Practical instructions
13
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget hospitality to strangers, for in doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are being mistreated as if you yourselves were physically there. 4 Marriage is honorable among all and the marriage bed undefiled,* but God will judge fornicators and adulterers.† 5 Your way of life should be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, because He Himself has said:
“I absolutely will not desert you;
I most certainly will not abandon you.”‡
6 So we can say with confidence:
“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”§
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the Word of God to you, whose faith imitate, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is Himself,* yesterday and today and into the ages. 9 Do not be carried away by various and strange teachings, because it is good that the heart be established by grace, not foods, by which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
Join Jesus outside the camp
10 We have an altar from which those who serve in the Tabernacle have no right to eat.†
11 Because the bodies of the animals—whose blood, concerning sin, is brought into the Holies by the high priest—are burned up outside the camp, 12 therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, suffered outside the city gate. 13 So then, let us go out to Him, outside the camp, bearing His disgrace;‡ 14 because here we do not have a permanent city, but we seek the coming one.
15 Through Him therefore, at all times, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God§—the fruit of lips that identify with His name. 16 (But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.)
Concluding remarks
17 Obey your leaders and submit, for they keep watch over your souls, as those who must give account, so that they may do it with joy and not sighing (which would be unprofitable for you).
18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, desiring to live commendably in all things; 19 I especially urge you to do this so that I may be restored to you more quickly.*
Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace—who through the blood of the eternal covenant† brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep— 21 equip you for every good work to do His will,‡ working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Sign-off
22 Now I appeal to you, brothers, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words.§ 23 Know that brother Timothy has been released, with whom I will see you, if he comes quickly.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.
25 The Grace be with you all. Amen.
* 13:4 The rendering of the King James Version—“marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled”—has been seriously misused, here and there. While in Seminary, a ‘Christian’ psychologist used this text to tell our class that it was ok for a man to have anal sex with his wife: “marriage is honorable in all”! It should be obvious that it is not ok to murder in bed, to tell lies in bed, to steal in bed, to commit adultery in bed, to fornicate in bed. Since the Creator decrees the death penalty to those who engage in anal sex (Leviticus 20:13), doing it in the marriage bed cannot make it right! † 13:4 This is one of several texts that show that ‘fornication’ and ‘adultery’ are distinct concepts. ‘Fornication’ includes premarital sex, prostitution, anal sex and animal sex, but not adultery. ‡ 13:5 What a marvelous assurance! See Deuteronomy 31:8. § 13:6 See Psalm 118:6. * 13:8 The basic meaning of the emphatic pronoun here is ‘self’, but it can also mean ‘same’, especially in a comparison. If Jesus is always Himself, then He is always the same. † 13:10 I do not understand this. The Tabernacle set up by Moses had been gone for over 1000 years when Paul wrote. Perhaps ‘tabernacle’ is a metaphor for ‘temple’. ‡ 13:13 Persecuted Christians in China and elsewhere know all about this, but many in North America have had such an easy time of it that they have ‘forgotten’ this aspect of the Gospel. But their turn is coming—in Canada, if you speak out against homosexuality you go to jail, for instance. § 13:15 To praise God when everything is fine is no “sacrifice”, so I suppose that the reference is to doing so when we are hurting, perplexed, not understanding. * 13:19 This suggests that the author is in jail, in Italy (verse 24 below), so Paul is a possible candidate. † 13:20 “The blood of the eternal covenant” can only refer to the blood of God's Lamb, that was ‘foreknown before the foundation of the world’ (1 Peter 1:19-20). From our point of view, anything that existed before our planet was created, and that will continue to exist after it is destroyed, may properly be called ‘eternal’. ‡ 13:21 In John 5:19 the Lord Jesus said that He only did what He saw the Father doing. All the power, enabling, equipping that the Text says is available to us is there for us to do the Father's will, not our own. § 13:22 As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul's letters to them are liberally sprinkled with commands—he could be quite ‘heavy’ at times. There he was on his own ‘turf’. But the Jews were Peter's turf (Galatians 2:7-8), so in writing to them Paul (as I assume) does not come on as an apostle, and here ‘appeals’ rather than commands. The reference to Timothy in the next verse also suggests Paul as the author.