29 Bible Verses about Hospitality, A Duty Of God's People
Most Relevant Verses
Do not neglect hospitality, because through this some have received angels as guests without knowing [it].
Is this not [the] fast I choose: to release [the] bonds of injustice, to untie [the] ropes of [the] yoke, and to let [the] oppressed go free, and {tear} every yoke to pieces? [Is it] not to break your bread for the hungry? You must bring {home} [the] poor, [the] homeless. When you see [the] naked, you must cover him, and you must not hide yourself from your {relatives}.
So when he had washed their feet and taken his outer clothing and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you speak correctly, for I am. If then I--[your] Lord and Teacher--wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.read more.
For I have given you an example, that just as I have done for you, you also do.
contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.
Therefore the overseer must be irreproachable, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching,
Let a widow be put on the list [if she] is not less than sixty years [old], the wife of one husband, being well-attested by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has helped those who are oppressed, if she has devoted herself to every good work.
An alien has not lodged in the street; I have opened my door to the traveler.
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 welcomed me as a guest,
" 'And when an alien dwells with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. The alien who is dwelling with you shall be like a native among you, and you shall love him like yourself, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I [am] Yahweh your God.
" 'You will not mistreat an alien, and you will not oppress him, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
And he also said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, lest they also invite you [in return], and repayment come to you. But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous."
For if someone enters into your assembly in fine clothing with a gold ring on his finger, and a poor person in filthy clothing also enters, and you look favorably on the one wearing the fine clothing and you say, "Be seated here in a good place," and to the poor person you say, "You stand or be seated there by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Now I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant of the church in Cenchrea, in order that you may welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever task she may have need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, even me myself.
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions--if he should come to you, welcome him),
You prepare before me a table in the presence of my oppressors. You anoint my head with oil; my cup [is] overflowing. Surely goodness and loyal love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will stay in the house of Yahweh {for a very long time}.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.
And on this mountain Yahweh of hosts will make for all peoples a {rich feast}, a feast of aged wines, fat filled with marrow, filtered aged wine.
And continuing, Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man--a king--who gave a wedding celebration for his son. And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come.read more.
Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened [cattle] have been slaughtered, and everything [is] ready. Come to the wedding celebration!" ' But they paid no attention [and] went away--this one to his own field, that one to his business. And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated [them] and killed [them]. And the king was angry and sent his troops [and] destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy. Therefore, go out to the [places where] the roads exit the city and invite to the wedding celebration as many [people] as you find.' And those slaves went out into the roads [and] gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled {with dinner guests}. But [when] the king came in to see the {dinner guests}, he saw a man there not dressed [in] wedding clothes. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?' But {he could say nothing}. Then the king said to the servants, 'Tie him up {hand and foot} [and] throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!' For many are called but few [are] chosen."
Now [when] one of those reclining at the table with [him] heard these [things], he said to him, "Blessed [is] {everyone who} will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" But he said to him, "A certain man was giving a large banquet and invited many. And he sent his slave at the hour of the banquet to say to those who have been invited, 'Come, because now it is ready!'read more.
And they all {alike} began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field, and {I must} go out to look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and for this [reason] I am not able to come.' And the slave came [and] reported these [things] to his master. Then the master of the house became angry [and] said to his slave, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame!' And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and press [them] to come in, so that my house will be filled! For I say to you that none of those persons who were invited will taste my banquet!'"
And he entered [and] traveled through Jericho. And {there was} a man {named} Zacchaeus, and he was a chief tax collector, and he [was] rich. And he was seeking to see Jesus--who he was--and he was not able to as a result of the crowd, because he was short in stature.read more.
And he ran on ahead [and] climbed up into a sycamore tree so that he could see him, because he was going to go through [that way]. And when he came to the place, Jesus looked up [and] said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because it is necessary [for] me to stay at your house today!" And he came down quickly and welcomed him joyfully. And [when they] saw [it], they all began to complain, saying, "He has gone in to find lodging with a man who is a sinner!" And Zacchaeus stopped [and] said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am paying [it] back four times [as much]!" And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost."
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places; but if not, I would have told you, because I am going away to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also.
An Ammonite or a Moabite may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh {forever}, {because} they did not come to meet you with food and with water {when you came out of Egypt}, and [also] {because} they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor, in Aram Naharaim [to act] against you to curse you
And whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet [as you] are going out of that house or [that] town.
And whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, [as you] go out from there, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them."
And [as for] all those who do not welcome you--[when you] depart from that town, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them."
Then he will also say to those on [his] left, 'Depart from me, [you] accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you did not give me [anything] to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me [anything] to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.'read more.
Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and not serve you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did not do [it] to one of the least of these, you did not do [it] to me.'
