Epistle to the Hebrews - The New Testament

¹ Continue to love each other like brothers,

² and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

³ Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the body.

⁴ Marriage must be honoured by all, and marriages must be kept undefiled, because the sexually immoral and adulterers will come under God's judgement.

⁵ Put avarice out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I shall not fail you or desert you,

⁶ and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord on my side, I fear nothing: what can human beings do to me?

⁷ Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model.

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

⁹ Do not be led astray by all sorts of strange doctrines: it is better to rely on grace for inner strength than on food, which has done no good to those who concentrate on it.

¹⁰ We have our own altar from which those who serve the Tent have no right to eat.

¹¹ The bodies of the animals whose blood is taken into the sanctuary by the high priest for the rite of expiation are burnt outside the camp,

¹² and so Jesus too suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people with his own blood.

¹³ Let us go to him, then, outside the camp, and bear his humiliation.

¹⁴ There is no permanent city for us here; we are looking for the one which is yet to be.

¹⁵ Through him, let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise, the fruit of the lips of those who acknowledge his name.

¹⁶ Keep doing good works and sharing your resources, for these are the kinds of sacrifice that please God.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and give way to them; they watch over your souls because they must give an account of them; make this a joy for them to do, and not a grief -- you yourselves would be the losers.

¹⁸ Pray for us; we are sure that our own conscience is clear and we are certainly determined to behave honourably in everything we do.

¹⁹ I ask you very particularly to pray that I may come back to you all the sooner.

²⁰ I pray that the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant,

²¹ may prepare you to do his will in every kind of good action; effecting in us all whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

²² I urge you, brothers, to take these words of encouragement kindly; that is why I have written to you briefly.

²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he arrives in time, he will be with me when I see you.

²⁴ Greetings to all your leaders and to all God's holy people. God's holy people in Italy send you greetings.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.