and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Then David came to his house in Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, the concubines whom he had left behind to take care of the house, and put them in custody and provided them with food, but did not have relations with them. So they were locked up until the day of their death, living as widows.

You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of orphans has been crushed.

His survivors will be buried because of the plague, And their widows will not be able to weep.

A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy dwelling.

His priests fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep.

Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, Nor does He have compassion on their orphans or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.

So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor among My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.

Their widows will be more numerous before Me Than the sand of the seas; I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man, A destroyer at noon; I will suddenly bring down on her Shock and horror.

Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive; And let your widows trust in Me.”

We have become orphans, without a father; Our mothers are like widows.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her.

who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land;

who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

Choosing of the Seven

Now at this time, as the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the room upstairs; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.

Honor Widows

Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, and to the younger men as brothers,

Honor widows who are actually widows;

But refuse to register younger widows, for when they feel physical desires alienating them from Christ, they want to get married,

Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, have children, manage their households, and give the enemy no opportunity for reproach;

If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are actually widows.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.