Letter to the Hebrews 13

¹ Continue to love each other like brothers,

² and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

³ Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the one body.

⁴ Marriage is to be honoured by all, and marriages are to be kept undefiled, because fornicators and adulterers will come under God’s judgement.

⁵ Put greed out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I will not fail you or desert you,[*a]

⁶ and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord to help me, I fear nothing: what can man do to me?[*b]

⁷ Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

⁹ Do not let yourselves be led astray by all sorts of strange doctrines: it is better to rely on grace for inner strength than on dietary laws which have done no good to those who kept them.

¹⁰ We have our own altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

¹¹ The bodies of the animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for the atonement of sin are burnt outside the camp,[*c]

¹² and so Jesus too suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people with his own blood.

¹³ Let us go to him, then, outside the camp, and share his degradation.

¹⁴ For there is no eternal city for us in this life but we look for one in the life to come.

¹⁵ Through him, let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise,[*d] a verbal sacrifice that is offered every time we acknowledge his name.

¹⁶ Keep doing good works and sharing your resources, for these are sacrifices that please God.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and do as they tell you, because they must give an account of the way they look after your souls; make this a joy for them to do, and not a grief – you yourselves would be the losers.

¹⁸ We are sure that our own conscience is clear and we are certainly determined to behave honourably in everything we do; pray for us.

¹⁹ I ask you very particularly to pray that I may come back to you all the sooner.

²⁰ I pray that the God of peace, who brought our Lord Jesus back[*e] from the dead to become the great Shepherd of the sheep[*f] by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant,[*g]

²¹ may make you ready to do his will in any kind of good action; and turn us all into whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.

²² I do ask you, brothers, to take these words of advice kindly; that is why I have written to you so briefly.

²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he arrives in time, he will be with me when I see you.

²⁴ Greetings to all your leaders and to all the saints. The saints of Italy send you greetings.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.