Hebrews 13
1 Familial love must stay present. 2 Do not neglect welcoming strangersa because through it some have welcomed messengersb as guests unknowingly. 3 Be mindful of those in prison as if you have been imprisoned along with them, and be mindful of those who are being mistreated as if within the same body. 4 Marriage must be held as precious among everyone and the bed uncontaminated; God will determine what is just regarding sex workersc and people who engage in marital infidelity. 5 How you live must be free from greed, having been satisfied with what is available. You see, he has said, “I will absolutely not desert you and absolutely not abandon you.”d 6 So then we say with confidence, “The Lord is a helpere to me, and I won’t be terrified. What will a person do to me?”f 7 Be mindful of those of you who act as guides,g who spoke God’s conversation among you. As you observe the outcomes of how they live, imitate their faithfulness.
8 Jesus Messiah is the same yesterday and today and throughout the ages. 9 Don’t be swept away by varied and contrasting teachings. You see, it’s favorableh for the heart to be made secure by generosity, not by food that doesn’t benefit those nearby.i 10 We have an altar from which those who perform representative service in the tabernacle do not have the right to eat. 11 You see, the blood offered by the high priest concerning deviation in the Sacred Place is from animals whose bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 Because of this, Jesus also suffered outside the gate so that he would designate the people for sacred purposes with his own blood. 13 So now, we should go outside the camp along with him, bearing the abuse he experienced. 14 You see, we don’t have here a city that lasts, but we are looking for the one that is coming. 15 Therefore, because of him we may present a sacrificial offering of gratitude to God throughout everything, which is the fruit of our lips acknowledging his name. 16 So do not neglect promoting well-beingj and sharing because God is pleased with sacrificial offerings like these.
17 Be persuaded by those among you who act as guides and stop fighting them, for they keep watch over your very beings as people who will be held accountable, so that they may do this with joy and not groaning, which would not be beneficial for you. 18 Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a genuine consciousness,k wanting to live authenticallyl in everything. 19 Even more than that, please, I ask you to do this so that I might be restored to you soon.
20 May the God of peace—the one who brought the Great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, up from among the dead with the blood of the agelong covenant— 21 equip you with every fitting thing for making what he desires, making among us what is pleasing in his perspective through Jesus Messiah, to whom be praise throughout the Age. Amen.
22 I ask you, Family, please bring yourselves to accept the discussion of encouragement since I wrote a letter to you briefly. 23 You know that after our brother Timothy has been set free, if he comes soon, he will be with me when I see you.
24 Well wishes to everyone among you who acts as a guide and to everyone designated for sacred purposes. Those from Italy wish you well. 25 Good fortune be with all of you.
FOOTNOTES:
a Or ‘hospitality’ or ‘generosity’ or ‘open-heartedness.’ This word philoxenia is the literal opposite of ‘xenophobia,’ literally, ‘other-love.’
b Traditionally, ‘angels.’ However, the Greek word angelos means ‘messenger’ which can refer to heavenly beings or humans or even natural phenomena.
c Unlike the majority of instances in the scriptures, the form of this word here, pornous, is masculine, indicating it is either about men specifically or about people of any gender. It cannot refer exclusively to women here. This same word (also masculine) appears in Hebrews 12:16, and it is translated there as “people … caused to sell themselves to be used for sex.”
d Reference to Deuteronomy 31:6
e Or ‘defender’ or ‘advocate’ or ‘bringer of aid/support’
f Quotation of Psalm 118:6
g While this word can mean ‘to be in command,’ several other meanings are also possible and fit the context more easily. It can mean ‘to lead the way, act as a guide’ or ‘take the lead,’ or ‘invite’ or ‘guide.’
h Or ‘beautiful’ or ‘fitting’ or ‘genuine’ or ‘noble’ or ‘appealing’
i Literally, ‘those who walk around.’ This word is sometimes used metaphorically for ‘how one lives,’ which is more of a stretch in this context, but could possibly be something like ‘those who engage with it.’
j Traditionally, ‘doing good.’ The English meaning of ‘good’ is too vague. The sense of the word here has to do with being beneficial to other people, not simply following rules or meeting expectations.
k Traditionally, ‘a clear conscience.’
l Traditionally ‘rightly.’ This is the adverb form of the word that can mean ‘beautifully,’ or ‘fittingly’ or ‘genuinely’ or nobly’ or ‘appealingly’ or ‘favorably.’ The sense of ‘authentically’ here conveys living with alignment to values and integrity with the message they are teaching.