
A Short Prayer for Holy Week
Lord Jesus, you walked toward the cross with love and courage, and I want to walk this week with you. Slow me down enough to notice the story you are telling, from the shouts of Palm Sunday to the silence of Saturday to the joy of your rising. Where I am carrying hurt or fear, help me bring it to you honestly, trusting that you have already borne more than I ever could. Let me love the people around me the way you loved your friends at that table, and let my worship grow deeper as the days go on. Amen.
