God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

25 O Lord, (A)you are my God;
    (B)I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    (C)plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city (D)a heap,
    the fortified city a ruin;
the foreigners' palace is a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.
(E)Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
    cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
(F)For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
    a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
    (G)a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
(H)for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
    (I)like heat in a dry place.
You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
    as heat by the shade of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless is put down.

(J)On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
    (K)of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up (L)on this mountain
    the covering that is cast over all peoples,
    (M)the veil that is spread over all nations.
    (N)He will swallow up death forever;
and (O)the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
    and (P)the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
    (Q)for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
    “Behold, this is our God; (R)we have waited for him, that he might save us.
    This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
    (S)let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
10 For the hand of the Lord will rest (T)on this mountain,
    and (U)Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
    as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.[a]
11 (V)And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it
    as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,
    but the Lord (W)will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill[b] of his hands.
12 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,
    lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.

You Keep Him in Perfect Peace

26 In that day (X)this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city;
    he sets up (Y)salvation
    as walls and bulwarks.
(Z)Open the gates,
    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
(AA)You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
(AB)For he has humbled
    the inhabitants of the height,
    the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
    casts it to the dust.
The foot tramples it,
    the feet of (AC)the poor,
    the steps of (AD)the needy.”

The path of the righteous is level;
    (AE)you make level the way of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments,
    O Lord, we wait for you;
(AF)your name and (AG)remembrance
    are the desire of our soul.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
(AH)For when your judgments are in the earth,
    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 (AI)If favor is shown to the wicked,
    he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
    and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, (AJ)your hand is lifted up,
    but (AK)they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
    Let (AL)the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O Lord, you will ordain (AM)peace for us,
    for you have indeed done for us all our works.
13 O Lord our God,
    (AN)other lords besides you have ruled over us,
    (AO)but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
14 They are dead, they will not live;
    they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited them with destruction
    and wiped out all remembrance of them.
15 (AP)But you have increased the nation, O Lord,
    you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
    (AQ)you have enlarged all the borders of the land.

16 O Lord, (AR)in distress they sought you;
    they poured out a whispered prayer
    when your discipline was upon them.
17 (AS)Like a pregnant woman
    who writhes and cries out in her pangs
    when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
18     (AT)we were pregnant, we writhed,
    but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
    and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 (AU)Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
    You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For (AV)your dew is a dew of light,
    and the earth will give birth to the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
    and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves (AW)for a little while
    until the fury has passed by.
21 (AX)For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place
    to punish the inhabitants of (AY)the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
    and will no more cover its slain.

The Redemption of Israel

27 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong (AZ)sword will punish (BA)Leviathan the fleeing serpent, (BB)Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay (BC)the dragon that is in the sea.

In that day,
(BD)“A pleasant vineyard,[c] (BE)sing of it!
    I, the Lord, am its keeper;
    every moment I water it.
    Lest anyone punish it,
I keep it night and day;
    I have no wrath.
(BF)Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
    I would march against them,
    I would burn them up together.
Or let them lay hold of my protection,
    let them make peace with me,
    let them make peace with me.”

(BG)In days to come[d] Jacob shall take root,
    Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots
    and fill the whole world with fruit.

(BH)Has he struck them (BI)as he struck those who struck them?
    Or have they been slain (BJ)as their slayers were slain?
(BK)Measure by measure,[e] by exile you contended with them;
    (BL)he removed them with his fierce breath[f] in the day of the east wind.
Therefore by this (BM)the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:[g]
(BN)when he makes all the stones of the altars
    like chalkstones crushed to pieces,
    no (BO)Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.
10 (BP)For the fortified city is solitary,
    a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness;
there the calf grazes;
    there it lies down and strips its branches.
11 When its boughs are dry, they are broken;
    women come and make a fire of them.
(BQ)For this is a people without discernment;
    therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;
    he who formed them will show them no favor.

12 In that day (BR)from the river Euphrates[h] to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13 And in that day (BS)a great trumpet will be blown, (BT)and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt (BU)will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem

28 Ah, the proud crown of (BV)the drunkards of Ephraim,
    and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
    which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
Behold, the Lord has (BW)one who is mighty and strong;
    like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like (BX)a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
    he casts down to the earth with his hand.
(BY)The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
    will be trodden underfoot;
(BZ)and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
    which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like (CA)a first-ripe fig[i] before the summer:
    when someone sees it, he swallows it
    as soon as it is in his hand.

(CB)In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,[j]
    and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
and (CC)a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
    and (CD)strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

(CE)These also reel with wine
    and (CF)stagger with strong drink;
the priest and (CG)the prophet reel with strong drink,
    they are swallowed by[k] wine,
    they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
    they stumble in giving judgment.
For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
    with no space left.

(CH)“To whom will he teach knowledge,
    and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
    those taken from the breast?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little.”

11 (CI)For by people of strange lips
    and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12     to whom he has said,
(CJ)“This is rest;
    give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
    yet they would not hear.
13 And the word of the Lord will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little,
(CK)that they may go, and fall backward,
    and be broken, and snared, and taken.

A Cornerstone in Zion

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you (CL)scoffers,
    who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
    and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the (CM)overwhelming whip passes through
    it will not come to us,
for we have made (CN)lies our refuge,
    and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16 therefore thus says the Lord God,
(CO)“Behold, I am the one who has laid[l] as a foundation (CP)in Zion,
    a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
    ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17 And I will make justice (CQ)the line,
    and righteousness (CR)the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
    and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18 Then (CS)your covenant with death will be annulled,
    and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
    you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it passes through it will take you;
    (CT)for morning by morning it will pass through,
    by day and by night;
and it will be (CU)sheer terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
    and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up (CV)as on Mount Perazim;
    (CW)as in the Valley of (CX)Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
    and to work his work—alien is his work!
22 Now therefore do not (CY)scoff,
    lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard (CZ)a decree of destruction
    from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.

23 Give ear, and hear my voice;
    give attention, and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
    Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25 (DA)When he has leveled its surface,
    does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
    and barley in its proper place,
    and emmer[m] as the border?
26 (DB)For he is rightly instructed;
    his God teaches him.

27 Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
    nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
    and cumin with a rod.
28 Does one crush grain for bread?
    No, he does not thresh it forever;[n]
when he drives his cart wheel over it
    with his horses, he does not crush it.
29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
    he is (DC)wonderful in counsel
    and excellent in wisdom.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 25:10 The Hebrew words for dunghill and for the Moabite town Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2) sound alike
  2. Isaiah 25:11 Or in spite of the skill
  3. Isaiah 27:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts A vineyard of wine
  4. Isaiah 27:6 Hebrew In those to come
  5. Isaiah 27:8 Or By driving her away; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  6. Isaiah 27:8 Or wind
  7. Isaiah 27:9 Septuagint and this is the blessing when I take away his sin
  8. Isaiah 27:12 Hebrew from the River
  9. Isaiah 28:4 Or fruit
  10. Isaiah 28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
  11. Isaiah 28:7 Or confused by
  12. Isaiah 28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying
  13. Isaiah 28:25 A type of wheat
  14. Isaiah 28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever

Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God;(A)
    I will exalt you and praise your name,(B)
for in perfect faithfulness(C)
    you have done wonderful things,(D)
    things planned(E) long ago.
You have made the city a heap of rubble,(F)
    the fortified(G) town a ruin,(H)
the foreigners’ stronghold(I) a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.(J)
Therefore strong peoples will honor you;(K)
    cities of ruthless(L) nations will revere you.
You have been a refuge(M) for the poor,(N)
    a refuge for the needy(O) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm(P)
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless(Q)
    is like a storm driving against a wall
    and like the heat of the desert.
You silence(R) the uproar of foreigners;(S)
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless(T) is stilled.

On this mountain(U) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast(V) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.(W)
On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud(X) that enfolds all peoples,(Y)
the sheet that covers all nations;
    he will swallow up death(Z) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears(AA)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace(AB)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.(AC)

In that day(AD) they will say,

“Surely this is our God;(AE)
    we trusted(AF) in him, and he saved(AG) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice(AH) and be glad in his salvation.”(AI)

10 The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;(AJ)
    but Moab(AK) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down(AL) their pride(AM)
    despite the cleverness[a] of their hands.
12 He will bring down your high fortified walls(AN)
    and lay them low;(AO)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

A Song of Praise

26 In that day(AP) this song will be sung(AQ) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;(AR)
    God makes salvation
    its walls(AS) and ramparts.(AT)
Open the gates(AU)
    that the righteous(AV) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace(AW)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust(AX) in you.
Trust(AY) in the Lord forever,(AZ)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(BA) eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground(BB)
    and casts it down to the dust.(BC)
Feet trample(BD) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,(BE)
    the footsteps of the poor.(BF)

The path of the righteous is level;(BG)
    you, the Upright One,(BH) make the way of the righteous smooth.(BI)
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[b](BJ)
    we wait(BK) for you;
your name(BL) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;(BM)
    in the morning my spirit longs(BN) for you.
When your judgments(BO) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.(BP)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(BQ)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(BR)
    and do not regard(BS) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(BT)
    but they do not see(BU) it.
Let them see your zeal(BV) for your people and be put to shame;(BW)
    let the fire(BX) reserved for your enemies consume them.

12 Lord, you establish peace(BY) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done(BZ) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(CA) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name(CB) alone do we honor.(CC)
14 They are now dead,(CD) they live no more;
    their spirits(CE) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(CF)
    you wiped out all memory of them.(CG)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.(CH)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders(CI) of the land.

16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(CJ)
    when you disciplined(CK) them,
    they could barely whisper(CL) a prayer.[c]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(CM)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth(CN) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(CO) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.(CP)

19 But your dead(CQ) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(CR)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(CS) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.(CT)

20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors(CU) behind you;
hide(CV) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath(CW) has passed by.(CX)
21 See, the Lord is coming(CY) out of his dwelling(CZ)
    to punish(DA) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(DB) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Deliverance of Israel

27 In that day,(DC)

the Lord will punish with his sword(DD)
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan(DE) the gliding serpent,(DF)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster(DG) of the sea.

In that day(DH)

“Sing(DI) about a fruitful vineyard:(DJ)
    I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water(DK) it continually.
I guard(DL) it day and night
    so that no one may harm(DM) it.
    I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.(DN)
Or else let them come to me for refuge;(DO)
    let them make peace(DP) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

In days to come Jacob will take root,(DQ)
    Israel will bud and blossom(DR)
    and fill all the world with fruit.(DS)

Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck(DT) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
By warfare[d] and exile(DU) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind(DV) blows.
By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned(DW) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:(DX)
When he makes all the altar stones(DY)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles[e](DZ) or incense altars(EA)
    will be left standing.
10 The fortified city stands desolate,(EB)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken(EC) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,(ED)
    there they lie down;(EE)
    they strip its branches bare.
11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off(EF)
    and women come and make fires(EG) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;(EH)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator(EI) shows them no favor.(EJ)

12 In that day the Lord will thresh(EK) from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,(EL) and you, Israel, will be gathered(EM) up one by one. 13 And in that day(EN) a great trumpet(EO) will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled(EP) in Egypt(EQ) will come and worship(ER) the Lord on the holy mountain(ES) in Jerusalem.

Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah

28 Woe(ET) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(EU) drunkards,
    to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley(EV)
    to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!(EW)
See, the Lord has one who is powerful(EX) and strong.
    Like a hailstorm(EY) and a destructive wind,(EZ)
like a driving rain and a flooding(FA) downpour,
    he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(FB) drunkards,
    will be trampled(FC) underfoot.
That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
    set on the head of a fertile valley,(FD)
will be like figs(FE) ripe before harvest—
    as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
    they swallow them.

In that day(FF) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious(FG) crown,(FH)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant(FI) of his people.
He will be a spirit of justice(FJ)
    to the one who sits in judgment,(FK)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle(FL) at the gate.

And these also stagger(FM) from wine(FN)
    and reel(FO) from beer:
Priests(FP) and prophets(FQ) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,(FR)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
All the tables are covered with vomit(FS)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

“Who is it he is trying to teach?(FT)
    To whom is he explaining his message?(FU)
To children weaned(FV) from their milk,(FW)
    to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that[f];
    a little here, a little there.(FX)

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(FY)
    God will speak to this people,(FZ)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(GA)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that;
    a little here, a little there(GB)
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured(GC) and snared and captured.(GD)

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(GE) you scoffers(GF)
    who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(GG)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(GH)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(GI) our refuge
    and falsehood[g] our hiding place.(GJ)

16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(GK) a tested stone,(GL)
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(GM)
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.(GN)
17 I will make justice(GO) the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;(GP)
hail(GQ) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow(GR) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
    your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(GS)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(GT)
    you will be beaten down(GU) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;(GV)
    morning after morning,(GW) by day and by night,
    it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message
    will bring sheer terror.(GX)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
    the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.(GY)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,(GZ)
    he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon(HA)
to do his work,(HB) his strange work,
    and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,(HC)
    or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
    of the destruction decreed(HD) against the whole land.(HE)

23 Listen(HF) and hear my voice;
    pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting,(HG) does he plow continually?
    Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
    does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?(HH)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,[h]
    barley(HI) in its plot,[i]
    and spelt(HJ) in its field?
26 His God instructs him
    and teaches(HK) him the right way.

27 Caraway is not threshed(HL) with a sledge,(HM)
    nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,(HN)
    and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
    so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart(HO) may be rolled over it,
    but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
    whose plan is wonderful,(HP)
    whose wisdom is magnificent.(HQ)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 25:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
  3. Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 27:8 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Isaiah 27:9 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  6. Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
  7. Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
  8. Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  9. Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Sacrifices Pleasing to God

13 Let (A)brotherly love continue. (B)Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby (C)some have entertained angels unawares. (D)Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (E)Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge (F)the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life (G)free from love of money, and (H)be content with what you have, for he has said, (I)“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

(J)“The Lord is my helper;
    (K)I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

Remember (L)your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and (M)imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is (N)the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be (O)led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, (P)not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar (Q)from which those who serve the tent[a] have no right to eat. 11 For (R)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned (S)outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also (T)suffered (U)outside the gate in order to sanctify the people (V)through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear (W)the reproach he endured. 14 For (X)here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 (Y)Through him then let us continually offer up (Z)a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, (AA)the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and (AB)to share what you have, for such (AC)sacrifices are pleasing to God.

17 Obey (AD)your leaders and submit to them, (AE)for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to (AF)give an account. (AG)Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

18 (AH)Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order (AI)that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction

20 Now (AJ)may the God of peace (AK)who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, (AL)the great shepherd of the sheep, by (AM)the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 (AN)equip you with everything good that you may do his will, (AO)working in us[b] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, (AP)to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

22 I appeal to you, brothers,[c] bear with my word of exhortation, for (AQ)I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that (AR)our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all (AS)your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 (AT)Grace be with all of you.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 13:10 Or tabernacle
  2. Hebrews 13:21 Some manuscripts you
  3. Hebrews 13:22 Or brothers and sisters

Concluding Exhortations

13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.(A) Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,(B) for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.(C) 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.

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) Keep your lives free from the love of money(G) and be content with what you have,(H) because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a](I)

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”[b](J)

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. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.(N)

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)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 13:5 Deut. 31:6
  2. Hebrews 13:6 Psalm 118:6,7