Scripture passages used in presidential inaugurations
George Washington (1789)
Genesis 49:13 (opened at random due to haste)
Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.
Grover Cleveland (1885)
Psalm 112:4-10 (Bible opened by Chief Justice and by chance it fell to this Psalm)
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD .
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
Herbert C. Hoover (1929)
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963)
(Hand on a Missal following death of John F. Kennedy. The Missal is a book containing all the prayers and responses necessary for celebrating the Mass throughout the year.)
Ronald W. Reagan (1981, 1985)
II Chronicles 7:14 (Mother’s Bible)
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
William J. Clinton (1993)
Galatians 6:8 (King James Bible, given to him by grandmother)
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
George W. Bush (2001)
Closed family Bible
(George W. Bush had hoped to use the Masonic Bible that had been used both by George Washington in 1789, and by the President’s father, George H. W. Bush, in 1989. This historic Bible had been transported, under guard, from New York to Washington for the inauguration but, due to inclement weather, a family Bible was substituted instead.)