29 Bible Verses about Hospitality, A Duty Of God's People
Most Relevant Verses
Show hospitality to strangers, for some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Is this not the fast I choose to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house? When you see the naked, should you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
After he washed their feet he put his outer garments on and sat down. He asked: Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right for I am. If the Teacher and Lord washed your feet you should wash one another's feet.read more.
I have given you an example. You should also do as I have done to you.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones and practice hospitality.
The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate in habits, sound in mind, orderly, hospitable, qualified to teach;
Let a widow be put on the list if she is under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, having a good reputation for good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the feet of the holy ones, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.
The stranger has not lodged in the street for I have opened my doors to the traveler.
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 took me in.
Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land. Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.
Do not mistreat a foreigner. You know how it feels to be a foreigner. After all you were foreigners in Egypt.
Jesus said to his host: When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors. They will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. You will be blessed because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death.
A man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby clothes comes into your synagogue. You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: Sit here in a good place. Then you say to the poor man: Stand there, or Sit under my footstool. Do not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts.
I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a minister of the congregation at Cenchrea. Receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones. Assist her in whatever business she has need of from you. She has been a great help to many people including me.
Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, receive him),
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of Jehovah forever.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with me.
On this mountain Jehovah of Hosts will make a feast of rich food for all peoples, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear of dregs.
Jesus continued to speak to them with illustrations. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He sent out his servants to invite guests to the feast, but they would not come.read more.
Again he sent out other servants with orders to say to the guests, 'I have prepared my feast. Oxen and fat livestock are butchered and everything is ready, so come to the feast.' But they paid no attention and went about their business. One went to his farm and another went to his trade. The rest violently attacked his servants and put them to death. The king was angry, and sent his armies to put the evil servants to death and to destroy their town with fire. He said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but the guests were not worthy. Go then, to the main roads, and invite all those whom you see to come to the feast.' They went to the roads and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests. When the king met the guests he found that one of them was not wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding. The king asked why did he not wear proper clothes for the wedding? But the guest had no excuse. The king gave orders for that person to be tied hand and foot and thrown outside into the dark. That is where people will cry and grind their teeth in pain. Many are called, but few chosen.
One of the guests at the table then said to Jesus: Those who sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God will be happy! Jesus said: There was a man who gave a great feast to which he invited many people. He sent his servant to tell the guests that everything is ready.read more.
They all made excuses one after another. The first one told the servant: 'I bought a field and must go and look at it. Please accept my apologies.' Another said: 'I purchased five pairs of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.' Another explained: 'I am newly married and I cannot come.' The servant returned and conveyed this to his master. The master was furious. He commanded his servant to hurry into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. The servant soon told his master, 'Your order has been carried out but there is still more room.' The master told the servant, 'Go to the country roads and lanes and make people come so my house will be full.' None of those who were invited will taste my dinner! He said.
Jesus passed through Jericho. There was an important, wealthy, chief tax collector called Zacchaeus. He tried to see who Jesus was. Being a short person he could not see over the crowd.read more.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore (fig-mulberry) tree near where he would pass by in order to see him. When Jesus came to the place he looked up at Zacchaeus and said: Come down quickly for today I must visit your home. He hurried down to receive him joyfully. Many in the crowd complained saying: He is staying with a man who is a sinner. Zacchaeus stood before Jesus and said: Lord, I now give half of all my possessions to the poor. If I have defrauded any one I will give back four times the amount taken. Jesus said to him: Salvation has come to this house today. He is also a son of Abraham. The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and I will receive you to myself, for where I am you may also be.
No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of Jehovah. Their descendants to the tenth generation shall not enter the assembly of Jehovah. This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt. It is because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
If someone will not welcome you and listen to the message, leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet and move on.
When someone will not listen to you leave that house and shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony to the householder.
If someone does not receive you, when you leave the city, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against that person.
Then he will tell those on his left: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the ever-burning fire that is prepared for the Devil and his [fallen] angels. I was hungry and you did not feed me. I was thirsty and you did not give me drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in. I was naked and you did not dress me. I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'read more.
They will also ask: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison and not minister to you?' The King will answer: 'To the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of my brothers, you did not do it to me.'
