Concluding Exhortations

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

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

⁶ So we say with confidence,

⁷ Remember your leaders,^(K) who spoke the word of God^(L) to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate^(M) their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.^(N)

⁹ Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.^(O) It is good for our hearts to be strengthened^(P) by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods,^(Q) which is of no benefit to those who do so.^{(R) 10} We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle^(S) have no right to eat.^(T)

¹¹ The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering,^(U) but the bodies are burned outside the camp.^{(V) 12} And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate^(W) to make the people holy^(X) through his own blood.^{(Y) 13} Let us, then, go to him^(Z) outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.^{(AA) 14} For here we do not have an enduring city,^(AB) but we are looking for the city that is to come.^(AC)

¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice^(AD) of praise—the fruit of lips^(AE) that openly profess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others,^(AF) for with such sacrifices^(AG) God is pleased.

¹⁷ Have confidence in your leaders^(AH) and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you^(AI) 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.

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

Benediction and Final Greetings

²⁰ Now may the God of peace,^(AM) who through the blood of the eternal covenant^(AN) brought back from the dead^(AO) our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,^{(AP) 21} equip you with everything good for doing his will,^(AQ) and may he work in us^(AR) what is pleasing to him,^(AS) through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^(AT)

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

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

²⁴ Greet all your leaders^(AW) and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy^(AX) send you their greetings.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.^(AY)

Jesus Before Pilate^(A)

15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law^(B) and the whole Sanhedrin,^(C) made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.^(D)

² “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(E) asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

³ The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

⁵ But Jesus still made no reply,^(F) and Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. ⁷ A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸ The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹ “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”^(G) asked Pilate, ¹⁰ knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas^(H) instead.

¹² “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged,^(I) and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(J)

¹⁶ The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace^(K) (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”^{(L) 19} Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out^(M) to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(N)

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene,^(O) Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,^(P) was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{(Q) 22} They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh,^(R) but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots^(S) to see what each would get.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.^(T)

²⁷ They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^{[28] [a] 29} Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^(U) and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^{(V) 30} come down from the cross and save yourself!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him^(W) among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah,^(X) this king of Israel,^(Y) come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus^(Z)

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.^{(AA) 34} And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[b](AB)

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar,^(AC) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.^(AD)

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.^{(AE) 39} And when the centurion,^(AF) who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”^(AG)

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance.^(AH) Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,^[d] and Salome.^{(AI) 41} In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.^(AJ)

The Burial of Jesus^(AK)

⁴² It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath).^(AL) So as evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council,^(AM) who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,^(AN) went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion^(AO) that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.^{(AP) 47} Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph^(AQ) saw where he was laid.

Psalm 21^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Wives for the Benjamites

21 The men of Israel had taken an oath^(A) at Mizpah:^(B) “Not one of us will give^(C) his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

² The people went to Bethel,^[a] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. ³ “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing^(D) from Israel today?”

⁴ Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.^(E)

⁵ Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel^(F) has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.

⁶ Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. ⁷ “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath^(G) by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” ⁸ Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead^(H) had come to the camp for the assembly. ⁹ For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

¹⁰ So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. ¹¹ “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male^(I) and every woman who is not a virgin.^(J)” ¹² They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh^(K) in Canaan.

¹³ Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace^(L) to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.^{(M) 14} So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

¹⁵ The people grieved for Benjamin,^(N) because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. ¹⁶ And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? ¹⁷ The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.^{(O) 18} We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath:^(P) ‘Cursed be anyone who gives^(Q) a wife to a Benjamite.’ ¹⁹ But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh,^(R) which lies north of Bethel^(S), east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem,^(T) and south of Lebonah.”

²⁰ So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards ²¹ and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing,^(U) rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. ²² When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give^(V) your daughters to them.’”

²³ So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing,^(W) each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance^(X) and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.^(Y)

²⁴ At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.^(Z)