42 Bible verses about caring for animals

Think about the Old Testament, how animal sacrifices were the norm. But even then, there are so many verses showing God pushing back against those sacrifices and calling for animal care. It really makes you think.

Proverbs 12:10¹⁰, for instance, says, "The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." That's powerful. God's word includes advocating for animals. It's right there in the Bible.

If you really dig into the prophets, you'll find tons of verses urging care for animals. Hosea 8:13¹³ puts it plainly: "They offer sacrifices of animals and eat the meat, but the Lord is not pleased with them. Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins." It's a good reminder that true worship goes beyond rituals and involves how we treat all of God's creation.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

the hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.

Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

The LORD is good to all: And his tender mercies are over all his works.

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds.

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:but thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.Who knoweth not in all these That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind.

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills.I know all the fowls of the mountains: And the wild beasts of the field are mine.

The soul of the wicked desireth evil: His neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

He giveth to the beast his food, And to the young ravens which cry.

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

and answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

and should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches.So is this great and wide sea, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:and the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, They cast out their sorrows.Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; They go forth, and return not unto them.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet:All sheep and oxen, Yea, and the beasts of the field;The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

Prayer