^35 (A)for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; ^(B)I was a stranger and you took Me in;

The Outworking of Love

^16 (A)By this we know love, ^(B)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But ^(C)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸ My little children, ^(D)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we ^[a]know ^(E)that we are of the truth, and shall ^[b]assure our hearts before Him.

^15 (A)If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and ^(B)one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Generosity to the Poor

⁷ “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the ^[a]gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, ^(A)you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, ⁸ but ^(B)you shall ^[b]open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. ⁹ Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your ^(C)eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and ^(D)he cry out to the Lord against you, and ^(E)it become sin among you. ¹⁰ You shall surely give to him, and ^(F)your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because ^(G)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. ¹¹ For ^(H)the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall ^[c]open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

^16 (A)But do not forget to do good and to share, for ^(B)with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

^27 (A)Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: ^(B)to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, ^(C)and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Concluding Moral Directions

13 Let ^(A)brotherly love continue. ^2 (B)Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing ^(C)some have unwittingly entertained angels. ^3 (D)Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.