Well-known Friendships
Job 2:11, KJV
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite:
Genesis 14:12, 14, KJV
And they [a confederation of kings led by Chedorlaomer] took Lot, Abram's [Abraham's] brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed . . . And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
Ruth 1:16, KJV
And Ruth said [to Naomi], Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God . . .
Daniel 2:49, KJV
Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Romans 16:3 - 4, KJV
Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
Luke 1:3, KJV
It seemed good to me [Luke] also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus . . .
Friends of God
Exodus 33:11, NKJV
So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
Isaiah 41:8, TEV
But you, Israel my [God's] servant, you are the people that I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, my friend.
James 2:23, ASV
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.
Friends of Jesus
John 15:13 - 15, ESV
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
John 11:11, CEV
Then he [Jesus] told them [his disciples], "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up."
Matthew 11:19, TEV
When the Son of Man [Jesus speaking of himself] came, he ate and drank, and everyone said, 'Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!'
Matthew 27:55 - 58, HCSB
Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and ministered to Him were there [at his crucifixion], looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released.
Wise Sayings About Friendships
Proverbs 16:28, GW
A devious person spreads quarrels. A gossip separates the closest of friends.
Proverbs 17:9, ESV
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
Proverbs 19:4, NLT
Wealth makes many "friends"; poverty drives them all away.
Proverbs 27:10, NKJV
Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend . . .
Proverbs 22:24 - 25, ESV
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Friendships to Avoid
Deuteronomy 13:6, 8, HCSB
If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods' - which neither you nor your fathers have known . . . you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity . . .
James 4:4, HBFV
You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever desires to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Friendship Benefits
Proverbs 17:17, HBFV
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 18:24, NKJV
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 27:6, NASB
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 - 12, HBFV
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he does not have another to help him.
Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? And a man may prevail against him who is alone, yet two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Proverbs 27:9, NLT
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
Proverbs 27:17, NKJV
As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.