Citations at the end of a verse should be in parentheses with the period following: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).
When a verse is being used as an epigraph at the beginning of a work, no quotation marks are needed; use an em dash before the citation: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. —John 3:16
Avoid abbreviating books of the Bible. Cite books, chapter, and verse(s) in this format: John 3:16, Luke 21:1-13; 2 Timothy 1:8, 1 Thessalonians, 3 John
Lowercase “verse” and don’t abbreviate when using in citation: (verse 2).