20 Bible Verses about the Poor
The Bible emphasizes the importance of caring for the poor and less fortunate throughout its pages. It encourages compassion, justice, and generosity, reminding us that how we treat the marginalized reflects our heart and commitment to God's teachings. Here’s a collection of 20 Bible verses that speak to the value of the poor and our responsibility to support them.
1. Proverbs 19:17
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
2. Matthew 25:40
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
3. Luke 6:20
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’”
4. Isaiah 58:6-7
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
5. Psalm 41:1
“Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers him.”
6. Proverbs 14:31
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
7. Deuteronomy 15:11
“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”
8. James 2:5
“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”
9. Proverbs 22:9
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
10. Zechariah 7:10
“Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor; and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
11. Acts 20:35
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
12. Luke 14:13-14
“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
13. 1 John 3:17
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
14. Galatians 2:10
“Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”
15. Matthew 11:5
“The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”
16. Psalm 109:31
“For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.”
17. 2 Corinthians 9:9
“As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’”
18. Ephesians 4:28
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
19. Proverbs 29:7
“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
20. Psalm 109:16
“For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.”
These verses remind us of the biblical call to love and serve the poor. As we reflect on our own actions and attitudes toward those in need, may we strive to embody compassion and justice in our daily lives.