29 Bible Verses about Almsgiving

“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce for that year, and shall store it up within your [city] gates.

but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend to him whatever he needs.

“If I have withheld from the poor what they desired,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],

Or have eaten my morsel [of food] alone,
And did not share it with the orphan

(But from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father,
And from my mother’s womb I have been the widow’s guide),
read more.

If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor person without covering,

If his loins have not thanked and blessed me [for clothing them],
And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

If I have lifted my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,

Then let my shoulder fall away from its socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He conducts his affairs with justice.

He will never be shaken;
The righteous will be remembered forever.
He will not fear bad news;
His heart is steadfast, trusting [confidently relying on and believing] in the Lord.
read more.

His heart is upheld, he will not fear
While he looks [with satisfaction] on his adversaries.

He has given freely to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.

He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the Lord,
And the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry
And satisfy the need of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.

Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

“Be [very] careful not to do your good deeds publicly, to be seen by men; otherwise you will have no reward [prepared and awaiting you] with your Father who is in heaven. “So whenever you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not blow a trumpet before you [to advertise it], as the hypocrites do [like actors acting out a role] in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored and recognized and praised by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing [give in complete secrecy], read more.
so that your charitable acts will be done in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

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 invited Me in;

On the next day he took out two denarii (two days’ wages) and gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I return.’

But give that which is within as charity [that is, acts of mercy and compassion, not as a public display, but as an expression of your faithfulness to God], and then indeed all things are clean for you.

“Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give [donations] to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind,

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing; sell everything that you have and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].”

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much.”

and a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg alms from those entering the temple. So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins.

and they recognized him as the very man who usually sat begging for coins at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement and were mystified at what had happened to him.

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, (which translated into Greek means Dorcas). She was rich in acts of kindness and charity which she continually did.

a devout man and one who, along with all his household, feared God. He made many charitable donations to the Jewish people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius was frightened and stared intently at him and said, “What is it, lord (sir)?” And the angel said to him, “Your prayers and gifts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God [an offering made in remembrance of His past blessings].

and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered before God [so that He is about to help you].

Now after several years I came [to Jerusalem] to bring to my people charitable contributions and offerings.

Now concerning the money collected for [the relief of] the saints [in Jerusalem], you are to do the same as I directed the churches of Galatia to do. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put something aside, in proportion to his prosperity, and save it so that no collections [will need to] be made when I come. When I arrive, I will send whomever you approve with letters [of authorization] to take your gift [of charity and love] to Jerusalem;

So now finish this, so that your eagerness in desiring it may be equaled by your completion of it, according to your ability.

Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed]. Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift].

They asked only [one thing], that we remember the poor, the very thing I was also eager to do.

The thief [who has become a believer] must no longer steal, but instead he must work hard [making an honest living], producing that which is good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with those in need.

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share [with others].

But whoever has the world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him?