Hebrews 13:1-21

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue. 13:2 Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. ¹  13:3 Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, ²  and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment. ³  13:4 Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers. 13:5 Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” ⁴  13:6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and ⁵  I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” ⁶  13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you; reflect on the outcome of their lives and imitate their faith. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! 13:9 Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. ⁷  For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, ⁸  which have never benefited those who participated in them. 13:10 We have an altar that those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat from. 13:11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood the high priest brings ⁹  into the sanctuary as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. 13:12 Therefore, to sanctify the people by his own blood, Jesus also suffered outside the camp. 13:13 We must go out to him, then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he experienced. ¹⁰  13:14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. 13:16 And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, ¹¹  for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. ¹²  Let them do this ¹³  with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you. 13:18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every respect. 13:19 I especially ask you to pray ¹⁴  that I may be restored to you very soon.

Benediction and Conclusion

13:20 Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, 13:21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us ¹⁵  what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. ¹⁶  Amen.

[13:2]  ¹ sn This is a vague allusion to people described in scripture and extra-biblical literature and may include Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:2-15), Lot (Gen 19:1-14), Gideon (Judg 6:11-18), Manoah (Judg 13:3-22), and possibly Tobit (Tob 12:1-20).

[13:3]  ² tn Grk “as being imprisoned together.”

[13:3]  ³ tn Or “since you too are vulnerable”; Grk “you also being in the body.”

[13:5]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 31:6, 8.

[13:6]  ⁵ tc Some important mss (א* C* P 0285^vid 33 1175 1739 pc lat) lack καί (kai), but because the omission conforms to the wording of Ps 118:6 (117:6 LXX), it is suspect.

[13:6]  ⁶ sn A quotation from Ps 118:6.

[13:9]  ⁷ tn Grk “by diverse and strange teachings.”

[13:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “foods,” referring to the meals associated with the OT sacrifices (see the contrast with the next verse; also 9:9-10; 10:1, 4, 11).

[13:11]  ⁹ tn Grk “whose blood is brought by the high priest.”

[13:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “his abuse.”

[13:16]  ¹¹ tn Grk “neglect doing good and fellowship.”

[13:17]  ¹² tn Or “as ones who will give an account”; Grk “as giving an account.”

[13:17]  ¹³ tn Grk “that they may do this.”

[13:19]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “I urge you to do this all the more.”

[13:21]  ¹⁵ tc Some mss (C P Ψ 6 629* 630 1505 pm latt sy^h) read ὑμῖν (Jumin, “in you”) here, but ἡμῖν (Jhmin) has stronger external support (Ì⁴⁶ א A D^vid K 0243 0285 33 81 104 326 365 629^c 1175 1739 1881 pm sy^p co). It is also more likely that ἡμῖν would have been changed to ὑμῖν in light of the “you” which occurs at the beginning of the verse than vice versa.

[13:21]  ¹⁶ tc ‡ Most mss (א A [C*] 0243 0285 33 1739 1881 Ï latt) include the words “and ever” here, but the shorter reading (supported by Ì⁴⁶ C³ D Ψ 6 104 365 1505 al) is preferred on internal grounds. It seemed more likely that scribes would assimilate the wording to the common NT doxological expression “for ever and ever,” found especially in the Apocalypse (cf., e.g., 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; Rev 4:9; 22:5) than to the “forever” of Heb 13:8. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult here. NA²⁷ places the phrase in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.