You asked

where else in the bible do we see people instructed to care for those who oppress them or outsiders?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Jeremiah 29:7

“Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its shalom you will have shalom.”

The prophet Jeremiah writes this letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon around 597 BCE. They have been forcibly removed from their homeland and are living under the rule of an empire that conquered them. Jeremiah's message counters false prophets who promised a quick return, instead urging the exiles to settle in for a long stay and to act for the good of their captors.

What does 'seeking the peace' of a difficult or even hostile situation look like in your own life?

Then — the setting

This passage is part of a letter from Jeremiah to the first wave of Jewish exiles in Babylon, around 597 BCE. These exiles were not in their homeland by choice but were conquered and deported by the Babylonian Empire. Jeremiah's advice directly contradicts the popular message of other prophets who were promising a swift return to Jerusalem. Jeremiah instructs them to build homes, plant gardens, marry, and multiply, signalling that their exile would be long – 70 years according to his prophecy (Jeremiah 29:10). This command to 'seek the peace' of their captors' city was radical, urging active participation in the welfare of a foreign, pagan, and oppressive power rather than resistance or withdrawal.

Across the Testaments

Jeremiah 29:7 is a powerful Old Testament example of a command to care for outsiders, even oppressors. It grounds this action in self-interest ('for in its shalom you will have shalom'), but also implies a recognition of divine sovereignty over all nations. The New Testament develops this theme further, most notably in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43-48), where he commands his followers to 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.' While Jeremiah's command is given to a community in a specific geopolitical situation, Jesus universalizes the principle, applying it to personal relationships and the broader posture of believers towards those who harm them. Paul further reinforces this in Romans 12, urging Christians to 'bless those who persecute you' and 'overcome evil with good,' echoing the Proverbs passage about feeding one's enemy.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus teaches his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.
Proverbs 25:21-22
Encourages feeding and giving drink to an enemy, describing it as 'heaping coals of fire on his head.'
Romans 12:14, 17-21
Paul echoes Jesus' teaching, instructing believers to bless persecutors and to overcome evil with good.

Ask your own follow-up