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47 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 the great sea creatures, and everything with a living soul and the ability to move that the waters produced, according to their species, and all the flying creatures, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good.
Consider the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much greater value than they are?
and for all the animals of the land, and for all the flying things of the air, and for everything that moves upon the earth and in which there is a living soul, so that they may have these on which to feed." And so it became.
And he said: "Let us make Man to our image and likeness. And let him rule over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and the wild beasts, and the entire earth, and every animal that moves on the earth."
God also said, "Let the land produce living souls in their kind: cattle, and animals, and wild beasts of the earth, according to their species." And so it became.
And God blessed them, and he said, "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
The wolf will dwell with the lamb; and the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion and the sheep will abide together; and a little boy will drive them.
And he said: "Let us make Man to our image and likeness. And let him rule over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and the wild beasts, and the entire earth, and every animal that moves on the earth."And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them.And God blessed them, and he said, "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
The just one knows the lives of his beasts. But the inner most parts of the impious are cruel.
And let the fear and trembling of you be upon all the animals of the earth, and upon all the birds of the air, along with all that moves across the earth. All the fish of the sea have been delivered into your hand.And Noah, a good farmer, began to cultivate the land, and he planted a vineyard.And by drinking its wine, he became inebriated and was naked in his tent.Because of this, when Ham, the father of Canaan, had indeed seen the privates of his father to be naked, he reported it to his two brothers outside.And truly, Shem and Japheth put a cloak upon their arms, and, advancing backwards, covered the privates of their father. And their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father's manhood.Then Noah, awaking from the wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him,he said, "Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants will he be to his brothers."And he said: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, let Canaan be his servant.May God enlarge Japheth, and may he live in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant."And after the great flood, Noah lived for three hundred and fifty years.And all his days were completed in nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.And everything that moves and lives will be food for you. Just as with the edible plants, I have delivered them all to you,
Thus, the Lord God brought the man, and put him into the Paradise of enjoyment, so that it would be attended and preserved by him.
If you come across an ox or a donkey of your enemy, which has gone astray, lead it back to him.If you see the donkey of one who hates you, fallen under its burden, you shall not pass by without lifting it up with him.
The wolf and the lamb will pasture together. The lion and the ox will eat hay. And dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not harm, and they will not kill, on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
the stag and the roe deer, the gazelle, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, the giraffe.
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work in it: you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, your beast and the newcomer who is within your gates.
Be diligent to know the countenance of your cattle, and consider your own flocks,for you will not always hold this power. But a crown shall be awarded from generation to generation.The meadows are open, and the green plants have appeared, and the hay has been collected from the mountains.Lambs are for your clothing, and goats are for the price of a field.Let the milk of goats be sufficient for your food, and for the necessities of your household, and for the provisions of your handmaids.
The Lord watches over new arrivals. He will support the orphan and the widow. And he will destroy the ways of sinners.
And from every living thing of all that is flesh, you shall lead pairs into the ark, so that they may survive with you: from the male sex and the female,
For six days, you shall work. On the seventh day, you shall cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the newcomer and the son of your handmaid may be refreshed.
"If you see your brother's ox or sheep wander astray, you shall not pass by. Instead, you shall lead them back to your brother.You shall not till with an ox and a donkey at the same time.You shall not wear a vestment which has been woven from both wool and linen.You shall make strings along the hem, at the four corners of your cloak, which covers you.If a man takes a wife, and afterwards he has hatred for her,and so he seeks opportunities to dismiss her, imputing a very wicked name to her by saying, 'I received this woman as a wife, and upon entering to her, I found her not to be a virgin,'then her father and mother shall take her, and they shall bring with them the signs of her virginity, to the elders of the city who are at the gate.And the father shall say: 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife. And because he hates her,he accuses her with a very wicked name, by saying: "I did not find your daughter to be a virgin." But behold, these are the signs of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the clothing before the elders of the city.And the elders of that city shall apprehend that man and beat him.Moreover, they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver, which he will give to the father of the girl, because he has committed slander, with a very wicked name, against a virgin of Israel. And he shall have her as a wife, and he cannot dismiss her throughout all the days of his life.But if your brother is not near, or you do not know him, you shall lead them to your house, and they shall be with you until your brother seeks them and receives them.But if what he has claimed is true and virginity is not found in the girl,then they shall throw her down, outside the doors of her father's house, and the men of that city shall stone her to death, and she shall die. For she has acted wickedly in Israel, in that she fornicated in her father's house. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.If a man sleeps with the wife of another, then they shall both die, that is, the adulterer and the adulteress. And so shall you take away the evil from Israel.If a man has betrothed a girl who is a virgin, and if someone finds her in the city and he lies with her,then you shall lead them both out to the gate of that city, and they shall be stoned to death: the girl, because she did not cry out though she was in the city; the man, because he has humiliated the wife of his neighbor. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.But if a man discovers, in the countryside, a girl who has been betrothed, and, apprehending her, he lies with her, then he alone shall die.The girl shall suffer nothing, nor is she guilty unto death. For just as a robber rises up against his brother and slays his life, so also did the girl suffer greatly.She was alone in the field. She cried out, and there was no one nearby, who might deliver her.If a man find a girl who is a virgin, who does not have a betrothal, and, taking her, he lies with her, and the matter is brought to judgment,then he who slept with her shall give to the father of the girl fifty shekels of silver, and he shall have her as a wife, because he has humiliated her. He cannot dismiss her, throughout all the days of his life.You shall act in a similar manner with his donkey, and his clothing, and all the belongings of your brother that have been lost. If you find it, you shall not neglect it, as if it belonged to a stranger.No man shall take his father's wife, nor remove her covering."If you see that your brother's donkey or ox has fallen along the way, you shall not disregard it. Instead, you shall lift it up with him.
For this reason, the passing away of man and of beasts is one, and the condition of both is equal. For as a man dies, so also do they die. All things breathe similarly, and man has nothing more than beast; for all these are subject to vanity.A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pull up what was planted.And all things continue on to one place; for from the earth they were made, and unto the earth they shall return together.
If, as you are walking along the way, you find a bird's nest, in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is nurturing the young or the eggs, you shall not take her with her young.Instead, you shall permit her to go, retaining the young that you have caught, so that it may be well with you, and you may live for a long time.
If you see the donkey of one who hates you, fallen under its burden, you shall not pass by without lifting it up with him.
The wolf will dwell with the lamb; and the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion and the sheep will abide together; and a little boy will drive them.The calf and the bear will feed together; their young ones will rest together. And the lion will eat straw like the ox.And a breastfeeding infant will play above the lair of the asp. And a child who has been weaned will thrust his hand into the den of the king snake.They will not harm, and they will not kill, on all my holy mountain. For the earth has been filled with the knowledge of the Lord, like the waters covering the sea.
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. And, taking from each of the cattle and birds that were clean, he offered holocausts upon the altar.
In my hearing, you will grant gladness and rejoicing. And the bones that have been humbled will exult.Turn your face away from my sins, and erase all my iniquities.
He will pasture his flock like a shepherd. He will gather together the lambs with his arm, and he will lift them up to his bosom, and he himself will carry the very young.
He has not done so much for every nation, and he has not made his judgments manifest to them. Alleluia.
Are not two sparrows sold for one small coin? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father.
And responding to them, he said, "Which of you will have a donkey or an ox fall into a pit, and will not promptly pull him out, on the day of the Sabbath?"
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? And yet not one of these is forgotten in the sight of God.But even the very hairs of your head have all been numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
For the anticipation of the creature anticipates the revelation of the sons of God.For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and death.For the creature was made subject to emptiness, not willingly, but for the sake of the One who made it subject, unto hope.For the creature itself shall also be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the sons of God.
And shall I not spare Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand men, who do not know the difference between their right and their left, and many beasts?"
And he helped his people greatly, and he strengthened them over their enemies.He turned their heart to hate his people, and to deal deceitfully with his servants.
And the Angel said to him: "Why did you beat your donkey three times? I have come to be an adversary to you, because your way is perverse and contrary to me.And unless the donkey had turned aside from the way, allowing a place for my opposition, I would have killed you, and she would have lived."
Therefore, while we have time, we should do good works toward everyone, and most of all toward those who are of the household of the faith.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? And yet not one of these is forgotten in the sight of God.
For the creature itself shall also be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the sons of God.For we know that every creature groans inwardly, as if giving birth, even until now;
Do you know at what time the wild goats have given birth among the rocks, or do you observe the deer when they go into labor?Can you detain the rhinoceros with your harness to plough for you, and will he loosen the soil of the furrows behind you?Will you put your faith in his great strength, and delegate your labors to him?Will you trust him to return to you the seed, and to gather it on your drying floor?The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.When she leaves eggs behind in the earth, will you perhaps warm them in the dust?She forgets that feet may trample them, or that the beasts of the field may shatter them.She is hardened against her young, as if they were not hers; she has labored in vain, with no fear compelling her.For God has deprived her of wisdom; neither has he given her understanding.Yet, when the time is right, she raises her wings on high; she ridicules the horse and his rider.Will you supply strength to the horse, or envelope his throat with neighing?Have you numbered the months since their conception, and do you know at what time they gave birth?Will you alarm him as the locusts do? His panic is revealed by the display of his nostrils.He digs at the earth with his hoof; he jumps around boldly; he advances to meet armed men.He despises fear; he does not turn away from the sword.Above him, the quiver rattles, the spear and the shield shake.Seething and raging, he drinks up the earth; neither does he pause when the blast of the trumpet sounds.When he hears the bugle, he says, "Ha!" He smells the battle from a distance, the exhortation of the officers, and the battle cry of the soldiers.Does the hawk grow feathers by means of your wisdom, spreading her wings towards the south?Will the eagle lift herself up at your command and make her nest in steep places?She dwells among the rocks, and she lingers among broken boulders and inaccessible cliffs.From there, she looks for food, and her eyes catch sight of it from far away.They bend themselves for their offspring, and they give birth, and they emit roars.Her young will drink blood, and wherever the carcass will be, she is there immediately.And the Lord continued, and he said to Job:Will he who contends with God be so easily silenced? Certainly, he who argues with God must also respond to him.Then Job answered the Lord, saying:What could I possibly answer, since I have been speaking thoughtlessly? I will place my hand over my mouth.One thing I have spoken, which I wish I had not said; and another, to which I will add no more.Their young are weaned and go out to feed; they depart and do not return to them.
You reduced him to a little less than the Angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,and you have set him over the works of your hands.You have subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and in addition: the beasts of the field,