Scripture for Seniors 

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The Glory of Old Age

2MACC 6:23

But he made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God...

2MACC 15:13

Then in the same way another man appeared, distinguished by his white hair and dignity, and with an air about him of extraordinary, majestic authority.

JOB 12:12

So with old age is wisdom, and with length of days understanding.

PS 92:15

They shall bear fruit even in old age, always vigorous and sturdy

PROV 16:31

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by virtuous living.

PROV 17:6

Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their parentage.

PROV 20:29

The glory of young men is their strength, and the dignity of old men is gray hair.

WISDOM 4:9

Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age.

SIRACH 25:4-6

How becoming to the gray-haired is judgment, and a knowledge of counsel to those on in years! How becoming to the aged is wisdom, understanding and prudence to the venerable! The crown of old men is wide experience; their glory, the fear of the LORD.

DAN 13:50

Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the elders said, "Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has given you the prestige of old age."

Top | Topical Scripture: A - Z | Categorized | Catholic Seniors

DEUT 10:17-18

For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.

JOB 29:13

The blessing of those in extremity came upon me, and the heart of the widow I made joyful.

PS 68:6

Father of the fatherless, defender of widows - this is the God whose abode is holy 

PS 100:3-5

Know that the LORD is God, our maker to whom we belong, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Enter the temple gates with praise, its courts with thanksgiving. Give thanks to God, bless his name; good indeed is the LORD, Whose love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age.

PS 146:9

The LORD protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked.

PROV 15:25

The LORD overturns the house of the proud, but he preserves intact the widow's landmark.

SIRACH 35:14-15

He is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint; Do not the tears that stream down her cheek cry out against him that causes them to fall?

ISA 46:4

Even to your old age I am the same, even when your hair is gray I will bear you; It is I who have done this, I who will continue, and I who will carry you to safety.

JER 49:11

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

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Treatment of Elderly & Widows

EX 22:21

You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.

LEV 19:32

"Stand up in the presence of the aged, and show respect for the old; thus shall you fear your God. I am the LORD."

DEUT 14:28-29 

"At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithes of your produce for that year and deposit them in community stores, that the Levite who has no share in the heritage with you, and also the alien, the orphan and the widow who belong to your community, may come and eat their fill; so that the LORD, your God, may bless you in all that you undertake."

DEUT 24:17-22

"You shall not violate the rights of the alien or of the orphan, nor take the clothing of a widow as a pledge. For, remember, you were once slaves in Egypt, and the LORD, your God, ransomed you from there; that is why I command you to observe this rule. When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf there, you shall not go back to get it; let it be for the alien, the orphan or the widow, that the LORD, your God, may bless you in all your undertakings. When you knock down the fruit of your olive trees, you shall not go over the branches a second time; let what remains be for the alien, the orphan and the widow. When you pick your grapes, you shall not go over the vineyard a second time; let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. For remember that you were once slaves in Egypt; that is why I command you to observe this rule."

DEUT 26:12-13

"When you have finished setting aside all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithes, and you have given them to the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow, that they may eat their fill in your own community, you shall declare before the LORD, your God, 'I have purged my house of the sacred portion and I have given it to the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow, just as you have commanded me. In this I have not broken or forgotten any of your commandments..."

DEUT 27:19

'Cursed be he who violates the rights of the alien, the orphan or the widow!' And all the people shall answer, 'Amen!'

PROV 23:22

Listen to your father who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.

PROV 30:17

The eye that mocks a father, or scorns an aged mother, Will be plucked out by the ravens in the valley; the young eagles will devour it.

SIRACH 3:12-16

My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him; revile him not in the fullness of your strength. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, it will serve as a sin offering - it will take lasting root. In time of tribulation it will be recalled to your advantage, like warmth upon frost it will melt away your sins. A blasphemer is he who despises his father; accursed of his Creator, he who angers his mother.

SIRACH 6:34

Frequent the company of the elders; whoever is wise, stay close to him.

SIRACH 8:6

Insult no man when he is old, for some of us, too, will grow old.

SIRACH 32:9

When among your elders be not forward, and with officials be not too insistent.

ISA 1:17

[L]earn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.

ISA 10:1-4

Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees, Depriving the needy of judgment and robbing my people's poor of their rights, making widows their plunder, and orphans their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, when ruin comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth, lest it sink beneath the captive or fall beneath the slain? For all this, his wrath is not turned back, his hand is still outstretched!

JER 22:3

Thus says the LORD: Do what is right and just. Rescue the victim from the hand of his oppressor. Do not wrong or oppress the resident alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

ZECH 7:10

Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your hearts.

MAL 3:5

I will draw near to you for judgment, and I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, those who defraud the hired man of his wages, against those who defraud widows and orphans; those who turn aside the stranger, and those who do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

LK 20:47

They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.

1TM 5:1-2

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with complete purity.

1TM 5:3-4

Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let these first learn to perform their religious duty to their own family and to make recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing to God.

JMS 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Top | Topical Scripture: A - Z | Categorized | Catholic Seniors

Elderly & Widows of the Bible

GEN 5:1-32

This is the record of the descendants of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God; he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and named them "man." Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when he begot a son in his likeness, after his image; and he named him Seth. Adam lived eight hundred years after the birth of Seth, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Adam was nine hundred and thirty years; then he died. When Seth was one hundred and five years old, he became the father of Enosh. Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after the birth of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Seth was nine hundred and twelve years; then he died. When Enosh was ninety years old, he became the father of Kenan. Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after the birth of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Enosh was nine hundred and five years; then he died. When Kenan was seventy years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after the birth of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Kenan was nine hundred and ten years; then he died. When Mahalalel was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Jared. Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after the birth of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Mahalalel was eight hundred and ninety-five years; then he died. When Jared was one hundred and sixty-two years old, he became the father of Enoch. Jared lived eight hundred years after the birth of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Jared was nine hundred and sixty-two years; then he died. When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Methuselah. Enoch lived three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Enoch was three hundred and sixty-five years. Then Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him. When Methuselah was one hundred and eighty-seven years old, he became the father of Lamech. Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after the birth of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Methuselah was nine hundred and sixty-nine years; then he died. When Lamech was one hundred and eighty-two years old, he begot a son and named him Noah, saying, "Out of the very ground that the LORD has put under a curse, this one shall bring us relief from our work and the toil of our hands." Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after the birth of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Lamech was seven hundred and seventy-seven years; then he died. When Noah was five hundred years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

GEN 7:6

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters came upon the earth.

GEN 9:28-29

Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. The whole lifetime of Noah was nine hundred and fifty years; then he died.

GEN 11:10-26, 32

This is the record of the descendants of Shem. When Shem was one hundred years old, he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood. Shem lived five hundred years after the birth of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters. When Arpachshad was thirty-five years old, he became the father of Shelah. Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after the birth of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters. When Shelah was thirty years old, he became the father of Eber. Shelah lived four hundred and three years after the birth of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters. When Eber was thirty-four years old, he became the father of Peleg. Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after the birth of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters. When Peleg was thirty years old, he became the father of Reu. Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after the birth of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters. When Reu was thirty-two years old, he became the father of Serug. Reu lived two hundred and seven years after the birth of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters. When Serug was thirty years old, he became the father of Nahor. Serug lived two hundred years after the birth of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters. When Nahor was twenty-nine years old, he became the father of Terah. Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after the birth of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters. When Terah was seventy years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. The lifetime of Terah was two hundred and five years; then Terah died in Haran.

GEN 17:1-8

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: "I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless. Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly." When Abram prostrated himself, God continued to speak to him: "My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God."

GEN 17:17

Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?"

GEN 21:2

Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time that God had stated.

GEN 21:5

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

GEN 23:1

The span of Sarah's life was one hundred and twenty-seven years.

GEN 24:1

Abraham had now reached a ripe old age, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.

GEN 24:36

My master's wife Sarah bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.

GEN 25:7

The whole span of Abraham's life was one hundred and seventy-five years.

GEN 25:17 

The span of Ishmael's life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. After he had breathed his last and died, he was taken to his kinsmen.

GEN 35:28-29

The lifetime of Isaac was one hundred and eighty years; then he breathed his last. After a full life, he died as an old man and was taken to his kinsmen. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him

GEN 37:3

Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic.

GEN 38:14

[Tamar] took off her widow's garb, veiled her face by covering herself with a shawl, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she was aware that, although Shelah was now grown up, she had not been given to him in marriage. 

GEN 47:28

Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years; the span of his life came to a hundred and forty-seven years.

GEN 50:22

Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years.

EX 6:16-20

The names of the sons of Levi, in their genealogical order, are Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. The sons of Gershon, as heads of clans, were Libni and Shimei. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived one hundred and thirty-three years. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of Levi in their genealogical order. Amram married his aunt Jochebed, who bore him Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Amram lived one hundred and thirty-seven years.

EX 7:7

Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

NUM 33:38-39

Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the LORD'S command, and there he died in the fortieth year from the departure of the Israelites from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor. 

DEUT 31:1-6

When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, he said to them, "I am now one hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to move about freely; besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan. It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you; he will destroy these nations before you, that you may supplant them. (It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.) The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed, and with their country. When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you, you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you. Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you."

DEUT 34:7

Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.

JOSH 14:9-13

On that occasion Moses swore this oath, 'The land where you have set foot shall become your heritage and that of your descendants forever, because you have been completely loyal to the LORD, my God.' Now, as he promised, the LORD has preserved me while Israel was journeying through the desert, for the forty-five years since the LORD spoke thus to Moses; and although I am now eighty-five years old, I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me forth, with no less vigor whether for war or for ordinary tasks. Give me, therefore, this mountain region which the LORD promised me that day, as you yourself heard. True, the Anakim are there, with large fortified cities, but if the LORD is with me I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD promised." Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as his heritage. 

JOSH 24:29 

After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten.

JUDG 8:32

At a good old age Gideon, son of Joash, died and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

RUTH 4:9-12

Boaz then said to the elders and to all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have acquired from Naomi all the holdings of Elimelech, Chilion and Mahlon. I also take Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, as my wife, in order to raise up a family for her late husband on his estate, so that the name of the departed may not perish among his kinsmen and fellow citizens. Do you witness this today?" All those at the gate, including the elders, said, "We do so. May the LORD make this wife come into your house like Rachel and Leah, who between them built up the house of Israel. May you do well in Ephrathah and win fame in Bethlehem. With the offspring the LORD will give you from this girl, may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

1SAM 4:18 

At this mention of the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair into the gateway; since he was an old man and heavy, he died of a broken neck. He had judged Israel for forty years.

1SAM 8:1

In his old age Samuel appointed his sons judges over Israel.

1SAM 12:1-2

Samuel addressed all Israel: "I have granted your request in every respect," he said. "I have set a king over you and now the king is your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and have sons among you. I have lived with you from my youth to the present day."

2SAM 19:32-33

Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim and escorted the king to the Jordan for his crossing, taking leave of him there. It was Barzillai, a very old man of eighty and very wealthy besides, who had provisioned the king during his stay in Mahanaim.

2SAM 20:3

When King David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines whom he had left behind to take care of the palace and placed them in confinement. He provided for them, but had no further relations with them. And so they remained in confinement to the day of their death, lifelong widows. 

1KGS 11:4

When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of his father David had been.

1KGS 15:23

The rest of the acts of Asa, with all his valor and accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. In his old age, Asa had an infirmity in his feet.

1KGS 17:7-9

After some time, however, the brook ran dry, because no rain had fallen in the land. So the LORD said to [Elijah]: "Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have designated a widow there to provide for you."

2 KGS 4:1-7 

A certain woman, the widow of one of the guild prophets, complained to Elisha: "My husband, your servant, is dead. You know that he was a God-fearing man, yet now his creditor has come to take my two children as his slaves." "How can I help you?" Elisha answered her. "Tell me what you have in the house." "This servant of yours has nothing in the house but a jug of oil," she replied. "Go out," he said, "borrow vessels from all your neighbors - as many empty vessels as you can. Then come back and close the door on yourself and your children; pour the oil into all the vessels, and as each is filled, set it aside." She went and did so, closing the door on herself and her children. As they handed her the vessels, she would pour in oil. When all the vessels were filled, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." "There is none left," he answered her. And then the oil stopped. She went and told the man of God, who said, "Go and sell the oil to pay off your creditor; with what remains, you and your children can live.

1CHRON 29:28

[David] died at a ripe old age, rich in years and wealth and glory, and his son Solomon succeeded him as king.

2CHRON 24:15

Jehoiada lived to a ripe old age; he was a hundred and thirty years old when he died.

TOBIT 14:1-2

Tobit died peacefully at the age of a hundred and twelve, and received an honorable burial in Nineveh. He was sixty-two years old when he lost his eyesight, and after he recovered it he lived in prosperity, giving alms and continually blessing God and praising the divine Majesty. 

JDTH 8:4-6,8

The widowed Judith remained three years and four months at home, where she set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house. She put sackcloth about her loins and wore widow's weeds. She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except sabbath eves and sabbaths, new moon eves and new moons, feastdays and holidays of the house of Israel... No one had a bad word to say about her, for she was a very God-fearing woman.

JDTH 16:23

[Judith] lived to be very old in the house of her husband, reaching the advanced age of a hundred and five.

2MACC 6:23-31

But he made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: "At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young men would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. Should I thus dissimulate for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age. Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws." He spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture. Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile toward him because what he had said seemed to them utter madness. When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: "The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him." This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation.

JOB 32:6-10

So Elihu, son of Barachel the Buzite, spoke out and said: I am young and you are very old; therefore I held back and was afraid to declare to you my knowledge. Days should speak, I thought, and many years teach wisdom! But it is a spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. It is not those of many days who are wise, nor the aged who understand the right. Therefore I say, hearken to me; let me too set forth my knowledge!

JOB 42:16

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; and he saw his children, his grandchildren, and even his great-grandchildren.

SIRACH 46:9-10

And the strength he gave to Caleb remained with him even in his old age Till he won his way onto the summits of the land; his family too received an inheritance, that all the people of Jacob might know how good it is to be a devoted follower of the LORD.

DAN 13:7-8

When the people left at noon, Susanna used to enter her husband's garden for a walk. When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her.

MK 12:41-44

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, [Jesus] said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

LK 1:5-20

In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn before God, according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord." Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."

LK 1:35-37

And the angel said to [Mary] in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

LK 2:36-38

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

LK 4:24-27

And [Jesus] said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."

LK 7:12-15

As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

LK 18:1-8

The Parable of the Persistent Widow: 

Then [Jesus] told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

JN 21:17-19

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

ACTS 6:1

At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

ACTS 9:36-42

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas). She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid (her) out in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without delay." So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, "Tabitha, rise up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.

PHLM 1:8-9

Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ to order you to do what is proper, I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.

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Misc.

GEN 6:3

Then the LORD said: "My spirit shall not remain in man forever, since he is but flesh. His days shall comprise one hundred and twenty years."

NUM 8:23-26

The LORD said to Moses: "This is the rule for the Levites. Each from his twenty-fifth year onward shall perform the required service in the meeting tent. When he is fifty years old, he shall retire from the required service and work no longer. His service with his fellow Levites shall consist in sharing their responsibilities in the meeting tent, but he shall not do the work. This, then, is how you are to regulate the duties of the Levites."

Taken from NUM 30:10

The vow of a widow... or any pledge to which such a woman binds herself, is valid.

2MACC 3:8-21

So Heliodorus immediately set out on his journey, ostensibly to visit the cities of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, but in reality to carry out the king's purpose. When he arrived in Jerusalem and had been graciously received by the high priest of the city, he told him about the information that had been given, and explained the reason for his presence, and he asked if these things were really true. The high priest explained that part of the money was a care fund for widows and orphans, and a part was the property of Hyrcanus, son of Tobias, a man who occupied a very high position. Contrary to the calumnies of the impious Simon, the total amounted to four hundred talents of silver and two hundred of gold. He added that it was utterly unthinkable to defraud those who had placed their trust in the sanctity of the Place and in the sacred inviolability of a temple venerated all over the world. But because of the orders he had from the king, Heliodorus said that in any case the money must be confiscated for the royal treasury. So on the day he had set he went in to take an inventory of the funds. There was great distress throughout the city. Priests prostrated themselves in their priestly robes before the altar, and loudly begged him in heaven who had given the law about deposits to keep the deposits safe for those who had made them. Whoever saw the appearance of the high priest was pierced to the heart, for the changed color of his face manifested the anguish of his soul. The terror and bodily trembling that had come over the man clearly showed those who saw him the pain that lodged in his heart. People rushed out of their houses in crowds to make public supplication, because the Place was in danger of being profaned. Women, girded with sackcloth below their breasts, filled the streets; maidens secluded indoors ran together, some to the gates, some to the walls, others peered through the windows, all of them with hands raised toward heaven, making supplication. It was pitiful to see the populace variously prostrated in prayer and the high priest full of dread and anguish.

2MACC 8:27-29

They collected the enemy's arms and stripped them of their spoils, and then observed the sabbath with fervent praise and thanks to the Lord who kept them safe for that day on which he let descend on them the first dew of his mercy. After the sabbath, they gave a share of the booty to the persecuted and to widows and orphans; the rest they divided among themselves and their children. When this was done, they made supplication in common, imploring the merciful Lord to be completely reconciled with his servants.

PS 37:25-26

Neither in my youth, nor now in old age have I ever seen the just abandoned or their children begging bread. The just always lend generously, and their children become a blessing.

PS 71:9-16

Do not cast me aside in my old age; as my strength fails, do not forsake me. For my enemies speak against me; they watch and plot against me. They say, "God has abandoned that one. Pursue, seize the wretch! No one will come to the rescue!" God, do not stand far from me; my God, hasten to help me. Bring to a shameful end those who attack me; Cover with contempt and scorn those who seek my ruin. I will always hope in you and add to all your praise. My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds, day after day your acts of deliverance, though I cannot number them all. I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord; O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.

PS 71:18-19

Now that I am old and gray, do not forsake me, God, That I may proclaim your might to all generations yet to come, Your power and justice, God, to the highest heaven. You have done great things; O God, who is your equal? 

PS 148:7-14

Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deep waters; You lightning and hail, snow and clouds, storm winds that fulfill his command; You mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; You animals wild and tame, you creatures that crawl and fly; You kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth; Young men and women too, old and young alike. Let them all praise the LORD'S name, for his name alone is exalted, majestic above earth and heaven. The LORD has lifted high the horn of his people; to the glory of all the faithful, of Israel, the people near to their God. Hallelujah!

PROV 22:6

Train a boy in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not swerve from it.

WISDOM 4:7-9

But the just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age.

WISDOM 4:16

Yes, the just man dead condemns the sinful who live, and youth swiftly completed condemns the many years of the wicked man grown old.

SIRACH 8:9 

Reject not the tradition of old men which they have learned from their fathers; From it you will obtain the knowledge how to answer in time of need.

SIRACH 9:10

Discard not an old friend, for the new one cannot equal him. A new friend is like new wine which you drink with pleasure only when it has aged.

SIRACH 14:17

All flesh grows old, like a garment; the age-old law is: All must die.

SIRACH 18:7-10

The sum of a man's days is great if it reaches a hundred years: Like a drop of sea water, like a grain of sand, so are these few years among the days of eternity. That is why the LORD is patient with men and showers upon them his mercy. He sees and understands that their death is grievous, and so he forgives them all the more.

SIRACH 25:2

Three kinds of men I hate; their manner of life I loathe indeed: A proud pauper, a rich dissembler, and an old man lecherous in his dotage.

SIRACH 25:3

What you have not saved in your youth, how will you acquire in your old age? 

SIRACH 30:24 

Envy and anger shorten one's life, worry brings on premature old age.

SIRACH 33:21-24

"While breath of life is still in you, let no man have dominion over you. Give not to another your wealth, lest then you have to plead with him; Far better that your children plead with you than that you should look to their generosity. Keep control over all your affairs; let no one tarnish your glory. When your few days reach their limit, at the time of death distribute your inheritance."

SIRACH 42:1-3,8

But of these things be not ashamed, lest you sin through human respect: Of the law of the Most High and his precepts, or of the sentence to be passed upon the sinful; Of sharing the expenses of a business or a journey, or of dividing an inheritance or property... Of chastisement of the silly and the foolish, or of the aged and infirm answering for wanton conduct. Thus you will be truly cautious and recognized by all men as discreet.

ISA 9:15-17

The leaders of this people mislead them and those to be led are engulfed. For this reason, the Lord does not spare their young men, and their orphans and widows he does not pity; They are wholly profaned and sinful, and every mouth gives vent to folly. For all this, his wrath is not turned back, his hand is still outstretched! For wickedness burns like fire, devouring brier and thorn; It kindles the forest thickets, which go up in columns of smoke.

ISA 65:17-20

Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.

JER 6:16

Thus says the LORD: Stand beside the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old Which is the way to good, and walk it; thus you will find rest for your souls. But they said, "We will not walk it."

JER 7:1-7

The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD, and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place. Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!" Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in the land which I gave your fathers long ago and forever.

JER 15:5-8

Who will pity you, Jerusalem, who will console you? Who will stop to ask about your welfare? You have disowned me, says the LORD, turned your back upon me; And so I stretched out my hand to destroy you, I was weary of sparing you. I winnowed them with the fan in every city gate. I destroyed my people through bereavement; they returned not from their evil ways. Their widows were more numerous before me than the sands of the sea. I brought against the mother of youths the spoiler at midday; Suddenly I struck her with anguish and terror.

BARUCH 4:12-13

Let no one gloat over me, a widow, bereft of many: For the sins of my children I am left desolate, because they turned from the law of God, and did not acknowledge his statutes; In the ways of God's commandments they did not walk, nor did they tread the disciplined paths of his justice.

JOEL 3:1-2

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; Even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

1 COR 7:8-9

Now to the unmarried and to widows, I say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do, but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be on fire.

1TM 5:3-16

Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let these first learn to perform their religious duty to their own family and to make recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing to God. The real widow, who is all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But the one who is self-indulgent is dead while she lives. Command this, so that they may be irreproachable. And whoever does not provide for relatives and especially family members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years old, married only once, with a reputation for good works, namely, that she has raised children, practiced hospitality, washed the feet of the holy ones, helped those in distress, involved herself in every good work. But exclude younger widows, for when their sensuality estranges them from Christ, they want to marry and will incur condemnation for breaking their first pledge. And furthermore, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers but gossips and busybodies as well, talking about things that ought not to be mentioned. So I would like younger widows to marry, have children, and manage a home, so as to give the adversary no pretext for maligning us. For some have already turned away to follow Satan. If any woman believer has widowed relatives, she must assist them; the church is not to be burdened, so that it will be able to help those who are truly widows.

TI 2:1-5

As for yourself, you must say what is consistent with sound doctrine, namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance. Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may train younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.

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