Hebrews 13

Concluding Exhortations

13Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.^{k 2}Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,^l for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.^{m 3}Continue to remember those in prisonⁿ as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

⁴Marriage should be honored by all,^o and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.^{p 5}Keep your lives free from the love of money^q and be content with what you have,^r because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you.”^as

⁶So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?”^bt

⁷Remember your leaders,^u who spoke the word of God^v to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate^w their faith. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.^x

⁹Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.^y It is good for our hearts to be strengthened^z by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods,^a which is of no benefit to those who do so.^{b 10}We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle^c have no right to eat.^d

¹¹The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering,^e but the bodies are burned outside the camp.^{f 12}And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate^g to make the people holy^h through his own blood.^{i 13}Let us, then, go to him^j outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.^{k 14}For here we do not have an enduring city,^l but we are looking for the city that is to come.^m

¹⁵Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrificeⁿ of praise—the fruit of lips^o that openly profess his name. ¹⁶And do not forget to do good and to share with others,^p for with such sacrifices^q God is pleased.

¹⁷Have confidence in your leaders^r and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you^s as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

¹⁸Pray for us.^t We are sure that we have a clear conscience^u and desire to live honorably in every way. ¹⁹I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.^v

Benediction and Final Greetings

²⁰Now may the God of peace,^w who through the blood of the eternal covenant^x brought back from the dead^y our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,^{z 21}equip you with everything good for doing his will,^a and may he work in us^b what is pleasing to him,^c through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^d

²²Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.^e

²³I want you to know that our brother Timothy^f has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

²⁴Greet all your leaders^g and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy^h send you their greetings.

²⁵Grace be with you all.ⁱ