¹Since we are surrounded by so many examples ⸤of faith⸥, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. ²We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Now he holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. ³Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t become tired and give up.

⁴You struggle against sin, but your struggles haven’t killed you. ⁵You have forgotten the encouraging words that God speaks to you as his children:

“My child, pay attention when the Lord disciplines you.

Don’t give up when he corrects you.

⁶The Lord disciplines everyone he loves.

He severely disciplines everyone he accepts as his child.”

⁷Endure your discipline. God corrects you as a father corrects his children. All children are disciplined by their fathers. ⁸If you aren’t disciplined like the other children, you aren’t part of the family. ⁹On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn’t we place ourselves under the authority of God, the father of spirits, so that we will live? ¹⁰For a short time our fathers disciplined us as they thought best. Yet, God disciplines us for our own good so that we can become holy like him. ¹¹We don’t enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right.

¹²Strengthen your tired arms and weak knees. ¹³Keep walking along straight paths so that your injured leg won’t get worse. Instead, let it heal.

¹⁴Try to live peacefully with everyone, and try to live holy lives, because if you don’t, you will not see the Lord. ¹⁵Make sure that everyone has kindness^afrom God so that bitterness doesn’t take root and grow up to cause trouble that corrupts many of you. ¹⁶Make sure that no one commits sexual sin or is as concerned about earthly things as Esau was. He sold his rights as the firstborn son for a single meal. ¹⁷You know that afterwards, when he wanted to receive the blessing that the firstborn son was to receive, he was rejected. Even though he begged and cried for the blessing, he couldn’t do anything to change what had happened.

¹⁸You have not come to something that you can feel, to a blazing fire, to darkness, to gloom, to a storm, ¹⁹to a trumpet’s blast, and to a voice. When your ancestors heard that voice, they begged not to hear it say another word. ²⁰They couldn’t obey the command that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” ²¹The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said he was trembling and afraid.

²²Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to tens of thousands of angels joyfully gathered together ²³and to the assembly of God’s firstborn children (whose names are written in heaven). You have come to a judge (the God of all people) and to the spirits of people who have God’s approval and have gained eternal life. ²⁴You have come to Jesus, who brings the new promise^bfrom God, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than Abel’s.

²⁵Be careful that you do not refuse to listen when God speaks. Your ancestors didn’t escape when they refused to listen to God, who warned them on earth. We certainly won’t escape if we turn away from God, who warns us from heaven. ²⁶When God spoke to your ancestors, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the sky.”

²⁷The words once more show clearly that God will change what he has made. These are the things that can be shaken. Then only the things that cannot be shaken will remain. ²⁸Therefore, we must be thankful that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Because we are thankful, we must serve God with fear and awe in a way that pleases him. ²⁹After all, our God is a destructive fire.

13TH CHAPTER

¹Continue to love each other. ²Don’t forget to show hospitality to believers you don’t know. By doing this some believers have shown hospitality to angels without being aware of it. ³Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are mistreated as if you were being mistreated.

⁴Marriage is honorable in every way, so husbands and wives should be faithful to each other. God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.

⁵Don’t love money. Be happy with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.” ⁶So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper.

I will not be afraid.

What can mortals do to me?”

⁷Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. Think about how their lives turned out, and imitate their faith.

⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

⁹Don’t get carried away by all kinds of unfamiliar teachings. Gaining inner strength from God’s kindness^ais good for us. This strength does not come from following rules about food, rules that don’t help those who follow them. ¹⁰Those who serve at the tent have no right to eat what is sacrificed at our altar.

¹¹The chief priest brings the blood of animals into the holy place as an offering for sin. But the bodies of those animals were burned outside the Israelite camp. ¹²That is why Jesus suffered outside the gates of Jerusalem. He suffered to make the people holy with his own blood. ¹³So we must go to him outside the camp and endure the insults he endured. ¹⁴We don’t have a permanent city here on earth, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future. ¹⁵Through Jesus we should always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, words that acknowledge him. ¹⁶Don’t forget to do good things for others and to share what you have with them. These are the kinds of sacrifices that please God.

¹⁷Obey your leaders, and accept their authority. They take care of you because they are responsible for you. Obey them so that they may do this work joyfully and not complain about you. (Causing them to complain would not be to your advantage.)

¹⁸Pray for us. We are sure that our consciences are clear because we want to live honorably in every way. ¹⁹I especially ask for your prayers so that I may come back to you soon.

²⁰The God of peace brought the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, back to life through the blood of an eternal promise.^b²¹May this God of peace prepare you to do every good thing he wants. May he work in us through Jesus Christ to do what is pleasing to him. Glory belongs to Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Farewell

²²I urge you, brothers and sisters, to listen patiently to my encouraging words. I have written you a short letter. ²³You know that Timothy, our brother, has been freed. If he comes here soon, both of us will visit you.

²⁴Greet all your leaders and all God’s holy people. Those who are with us from Italy greet you.

²⁵May God’s good will^cbe with all of you!

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Footnotes

a 12:15 Or “grace.”
b 12:24 Or “covenant.”
a 13:9 Or “grace.”
b 13:20 Or “covenant.”
c 13:25 Or “grace.”