Hebrews 13
New King James Version
Concluding Moral Directions
13 Let (A)brotherly love continue. 2 (B)Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing (C)some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 (D)Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.
4 (E)Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; (F)but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, (G)“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:
(H)“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”
Concluding Religious Directions
7 Remember those who [a]rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is (I)the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried [b]about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might [c]sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing (J)His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 (K)Therefore by Him let us continually offer (L)the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, (M)the fruit of our lips, [d]giving thanks to His name. 16 (N)But do not forget to do good and to share, for (O)with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
17 (P)Obey those who [e]rule over you, and be submissive, for (Q)they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Prayer Requested
18 (R)Pray for us; for we are confident that we have (S)a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell
20 Now may (T)the God of peace (U)who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, (V)that great Shepherd of the sheep, (W)through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you [f]complete in every good work to do His will, (X)working in [g]you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.
24 Greet all those who [h]rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.
25 Grace be with you all. Amen.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 13:7 lead
- Hebrews 13:9 NU, M away
- Hebrews 13:12 set apart
- Hebrews 13:15 Lit. confessing
- Hebrews 13:17 lead
- Hebrews 13:21 perfect
- Hebrews 13:21 NU, M us
- Hebrews 13:24 lead
Hebrews 13
Easy-to-Read Version
Worship That Pleases God
13 Continue loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. 2 Always remember to help people by welcoming them into your home. Some people have done that and have helped angels without knowing it. 3 Don’t forget those who are in prison. Remember them as though you were in prison with them. And don’t forget those who are suffering. Remember them as though you were suffering with them.
4 Marriage should be honored by everyone. And every marriage should be kept pure between husband and wife. God will judge guilty those who commit sexual sins and adultery. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,
“I will never leave you;
I will never run away from you.” (A)
6 So we can feel sure and say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
People can do nothing to me.” (B)
7 Remember your leaders. They taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Don’t let all kinds of strange teachings lead you into the wrong way. Depend only on God’s grace for spiritual strength, not on rules about foods. Obeying those rules doesn’t help anyone.
10 We have a sacrifice.[a] And those priests who serve in the Holy Tent cannot eat from the sacrifice we have. 11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place[b] and offers that blood for sins. But the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the city. He died to make his people holy with his own blood. 13 So we should go to Jesus outside the camp and accept the same shame that he had. 14 Here on earth we don’t have a city that lasts forever. But we are waiting for the city that we will have in the future. 15 So through Jesus we should never stop offering our sacrifice to God. That sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with others, because sacrifices like these are very pleasing to God.
17 Obey your leaders. Be willing to do what they say. They are responsible for your spiritual welfare, so they are always watching to protect you. Obey them so that their work will give them joy, not grief. It won’t help you to make it hard for them.
18 Continue praying for us. We feel right about what we do, because we always try to do what is best. 19 And I beg you to pray that God will send me back to you soon. I want this more than anything else.
20-21 I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so that you can do what he wants. God is the one who raised from death our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of his sheep. He raised him because Jesus sacrificed his blood to begin the new agreement that never ends. I pray that God will work through Jesus Christ to do the things in us that please him. To him be glory forever. Amen.
22 My brothers and sisters, I beg you to listen patiently to what I have said. I wrote this letter to strengthen you. And it is not very long. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy is out of prison. If he comes to me soon, we will both come to see you.
24 Give my greetings to all your leaders and to all God’s people. All those from Italy send you their greetings.
25 God’s grace be with you all.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 13:10 sacrifice Literally, “altar.” Here, it means the sacrifice (offering) of Jesus. He gave his life to pay for people’s sins.
- Hebrews 13:11 Most Holy Place Literally, “the holies,” the place in the Jewish Tabernacle or Temple where God met the high priest.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International