Hebrews 13

Persist in loving your fellow believers.

Make sure that you are welcoming other people. {You should do that} because some people who welcomed others actually welcomed spiritual beings, although they did not know {that they were spiritual beings}. \*

Be sure to help those who are in jail. {You should help them} as {you would want others to help you} were you in jail with them. {Also, do not forget to help} those whom others treat badly. {You should do that} because you too are humans {who can suffer}.

All of you should greatly value how God joins people together when they marry. Further, people who marry should have sex only with their spouses. {You should do those things} because God will declare guilty anyone who has sex with a married person or who has improper sex in any way. \*

You should always avoid desiring money. {You can do that} by being happy with whatever you have. {You should behave in this way,} because God has spoken {these words to each of you}: “I will definitely not abandon you. Yes, I will always be with you.”

Because {God says that,} we boldly speak {these words}: “The Lord {God} is the one who supports me. Because of that, I do not fear anyone. No one can do anything to {hurt} me.” \*

Pay attention to the people who were in charge of your group. I mean the ones who told you about {what} God {has done}. Examine {the good things} that happened because of how they lived. You should imitate how they trusted God.

Jesus the Messiah has never changed and will never change. \*

Do not let other people mislead you by teaching you many kinds of things that do not fit {with the good news}. {You should reject what they teach,} because only what God gives us rightly makes us strong. The food {that we eat} cannot {do that}. In fact, people who act as if {food could do that} gain nothing.

We benefit from {Jesus’} offering, {which is greater than the offerings that} the priests presented in the sacred tent. {In fact, those priests} would be unable to participate in Jesus’ offering.

In the Most Holy Place, the ruling priest would present blood from animals {that he had killed}. {He did that} to take away sins. Someone {then} would completely burn the remains of these animals away from where the Israelites were staying. \*

Therefore, Jesus too died away from where people lived {in the city of Jerusalem}. {He did that} to set {God’s} people apart for himself by offering his own blood.

So then, we should abandon everything that could separate us from the Messiah. {As we do that,} we should accept it when people insult us like they insulted him.

{We should do that} because, here {on earth}, we do not live in any city that will last forever. Rather, we desire {to live in} the city that God will soon give us. \*

With Jesus helping us, we should frequently praise God, as if we were presenting offerings to him. We do that when we say that we believe in Jesus.

Further, we need to make sure that we help others by giving some of what we have to them. Doing that is like presenting offerings that please God.

Those who are in charge of your group {know that} God considers them responsible for you, and so they always focus on taking care of you. Because of that, you should respectfully do what they require. That way, they can {lead your group} joyfully instead of sadly. Indeed, {if they led sadly,} that would not help you at all. \*

Please ask God to help me and those with me. {I ask that} because we are sure that we are not guilty. Indeed, we always want to behave properly.

I urge you still more to ask God to send me back to you quickly. \*

God is the one who makes his people peaceful. He made our Lord Jesus alive again after he had died. Jesus is like a powerful sheepherder who leads us, his sheep. {God made him alive again} because Jesus used his own blood to make {the new} covenant that will last forever.

We pray that God will provide you with all {his} good {gifts}. That way, you can do what he wants you to do. In fact, he works through Jesus the Messiah to enable us to do what pleases him. So, let us honor God forever! May it be so! \*

I have sent you a short letter. So, I ask you, fellow believers, to please consider carefully what I have said to encourage you.

I want you to be aware that {the authorities} have released Timothy, our fellow believer. If he arrives here quickly, we will visit you together. \*

Say hello to everyone who is in charge of your group. Also, {say hello to} all God’s people. The {believers} who are from the country of Italy say hello to you.

{I pray that God will} be gracious to you all.