97 Verses about Love towards Those in Need

The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! Take up the cause of the orphan! Defend the rights of the widow!

And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.

The one who gives to the poor will not lack, but whoever shuts his eyes to them will receive many curses.

By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

She extends her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.

Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.”

There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are needy and poor in your land.

How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly! When trouble comes, the Lord delivers him.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

The one who oppresses the poor insults his Creator, but whoever shows favor to the needy honors him.

John answered them, “The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”

I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?

A generous person will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

With all my strength I will say, “O Lord, who can compare to you? You rescue the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.”

If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’

The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the creator of them both.

“‘If your brother becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, you must support him; he must live with you like a foreign resident.

“Because of the violence done to the oppressed, because of the painful cries of the needy, I will spring into action,” says the Lord. “I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.”

But a Samaritan who was traveling came to where the injured man was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.

He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Have I not wept for the unfortunate? Was not my soul grieved for the poor?

Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.

All day long he craves greedily, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.

But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.

He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from his holy palace.

But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

and has a reputation for good works: as one who has raised children, practiced hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, helped those in distress – as one who has exhibited all kinds of good works.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.”

“You must not afflict any widow or orphan.

Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do.

When she has left him she may go and become someone else’s wife.

When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure; the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time; they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

I know that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed and vindicates the poor.

But in the seventh year you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

You have taken notice, for you always see one who inflicts pain and suffering. The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; you deliver the fatherless.

So he answered them, “Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

A deceiver’s methods are evil; he dreams up evil plans to ruin the poor with lies, even when the needy are in the right.

when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, and does not reject their request.

A benevolent person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.

because he stands at the right hand of the needy, to deliver him from those who threaten his life.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.

I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame;

I was a father to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing.

For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!

Consequently the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; he provides safety in times of trouble.

He lifts the weak from the dust; he raises the poor from the ash heap to seat them with princes and to bestow on them an honored position. The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the world on them.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

For you are a protector for the poor, a protector for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm, a shade from the heat. Though the breath of tyrants is like a winter rainstorm,

The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he maintains the boundaries of the widow.

When you finish tithing all your income in the third year (the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

For he has satisfied those who thirst, and those who hunger he has filled with food.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.

He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated and honored.

You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

What is desirable for a person is to show loyal love, and a poor person is better than a liar.

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves.

One person is generous and yet grows more wealthy, but another withholds more than he should and comes to poverty.

A generous person will be enriched, and the one who provides water for others will himself be satisfied.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.

Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!

The righteous person cares for the legal rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such knowledge.

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food,

and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it?

Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.

The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and will not be answered.

The one who despises his neighbor sins, but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed.

But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.

So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.

The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain and the one who gives to the rich – both end up only in poverty.

And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work.

vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The Lord releases the imprisoned.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,

The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched from thirst. I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

A poor person who oppresses the weak is like a driving rain without food.

“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

“For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

for the needy are not permanently ignored, the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed.

If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

If I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with orphans –

No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke.

I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition.

Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend him whatever he needs.

For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales

and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.

A kind person benefits himself, but a cruel person brings himself trouble.

For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender.

for I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the orphan who had no one to assist him;

the blessing of the dying man descended on me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice;

Do not exploit a poor person because he is poor and do not crush the needy in court,

But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith?

So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.