29 Bible Verses about Hospitality, A Duty Of God's People
Most Relevant Verses
Be not forgetful to lodge strangers. For thereby have divers received angels into their houses unawares.
Or is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? To loose wicked bonds, and to unbind bundles of oppression? And to let the bruised go free? And that ye should break all manner yokes? Yea, and to break the bread to the hungry; and to bring the poor that are harborless unto house; and when thou seest a naked, that thou clothe him and that thou shouldest withdraw thyself from helping thine own flesh?
After he had washed their feet, and received his clothes, and was set down again, he said unto them, "Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me 'Master' and 'Lord,' and ye say well, for so am I. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet: ye also ought to wash one another's feet.read more.
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Distribute unto the necessity of the saints, and diligently to harbour.
Yea, and a bishop must be faultless, the husband of one wife, sober, discreet, honestly appareled, harborous, apt to teach,
Let no widow be chosen under sixty years old, and such a one as was the wife of one man, and well reported of in good works: if she have nourished children, if she have been liberal to strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have ministered unto them which were in adversity, if she were continually given unto all manner good works.
I have not suffered a stranger to lie without, but opened my doors unto him.
For I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat. I thirsted, and ye gave me drink. I was harborless, and ye lodged me. I was naked and ye clothed me.
If a stranger sojourn by thee in your land, see that ye vex him not: But let the stranger that dwelleth with you be as one of your selves, and love him as thy self, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Thou shalt not oppress a stranger, for I know the heart of a stranger, because ye were strangers in Egypt.
Then said he also to him that had desired him to dinner, "When thou makest a dinner, or a supper: call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor yet rich neighbours: lest they bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, and thou shalt be happy: For they cannot recompense thee. But thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just men."
If there come into your company a man with a golden ring, and in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment, and ye have a respect to him that weareth the gay clothing and say unto him, "Sit thou here in a good place," and say unto the poor, "stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool" - are ye not even partial in your selves, and have judged after evil thoughts?
I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a minister of the congregation of Cenchreae, that ye receive her in the Lord as it becometh saints, and that ye assist her, in whatsoever business she needeth of your aid. For she hath succored many, and mine own self also.
Aristarchus my prison fellow saluteth you; And Mark, Barnabas' sister's son: touching whom, ye received commandments. If he come unto you receive him:
Thou preparest a table before me against mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil, and fillest my cup full. O let thy loving-kindness and mercy follow me all the days of my life, that I may dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him and will sup with him, and he with me.
Moreover, the LORD of Hosts shall once prepare a feast for all people upon the hill: A plenteous, costly, pleasant feast, of fat and well-fed beasts, of sweet and most pure things.
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again in similitudes, saying. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain King, which married his son, and sent forth his servants, to call them that were bid to the wedding: and they would not come.read more.
Again he sent forth other servants, saying, 'Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner, mine oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage.' But they made light of it, and went their ways: one to his firm place, another about his merchandise: the remnant took his servants, and intreated them ungoodly, and slew them. When the King heard that, he was wroth, and sent forth his warriors and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city. Then said he to his servants, 'The wedding was prepared: but they which were bidden thereto, were not worthy. Go ye therefore out into the highways, and as many as ye find, bid them to the marriage.' The servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding was furnished with guests. Then the King came in, to visit the guests, and spied there a man which had not on a wedding garment, and said unto him, 'Friend, how fortuned it that thou camest in hither, and hast not on a wedding garment?' And he was even speechless. Then said the King to his ministers, 'Take and bind him hand and foot, and cast him into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called and few be chosen.
When one of them that sat at meat also heard that, he said unto him, "Happy is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God." Then said he to him, "A certain man ordained a great supper, and bade many; and sent his servant at supper time, to say to them that were bidden, come: for all things are now ready.read more.
And they all at once began to make excuse. The first said unto him, 'I have bought a farm, and I must needs go and see it, I pray thee have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to prove them, I pray thee have me excused.' The third said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' And the servant went again, and brought his master word thereof. Then was the good man of the house displeased, and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and quarters of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Lord it is done as thou commandedst, and yet there is room.' And the Lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper.'"
And he entered in, and went through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was a ruler among the publicans, and was rich also. And he made means to see Jesus, what he should be: and he could not for the press, because he was of a low stature.read more.
Wherefore, he ran before, and climbed up into a wild fig tree to see him. For he should come that same way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, "Zach, come down at once: for today I must abide at thy house." And hastily he came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw that, they all grudged saying, "He is gone in to tarry with a man that is a sinner." And Zacchaeus stood forth and said unto the Lord, "Behold Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have done any man wrong, I will restore him four fold." And Jesus said to him, "This day is health come unto this house, forasmuch as he also is become the child of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek, and to save that which was lost."
In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again: and receive you even unto myself, that where I am, there may ye be also.
The Ammonites and the Moabites shall not come into the congregation of the LORD; no, not in the tenth generation, no they shall never come in to the congregation of the LORD, because they met you not with bread and water in the way when ye came out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor, the interpreter of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor will hear your preaching, when ye depart out of that house, or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust that is under your feet, for a witness unto them. I say verily unto you, it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorra, at the day of judgment, than for that city."
And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet, for a testimony against them."
Then shall the King say unto them that shall be on the left hand, 'Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat. I thirsted, and ye gave me no drink. I was harborless, and ye lodged me not. I was naked, and ye clothed me not. I was sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.'read more.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, 'Master, when saw we thee a hungered, or athirst, or harborless, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and have not ministered unto thee?' Then shall he answer them, and say, 'Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.'
