35 Bible Verses About Immigration and Refugee Support

The news footage hits different when you remember that Mary and Joseph were refugees fleeing violence with a newborn. The political debates about border policies feel more personal when you realize that Abraham was an immigrant following God’s call to a foreign land. If you’ve ever felt torn between compassion for displaced families and concerns about national security, you’re grappling with tensions that have existed for millennia.

Immigration isn’t just a modern political issue; it’s woven throughout the biblical narrative. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, refugees in the wilderness, and exiles in Babylon. They knew what it meant to be strangers in foreign lands, dependent on the kindness of others for survival. Perhaps that’s why Scripture returns again and again to the theme of welcoming the foreigner and caring for the displaced.

These verses won’t solve complex immigration policy debates, but they reveal God’s heart for the vulnerable and displaced. They challenge us to see beyond political talking points to the human faces behind the statistics. They remind us that how we treat the stranger among us reflects our understanding of how God has welcomed us into His family.

Bible Verses About Immigration and Refugee Support

1. Leviticus 19:34 – The Foreigner Residing Among You Must Be Treated as Your Native-Born

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

New International Version (NIV)

2. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – He Defends the Cause of the Fatherless and the Widow

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

English Standard Version (ESV)

3. Hebrews 13:2 – Do Not Forget to Show Hospitality to Strangers

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

New King James Version (NKJV)

4. Matthew 25:35 – I Was a Stranger and You Invited Me In

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

New Living Translation (NLT)

5. Exodus 22:21 – Do Not Mistreat or Oppress a Foreigner

You must not exploit or oppress a resident alien, for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

6. Psalm 146:9 – The Lord Watches Over the Foreigner

The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

7. Leviticus 25:35 – If Any of Your Fellow Israelites Become Poor

And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

King James Version (KJV)

8. Ruth 2:10 – Why Have I Found Such Favor in Your Eyes?

At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

9. Deuteronomy 24:17-18 – Do Not Deprive the Foreigner of Justice

Make sure foreigners and orphans are treated fairly. Don’t take the cloak of a widow as security for a loan. Don’t ever forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God got you out of there. I command you: Do what I’m telling you.

The Message (MSG)

10. Jeremiah 22:3 – Do No Wrong or Violence to the Resident Alien

Thus says the Lord: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

11. Ezekiel 47:22 – You Are to Consider Them as Native-Born Israelites

You must allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who reside among you, who have fathered sons among you. You must treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

New English Translation (NET)

12. Malachi 3:5 – I Will Be Quick to Testify Against Sorcerers

I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the wage earner, the widow, and the fatherless; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me,” says the Lord of Hosts.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

13. Isaiah 58:7 – Is It Not to Share Your Food with the Hungry?

Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless. Give clothes to those in need; don’t turn away your relatives.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

14. Genesis 18:3-5 – Abraham’s Hospitality to Strangers

He said, “Sir, if I have won your favor, do not go on past your servant. Let me bring a little water for you to wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring you a little bread, so that you may refresh yourselves. After that you may go on, since you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.”

Good News Translation (GNT)

15. 1 Kings 8:41-43 – As for the Foreigner Who Does Not Belong

As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel.

New Century Version (NCV)

16. Numbers 15:15-16 – One Ordinance for You and for the Stranger

There is one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.

International Standard Version (ISV)

17. Job 31:32 – The Stranger Did Not Lodge in the Street

The stranger has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler.

Tree of Life Version (TLV)

18. Romans 12:13 – Share with the Lord’s People Who Are in Need

contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

19. 1 Peter 4:9 – Offer Hospitality to One Another

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

World English Bible (WEB)

20. Matthew 2:13-14 – Take the Child and His Mother and Escape to Egypt

Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.

American Standard Version (ASV)

21. Deuteronomy 27:19 – Cursed Is Anyone Who Withholds Justice

Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Revised Standard Version (RSV)

22. Isaiah 16:3-4 – Hide the Fugitives; Do Not Betray the Refugees

Make your shadow like night at the height of noon; hide the outcasts; do not betray the fugitive. Let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land.

New American Bible (NAB)

23. Zechariah 7:9-10 – Administer True Justice

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying: Judge ye true judgment, and shew ye mercy and compassion every man to his brother. And oppress not the widow, and the fatherless, and the stranger, and the poor: and let not a man imagine evil against his brother in his heart.

Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)

24. Acts 17:26 – From One Man He Made All the Nations

And he made of one every nation of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation.

English Revised Version (ERV)

25. Genesis 12:1-3 – The Lord Had Said to Abram

And Jehovah saith unto Abram, `Go for thyself, from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from the house of thy father, unto the land which I shew thee; and I make thee become a great nation, and bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing. And I bless those blessing thee, and him who is disesteeming thee I curse, and blessed in thee have been all families of the ground.’

Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

26. Ephesians 2:19 – Consequently, You Are No Longer Foreigners

So then ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

Darby Translation (DARBY)

27. Luke 10:30-37 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan

A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Weymouth New Testament (WNT)

28. Exodus 23:9 – Do Not Oppress a Foreigner

And `ye oppresse not a comelyng, for ye witen the soulis of comelyngis, for also ye weren comelyngis in the lond of Egipt.

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

29. 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 – Concerning a Stranger

Moreouer concerning the stranger which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a farre countrey for thy great Names sake, and thy mighty hande, and thy stretched out arme: when they shall come and pray in this house, Then heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place, and doe according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for.

Geneva Bible (GNV)

30. Deuteronomy 1:16 – Hear the Disputes Between Your People

And I charged your iudges the same time, saying: heare the causes of your brethren, and iudge righteously betweene euery man and his brother, and the straunger that is with him.

Bishop’s Bible

31. Acts 2:10 – Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the Parts of Libya

Phrygia and Pamphilia in Egypte and in the parties of Libia which is besyde Syrene and straungers of Rome Iewes and convertes.

Tyndale Bible

32. 3 John 1:5-8 – Dear Friend, You Are Faithful

Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God when you take care of the traveling teachers who are passing through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your friendship and your loving deeds. I am happy when you send them on their way with a generous gift. For they are traveling for the Lord and take neither food, clothing, shelter, nor money from those who are not Christians, even though they have preached to them. So we ourselves should take care of them in order that we may become partners with them for the Lord’s truth.

The Living Bible (TLB)

33. Psalm 39:12 – Hear My Prayer, Lord

Listen to my prayer, O Lord! Pay attention to my cry for help! Don’t ignore my sobbing! For like all my ancestors, I’m only here for a little while—a mere migrant passing through life like a wanderer.

The Passion Translation (TPT)

34. Colossians 4:5 – Be Wise in the Way You Act Toward Outsiders

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

The Voice Bible (VOICE)

35. Galatians 3:28 – There Is Neither Jew nor Gentile

In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.

New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)

Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Immigration and Refugee Support

Scripture’s consistent message about welcoming strangers isn’t just about being nice to tourists. The Hebrew word “ger” appears over 90 times in the Old Testament, referring to vulnerable people living outside their homeland who depend on the kindness of others for survival. God repeatedly commands His people to protect and provide for these displaced individuals, not because they’ve earned it, but because the Israelites themselves knew what it felt like to be foreigners.

What strikes me most is how personal this issue was to biblical characters. Abraham was an immigrant. Moses was a refugee. Ruth was a foreign widow who became part of the lineage of Christ. Even Jesus spent his early childhood as a refugee family fleeing violence in Egypt. The Bible’s call to welcome strangers isn’t abstract theology; it’s rooted in the lived experience of God’s people throughout history.

The New Testament expands this vision beyond ethnic boundaries to encompass all humanity. When we welcome the stranger, we’re not just following rules; we’re participating in God’s heart for the displaced and demonstrating the radical hospitality that characterizes His kingdom.

Say This Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve seen immigrants and refugees as statistics rather than as people created in Your image. I confess that fear and politics have sometimes hardened my heart toward those who desperately need safety and opportunity. Help me to remember that You have called Your people throughout history to welcome the stranger and care for the displaced.

Open my eyes to see the faces behind the headlines and the stories behind the numbers. When I encounter someone who is far from home, help me to respond with the same compassion You’ve shown to me as a spiritual immigrant welcomed into Your family. Give me wisdom to discern how I can practically help while also advocating for just and compassionate policies.

Remind me that we are all sojourners in this world, dependent on Your grace and kindness. Use my life to reflect Your heart for the vulnerable and displaced. Whether through direct service, financial support, or simply treating immigrants with dignity and respect, show me how to be Your hands and feet to those seeking refuge and hope.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.