If you are looking for Bible verses about hospitality in the King James Version, this list gives you the key passages on welcoming strangers, feeding the hungry, and opening your home and heart to others. It is written for Christians who want Scripture to shape how they receive guests, neighbors, and people in need. What these verses share is a simple conviction: hospitality is a form of love, and God himself is the one who first made room for us.
Verses on Welcoming Strangers and Guests
Hospitality in Scripture often begins with someone arriving unexpectedly at your door. These verses address the instinct to open the door rather than keep it shut, and they remind you that the person you are welcoming may be more significant than they first appear.
Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
(KJV)
The writer of Hebrews reminds believers that some who were welcomed as strangers turned out to be heavenly visitors. For you, this means treating the unfamiliar guest with the same care you would give a respected friend. Before the next visitor arrives, decide ahead of time that you will greet them warmly and ask their name.
Romans 12:13
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
(KJV)
Paul places hospitality beside sharing with the saints in need, showing that it belongs to the ordinary life of the church. You can practice this by keeping an extra place at your table on Sunday and inviting someone who might otherwise eat alone.
Leviticus 19:34
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
(KJV)
God instructs Israel to love the stranger living among them as themselves, grounding this command in their own memory of being foreigners in Egypt. When you feel reluctant to welcome someone who seems different from you, recall that you too were once outside and were brought in by grace.
Verses on Feeding and Caring for Others
Hospitality is not only about conversation and comfort. Scripture links it closely with meeting physical needs, offering bread, water, clothing, and shelter to those who lack them.
Matthew 25:35
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in…
(KJV)
Jesus describes the righteous as those who gave food, drink, and welcome to him in the form of the hungry and the stranger. Practically, this could mean keeping a few spare meals ready in your freezer so that a sudden need never catches you empty-handed.
Isaiah 58:7
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
(KJV)
Isaiah connects true worship with sharing bread with the hungry and bringing the poor into your house. Look for one concrete way this week to open your home or your wallet to someone without much, and let that act be part of your prayer.
1 Peter 4:9
Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
(KJV)
Peter asks believers to show hospitality to one another without grumbling, which suggests that the attitude matters as much as the action. When you feel tired at the thought of having people over, name the frustration honestly to God and ask him to replace it with a willing heart.
Verses on Generosity and a Cheerful Heart
These passages describe the spirit in which hospitality should be offered. The Lord values gifts given freely and joyfully, not those given out of obligation or to be seen by others.
Proverbs 11:25
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
(KJV)
Proverbs observes that the generous person is enriched, and the one who refreshes others is refreshed in turn. Notice the way your own spirit lifts after you have shared a meal or a kind word, and treat that as a sign of God’s goodness rather than a reward you must earn.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
(KJV)
Paul teaches that God loves a cheerful giver, which applies to time, food, and space as much as money. Before you invite someone over, pause and ask whether you are giving freely or reluctantly, and adjust your attitude before the doorbell rings.
Acts 2:46
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart…
(KJV)
The early believers broke bread together in their homes with gladness and simplicity of heart. You can imitate this by making your home a regular meeting place, even when the meal is modest and the house is not perfectly tidy.
Verses on Hospitality Rooted in the Gospel
The deepest reason for hospitality is the welcome God extends to us in Christ. These verses show that the way we open our homes flows from the way he has opened his.
Romans 15:7
Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
(KJV)
Paul urges believers to receive one another just as Christ received them, bringing unity and glory to God. When a guest makes you uncomfortable, remember how patiently Christ has received you, and let that memory soften your response.
John 14:2
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.
(KJV)
Jesus tells his disciples that his Father’s house has many rooms and that he is preparing a place for them. This shows that God himself is a host who makes space for us, which can inspire you to make room in your own home for someone else.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
(KJV)
Christ stands at the door and knocks, promising to come in and eat with anyone who opens. Hospitality reflects this pattern: you wait, you knock on the hearts of others through invitation, and you open the door when they respond.
How to Use These Verses
Write two or three of these verses on a card and place it near your front door or on the kitchen table where you tend to prepare meals. Reading them before guests arrive helps you shift from anxiety about the house or the menu toward a focus on the people who are coming. Over time, you may find that a particular verse becomes a reminder you return to whenever the phone rings with an unexpected request.
You might also pray through one passage each week, asking God to show you a specific person to welcome. Keep a short list of names and needs beside your Bible, and revisit it when you feel too busy or too tired to host. Hospitality grows through repeated small obedience, so start with one open door and let the habit form.
A Short Prayer for Hospitality
Lord, you have welcomed me into your presence when I had nothing to offer and no right to come. Teach me to open my home and my heart to others in the same spirit. Give me eyes to notice the stranger, the lonely neighbor, and the one who is hungry, and give me the courage to invite them in. Free me from the fear of inconvenience and from the desire to impress, and fill me with a cheerful willingness to share what you have given me. Let my table become a place where your love is tasted and seen. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
