153 Bible verses about Helping Widows

The Bible's stories and teachings about widows really show God's love and compassion. 1 Timothy 5:3 urges us to honor widows. That means truly seeing their situation, having empathy, and offering respect and support.

James 1:27 describes pure and faultless religion as caring for orphans and widows in their distress. It's about being there for them in tough times, offering comfort and help.

The Bible also teaches that widows should be cared for by their families and protected by the church. So, let's keep God's word in our hearts and be a reflection of His goodness to those women grieving the loss of a loved one. Let's be a shoulder to cry on, and most importantly, let's pray for them. Pray that God's Holy Spirit strengthens them.

And let's not just offer comforting words. Let's also provide practical support, whether it's food, clothing, or whatever they might need. Widows go through incredibly difficult times and need our help to keep going.

Let's bless their lives, their homes, their children, and leave a positive mark on their hearts. Let's show them they're not alone in this world.

Support widows who are genuinely widows.

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

“You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to Me, and I will certainly hear their cry.

My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.

Learn to do what is good. Seek justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.

“You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.

The Lord protects foreigners and helps the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

“I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me,” says the Lord of Hosts.

The Lord destroys the house of the proud, but He protects the widow’s territory.

Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds — His name is Yahweh — and rejoice before Him.

God in His holy dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows.

Instead, if you really change your ways and your actions, if you act justly toward one another,

if you no longer oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow and no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods, bringing harm on yourselves,

I will allow you to live in this place, the land I gave to your ancestors long ago and forever.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment.

Therefore, I want younger women to marry, have children, manage their households, and give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us.

For I rescued the poor man who cried out for help, and the fatherless child who had no one to support him.

The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice.

God in His holy dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows.

He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive.

Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

for their Redeemer is strong, and He will take up their case against you.

to keep the poor from getting a fair trial and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice, so that widows can be their spoil and they can plunder the fatherless.

This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Don’t exploit or brutalize the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place.

Crushing all the prisoners of the land beneath one’s feet,

denying justice to a man in the presence of the Most High,

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.

Support widows who are genuinely widows.

But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to practice godliness toward their own family first and to repay their parents, for this pleases God.

If any believing woman has widows in her family, she should help them, and the church should not be burdened, so that it can help those who are genuinely widows.

Just as He neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was also with her.

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Don’t cry.”

Then He came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And He said, “Young man, I tell you, get up! ”

The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.

Summoning His disciples, He said to them, “I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.

For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed — all she had to live on.”

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?

for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need — how can God’s love reside in him?

“And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited.

Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter.

If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,” won’t He who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t He who protects your life know? Won’t He repay a person according to his work?

For the oppressed will not always be forgotten; the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.

Do not deny justice to a foreigner or fatherless child, and do not take a widow’s garment as security.

Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love graft and chase after bribes. They do not defend the rights of the fatherless, and the widow’s case never comes before them.

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,

Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.

In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I made every effort to do.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.

I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.

For He stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who would condemn him.

The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy.

If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food

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

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.

Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share,

storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.

Let brotherly love continue.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.

Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood.

Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace.

For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.

Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.

Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Pray for us; for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.

And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.

Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

“For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.

But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face,

so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness — how deep is that darkness!

“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?

Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?

And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!

But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you — you of little faith?

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

For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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

Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted.

Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.

But You, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up; then I will repay them.

By this I know that You delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.

You supported me because of my integrity and set me in Your presence forever.

May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen.

The Lord will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.

The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed; You will heal him on the bed where he lies.

For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.

The one who gives to the poor will not be in need, but one who turns his eyes away will receive many curses.

Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

In those days she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.

Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who begged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.”

So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

‘The one who denies justice to a foreigner, a fatherless child, or a widow is cursed.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen! ’

But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.

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

executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners.

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

The real widow, left all alone, has put her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers;

Each person should do as he has decided in his heart — not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

We love because He first loved us.

For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

Help me understand Your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart.

In fact, we labor and strive for this, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, especially of those who believe.

Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the power of the wicked.”

And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple — I assure you: He will never lose his reward! ”

On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind.

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

As it is written: He scattered; He gave to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.

Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints — and you continue to serve them.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?

When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You?

When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You? ’

But the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps.

“And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!

For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink;

I was a stranger and you didn’t take Me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of Me.’

“Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You? ’

“Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God.

When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one it belongs to.

Your every action must be done with love.

“When you reap the harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.

Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints,

Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.

Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

If I walk into the thick of danger, You will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend Your hand; Your right hand will save me.

Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them — this is the Law and the Prophets.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.

He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”

So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.

In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways, the Lord will banish them with the evildoers. Peace be with Israel.

accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.

The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;

He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick, until He has led justice to victory.

Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share,

Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar?

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

I will walk freely in an open place because I seek Your precepts.

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithful love because You have seen my affliction. You have known the troubles of my life

and is well known for good works — that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to every good work.

My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.

God in His holy dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows.

God provides homes for those who are deserted. He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a scorched land.

And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender.

May Your faithful love comfort me as You promised Your servant.

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Good will come to a man who lends generously and conducts his business fairly.

Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made.

I will abundantly bless its food; I will satisfy its needy with bread.

He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing.

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need — how can God’s love reside in him?

Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.

And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works,

not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For I want very much to see you, so I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me Your instruction.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

I am bent over and brought low; all day long I go around in mourning.

You hide them in the protection of Your presence; You conceal them in a shelter from the schemes of men, from quarrelsome tongues.

He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,

The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished.

Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the power of the wicked.”

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.

For He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.

So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love is eternal.

height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Prayer