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1No matter what, make room in your heart to love every believer.
2And show hospitality to strangers, for they may be angels from God showing up as your guests.[#13:2 The Aramaic can be translated “for this is how you are worthy to receive angels while awake.” See also Matt. 25:35.]
3Identify with those who are in prison as though you were there suffering with them, and those who are mistreated as if you could feel their pain.[#13:3 The Aramaic can be translated “as if you were people who wear their bodies” (vulnerable to their pain).]
4Honor the sanctity of marriage and keep your vows of purity to one another, for God will judge sexual immorality in any form, whether single or married.
5Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you,
6So we can say with great confidence:
“I know the Lord is for me
and I will never be afraid of what people may do to me!”
7Don’t forget the example of your spiritual leaders who have spoken God’s messages to you, take a close look at how their lives ended, and then follow their walk of faith.[#13:7 Or “consider the outcome [spiritual fruit] of the way they lived.”]
8Jesus, the Anointed One, is always the same—yesterday, today, and forever.[#13:8 The Aramaic can be translated “Jesus the Messiah is the fulfillment of yesterday, today, and forever.”]
9So don’t let anyone lead you astray with all sorts of novel and exotic teachings. It is more beautiful to feast on grace and be inwardly strengthened than to be obsessed with dietary rules which in themselves have no lasting benefit.[#13:9 Or “ceremonial foods.”]
10We feast on a sacrifice at our spiritual altar, but those who serve as priests in the old system of worship have no right to eat of it.
11For the high priest carries the blood of animals into the holiest chamber as a sacrifice for sin, and then burns the bodies of the animals outside the city.[#13:11 See Lev. 16:14, 27.]
12And Jesus, our sin-sacrifice, also suffered death outside the city walls to make us holy by his own blood.
13So we must arise and join him outside the religious “walls” and bear his disgrace.[#13:13 Or “carry his insults” or “endure the abuse he suffered.”]
14For we have no city here on earth to be our permanent home, but we seek the city that is destined to come.[#13:14 Or “the city that is intended.” The Aramaic can be translated “the city which is anxiously awaited.”]
15So we no longer offer up a steady stream of blood sacrifices, but through Jesus, we will offer up to God a steady stream of praise sacrifices—these are “the lambs” we offer from our lips that celebrate his name![#13:15 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “the fruit of” our lips.; #13:15 See Ps. 50:14, 23.]
16We will show mercy to the poor and not miss an opportunity to do acts of kindness for others, for these are the true sacrifices that delight God’s heart.[#13:16 As translated from the Aramaic.]
17Obey your spiritual leaders and recognize their authority, for they keep watch over your soul without resting since they will have to give an account to God for their work. So it will benefit you when you make their work a pleasure and not a heavy burden.[#13:17 The Greek word agrypnein is often used for staying awake through the night.]
18And keep praying for us that we continue to live with a clear conscience, for we desire to live honorably in all that we do.
19And I especially ask you to pray that God would send me back to you very soon.
20Now may the God who brought us peace by raising from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ so that he would be the Great Shepherd of his flock; and by the power of the blood of the eternal covenant
21may he work perfection into every part of you giving you all that you need to fulfill your destiny. And may he express through you all that is excellent and pleasing to him through your life-union with Jesus the Anointed One who is to receive all glory forever! Amen![#13:21 The Aramaic can be translated “beautiful.”]
22My dear brothers and sisters, I urge you to let your spirits flow through this message of love that I’ve written to you in these few words.[#13:22 As translated from the Aramaic.]
23I want you to know that our brother Timothy is free again and as soon as he arrives here we’ll come together to see you. We extend our greetings to all your leaders and all the holy believers.
24The Italian believers also send their greetings.[#13:24 The Aramaic has this sentence at the end, “The end of the letter to the Hebrews written from Italy.”]
25Now may God’s wonderful grace be poured out upon you all! Amen!