Hebrews
Chapter 1
God has spoken to us through His Son
1 Since the beginning, God spoke to our forefathers many times. He gave His messages through the prophets in different ways, 2 but now in the last days of this world, [1] God has spoken to us through His own Son. God had determined long ago that His Son would own everything. Then He created everything that’s in the heavens and on this earth through the work of His Son. 3 God's Son reflects all of His glory, and He’s the visible and true picture of God’s existence. Through His powerful command His son arranges so that everything that was created by Him still continues. After He died to cleanse us from our sins, He went back to heaven where He sits in the most honored place near the Most Glorious God, at His right side. 4 That way it’s clear that the status given to His Son is far higher than the status of any of the angels. So the relationship between the Son and His Father is also much closer than the relationship between God and the angels.
5 For God has never spoken like this to the angels,
“You’re My Son.
Today I’m announcing that I’m Your Father.” [2]
God also never spoke about angels like He spoke about His Son through the words of this prophet,
“I’ll become His Father
and He’ll become My Son.” [3]
6 Furthermore, when God sent His firstborn Son into this world He commanded,
“Let all the angels worship My Son.” [1]
7 But regarding the angels God only said,
“The angels do God’s work as quickly as the wind.
The power that’s given to them is like a flame of fire.” [2]
8 Whereas to His Son, God says,
“My Son, You are God who’ll rule from the throne of Your kingdom forever.
The authority that You’ll show with the scepter of Your kingdom will always produce justice.
9 You love people who do right, but hate people who do evil.
That’s why I, as Your God, have already appointed You
and anointed You with oil as a sign that Your kingdom brings joy.
And that joy is greater than the joy I give to all of Your friends.” [4]
10 And God also said, not to the angels, but to His Son Jesus,
“You’re also the Lord who created the foundation of this earth
and with Your own hand You made everything in the heavens.
11 All of creation will disappear, but You always exist forever.
All those things will be ruined like old clothing.
12 And later on You’ll roll up and throw away all of creation that’s ruined, like when a person rolls up and throws away clothing that’s ruined.
Then like a person puts on new clothing, You’ll replace everything that’s ruined and make it new.
But You yourself will never change
and Your life will never end.” [5]
13 And God has never spoken like this to the angels,
“Sit at My right side and rule as King
until I defeat everyone who opposes You and make them your slaves.” [6]
14 But the angels are spirits who serve God, who are sent by Him to help us who’re being saved.
Chapter 2
Let’s not make the salvation that we receive directly through Jesus worthless
1 So let’s pay attention to the teaching that we’ve received from Jesus, God’s Son, and obey it more sincerely so that we aren’t led astray by the evil direction of this world. 2-3 For if the commands of God which were given to Moses through angels must be obeyed, we must be more obedient to the teaching which was given directly to us by God’s own Son, for sure! Israel’s history shows that the whole Law was proven true, and whoever didn’t obey it received pay back from God according to his deeds. So let’s not think that we can escape God’s punishment if we don’t appreciate and don’t follow the news of salvation which was given by the Lord Jesus Himself! And we need to remember that we received that news of salvation from the first people who heard it directly from the Lord. They firmly explained to us that this news is true. 4 God Himself also proved that this news is true by doing all kinds of miracles and through various special abilities which were given to us by the Holy Spirit according to the will of God.
Christ became a man for our salvation
5 For the angels weren’t chosen by God to rule over ‘the new creation’ [7] which we’re talking about. 6 But it’s written in the Holy Bible that a person said frankly to God,
“Oh God, why do You care for man?
And why do you have compassion on us descendants of Adam? [1]
7 You’ve made our status lower than the angels for a short time,
but You’ve made us like glorious kings who are honored over all other creatures
8 because You’ve put everything under the authority of us human beings.” [2]
Of course the Lord’s Word says that God has put ‘everything’ under our authority, meaning that there’s no spirit or other creature who doesn’t submit to us. But until now, we haven’t yet seen that in reality, where we rule ‘as kings’ over ‘everything’. 9 But the reality we see now is Jesus! As in God’s Word earlier, when Christ lived in this world, “He was made lower in status than the angels for a short time.” But now in heaven, God has crowned Him with the crown of the kingdom. This means that He’s the one who’s now the glorious ‘King’ who is ‘honored over all other creatures’. That happened to Him because He sacrificed His own life for all of us, according to God’s kindness to us.
10-11 God Himself has created everything and all creation was made to glorify God. Because of that, it’s very proper for God to obtain many children, who we are, so that we’ll live with Him in His glory. And God decided that His firstborn Son Jesus, must be worthy to become the King of Salvation and the perfect Mediator through His suffering for us as God’s adopted children. So it’s Jesus who made us holy, and we who’re purified by Him also call God ‘our Father’. For that reason, Jesus isn’t ashamed to call us His ‘brothers and sisters’! 12 This agrees with what was written in the Holy Bible, when Jesus said to God,
“Oh God, I’ll make You known [3] to My brothers and sisters.
I’ll sing praise to You in the gathering of all Your people.” [8]
13 He also said,
“I’ll keep trusting in God’s help.” [9]
And He also said,
“I’m here, along with the children God has given to Me.” [10]
14 Notice that we, whom Jesus calls His ‘children’, are normal human beings who consist of flesh and blood. For that reason, it was proper for Jesus Himself to become a normal human being with a normal body too. In that way, through His death He could destroy the devil, the one who has power over the kingdom of death. 15 In that way also, Jesus has already freed us who used to be controlled by the fear of death for as long as we live. 16 It’s clear that it isn’t the angels whom Jesus helped but we who are the descendants of Abraham. 17 Because of that, Jesus had to become a human being like us, His brothers and sisters, in every way. In that way He could become a High Priest who is full of compassion and very faithful in that role before God for us. As the priests always used to bring the blood of animal sacrifices to God, to make peace for man with God, now our High Priest Jesus [4] has made us at peace with God, through His own blood. [5] 18 And because He Himself has suffered and was tempted, He understands our weaknesses and is able to help us who are so often tempted.
Chapter 3
Jesus is far greater than Moses
1-2 So Brothers and Sisters, since God has chosen us to become citizens of heaven, let’s get to know Jesus better, whom we already acknowledge. He’s the one who became God’s representative [1] and our High Priest in this world. Jesus serves faithfully in carrying out His task, just as Moses also had served faithfully in carrying out his task as leader of the people of Israel. 3 But Jesus is more worthy to be honored than Moses. Moses can be illustrated as a caretaker in a big family, whereas Jesus is like the Head who created that family. 4 Of course, if there’s a family, there’s also a head who created the family. But the Master Builder of all things is God. 5 So as a caretaker, Moses was faithful in his ministry to the family of God, of course. And Moses’ ministry illustrates what God would do and teach us later on through Christ. 6 But Christ is the firstborn Son who is faithful and has full responsibility over God’s family. And each of us are included as members of His family if we keep holding firmly to our faith and keep boldly witnessing about our hope.
How to enter God’s “land of calm”
7 For that reason, remember what the Holy Spirit said in the Holy Bible,
“Today, when each of you hears the Lord’s voice,
8 don’t harden your hearts like your forefathers did
when they went too far in opposing Me and tested My patience while they were traveling in the desert.
9 Even though they had already seen the many miracles that I had done in the desert for forty years,
they still kept testing Me and My patience.
10 So I was really angry with all of them
and said, ‘Their hearts always want to follow the path that leads astray.
They always refuse to be obey My commands.’
11 Because they made Me so angry I swore,
‘They’ll never enter the land of calm [2] which I’ve prepared for them.’” [11]
12 So Brothers and Sisters, be on guard so that none of you have evil hearts and refuse to believe so that it makes you stop obeying the living God. 13 But let’s encourage each other everyday. God’s Word, which was mentioned, began with “Today.” So everyday, while it can still be called ‘today’, let’s be careful so that none of us hardens our hearts because of being deceived by our own sins. 14 For we’ve become friends in Christ’s battle if we keep holding onto our faith until the end of our lives, just like when we first believed in Him. 15 This is in agreement with God’s Word, which I quoted earlier,
“Today, while each of you hears My voice,
don’t harden your hearts like your forefathers did
when they went too far in opposing Me.” [12]
16 Who heard God’s voice and kept opposing Him? It was all of our forefathers who were led out of Egypt by Moses! 17 And who was God very angry at for forty years? It was with our forefathers who had sinned! That’s why their dead bodies were scattered all along the road in the desert. 18 Then whom did God mean when He swore, “They’ll never enter the land of calm which I’ve prepared for them?” Yes, it was those who refused to obey Him. 19 So it’s clear that our forefathers weren’t permitted to enter that land because they refused to believe in God.
Chapter 4
1 So let’s be on guard with fear because God’s promise regarding the opportunity to enter that ‘land of calm today’ [1] is still valid for us! For that reason, none of us should fail to take that opportunity! 2 For we received the Good News about the way of salvation at first, just like our forefathers. Of course they had heard that news from God, but it didn’t help them because they didn’t completely believe it. 3 So we who believe are invited to enter now [2] and have amazing calmness in God’s protection. We aren’t like the people of Israel who failed to take this calmness. Like God said,
“Because they made Me so angry, I swore
‘They’ll never enter the land of calm which I’ve prepared for them.’” [13]
He spoke like that even though that land of calm had already been made, because everything that God made had been ready since the creation of this world. 4 We already know that because God had said in the Holy Bible,
“And on the seventh day God rested from all of His work in creating everything.” [14] 5 But in another verse it’s written about that, “They’ll never enter the land of calm which I’ve prepared for them.” [15]
6 So that land is still open, and we still have the opportunity to enter there. But our forefathers, who first heard that Good News, failed to enter because they refused to believe in God. 7 Because of that, God determined yet another day as an opportunity to enter into that land. That’s the verse which I quoted from Psalms above which says, ‘today’, where after many years God spoke about that day through King David,
“Today, if you hear My voice,
don’t harden your hearts like your forefathers did.” [16]
8 For if Joshua [3] alone had really succeeded in bringing the people of Israel into the ‘land of calm’ which was promised by God, then God wouldn’t have needed to determine yet another opportunity to enter that land! 9 So this shows that there’s still an opportunity for us, the people of God, to enter God’s “land of calm”, which is a spiritual calmness that can be illustrated as when we stop working on the Sabbath Day. 10 Everyone who enters that land rests from all of his own work, [4] just like God until now still rests from all of His work since the very first seventh day. 11 For that reason, let’s be all the more zealous and industrious to enter and live in that ‘land of calm’. Don’t let any of us fail, like our forefathers did, who refused to believe in God.
12 Oh, God’s Word truly lives and is powerful! For we experience that His Word has great power in us. That power is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword. God’s Word is so very powerful that it can pierce our hearts [5] — so that the thoughts, desires and true intentions of our hearts are revealed to us. 13 And remember that there is no creature that can hide itself from God. Everything is seen clearly by God, even all that’s in our hearts is open before Him. And each of us will stand and give an account to Him.
Jesus is very fitting in His duty as High Priest for us
14 So we’re very fortunate because Jesus God’s Son, has gone before us to heaven, where He has the duty as our High Priest. [6] For that reason, let’s keep holding on firmly to Jesus according to our faith that we acknowledge. 15 For even though our High Priest is in heaven, He can sympathize with all of our weaknesses because He has lived in this world and experienced every kind of trial that we experience. But He never sinned. 16 For that reason, we can approach God’s throne directly in prayer. And we may come without fear because our High Priest is already next to His throne, where we’ll be received by God’s kindness. In that way, whenever we need help God will have compassion and show the kindness of His heart to us.
Chapter 5
1 We know that every high priest of the Jewish religion was chosen from among normal people. And the high priest had the duty as a middle-man between God and man so that various voluntary gifts and sacrifices to pay for the sins of man could be given to God according to the rule of the Law that was in effect. 2 Because every high priest was a normal human being, he was still aware of his own weaknesses too. In that way he could have an understanding heart for his fellowmen who did wrong because of their ignorance about God’s will. 3 And that’s the reason a high priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own sin first, before offering a sacrifice for the sins of his fellowmen.
4 It was a great honor for someone to become a high priest, because a man couldn’t appoint himself to be high priest but God is the One who chose him, just like Aaron long ago. 5 It’s the same with Christ. He didn’t appoint himself to become High Priest, but it was God who chose Him for that most honored position when He said to Christ,
“You’re My Son,
Today I’m announcing that I’m Your Father.” [17]
6 And again in another verse God said to Him,
“You have the position as a priest forever, according to the pattern of appointment of Melchizedek, the former priest.” [18]
7 While Jesus lived in this world, He always prayed asking for God’s help, crying with many tears. For He believed that God could surely save Him from death. And God answered His request because Jesus always truly respected God. 8 Even though Jesus is God’s Son, He was also willing to suffer in order to prove that He was obedient to God. 9 After He experienced all that suffering, His experience was perfect and complete in God’s sight. So Christ has become the Savior and source of salvation forever, for all of us who’re obedient to Him. 10 And He’s also the source of salvation for us because God appointed Him as High Priest, not following the descent of Aaron but following the pattern of the appointment of the priest Melchizedek.
Motivation to become mature spiritually
11 There are actually still many things about Jesus and Melchizedek that I want to explain to you. But these things aren’t easy to explain because I already know that you don’t want to try to understand. 12 Of course it’s now time for you to become teachers, but until now you still need someone else to teach you the basics from God’s Word. You’re still like babies who can only drink milk and can’t eat solid food yet. 13 For whoever still just drinks milk is still a baby. A person like that isn’t ready to receive higher teachings yet because he hasn’t yet been trained how to distinguish teaching that’s true from teaching that’s misleading. 14 Whereas people who are mature spiritually are ready to receive higher teachings because they’ve trained themselves to distinguish between right teaching and teaching that’s evil.
Chapter 6
1 So, because you need teachings that lead you to spiritual maturity, I don’t want to repeat the basic teachings about Christ to you again. Let’s rise now to a higher level of teachings So I won’t repeat these basic teachings
about repenting of all kinds of deeds which actually lead you to spiritual death, [1]
about believing in God,
2 about the differences between the baptism of the Jewish religion, John’s baptism and baptism as Christ’s followers,
about various blessings done by laying on hands, [2]
about our belief that people who’ve died will live again
and about the eternal punishment which God will give to everyone who does evil.
3 So with God’s help, let me give a higher level lesson that can make us spiritually mature!
4-6 Watch out! Don’t let anyone go back to living in darkness! For we can’t possibly lead a person like that back to repentance, like when he first followed Christ. A person like that has already felt God’s kindness which he received through Jesus, and he has also experienced the Holy Spirit’s help. He has experienced how beautiful the Good News from God is and the spiritual abilities that we’ll enjoy in the age to come. So if a person like that leaves Christ, he can’t possibly repent again. For when he leaves Christ, in the eyes of many people, it’s as if he has trampled on God’s Son. If a person like that tries to repent again, it’s as if he’s asking Christ, “Jesus, please die on the cross again for me to pay for the sins that I committed after I left You!”
7 Our spiritual lives can be illustrated by a field. For if by God’s kindness a field gets plenty of rain, becomes fertile and produces many plants for the farmers, then God will continue to bless that field. 8 However, if that field only produces weeds and thorny plants, then that field will be considered useless. And in the end that field will be cursed by God, then burned.
9 My beloved Brothers and Sisters, don’t be disappointed! Even though I’ve written these heavy things to you, I’m certain that you aren’t people who’ll leave Jesus but are included with us who’re being saved. 10 For God is just. He’ll keep remembering what each of you has done for Him, especially when you show love to brothers and sisters in the faith in order to glorify God. He notices how you’ve often served them and still continue to serve them until now, and He’ll never forget to bless you. 11 But what I really long for is that you stay inspired and keep doing visible acts of love until the end of your life, because in that way you’ll make certain that you’ll receive what we hope for in heaven. 12 In that way, you won’t become a lazy person either. But you should follow the example of the brothers and sisters in the faith who’ve gone to heaven ahead of us. Notice how they remained patient and completely believed in Christ until the end of their lives. Think of how they’re now enjoying all of God’s promises.
God will never break a promise
13-15 Abraham is an example for us. God promised him by ‘swearing by Himself’, when God said,
“I swear by My own self:... I sincerely promise to bless you and give you many descendants.” [19]
Then, after Abraham waited with complete faith and patience, he also received what was promised by Him. God strengthened His promise by “swearing by Himself, and that's why he could be certain of God’s promise.” For of course there’s no one greater than God, so that’s the reason He strengthened His promise by naming Himself.
16 We know that people always swear by calling on the name of a person who has more authority and usually call on the name of God. And if he swears before a court by calling on the name of God, that means God will punish that person if he lies, so his testimony is considered legitimate. 17 In the same way, when God wanted to strengthen the truth of His promise, He strengthened His promise with an oath. For God wants we who are spiritual descendants of Abraham to be aware of this, “What God promised us will be fulfilled, for sure.” 18 So God has given His promise and His oath. Both of those things can’t possibly be changed by Him because God can’t possibly lie. For that reason, we who depend [3] completely on God’s kindness to save us, feel encouraged by hoping like this, “God will fulfill all of His promises to us, for sure!” 19-20 May our hope function like a strong and safe anchor for us so that we’re strengthened and not carried away by any current. For our Hope is really Jesus Himself, who has opened the way into the Most Holy Room in God’s House in heaven for us. So now we can approach Him there directly in prayer, because Jesus has been given the duty as High Priest for us forever, according to the pattern of the Priest Melchizedek.
Chapter 7
The priest Melchizedek was greater than Abraham
1 Melchizedek was the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. He’s the one who met Abraham when Abraham was coming back with his friends from war, having conquered all the troops from several kingdoms. On that day, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. [20] 2 And Abraham gave Melchizedek one tenth of all the treasure that he had captured in that war. Melchizedek’s name means “king of justice.” But the name of his city was “Salem”, which means “peace.” So it can be said that he was the king of peace, too. 3 But there’s nothing written in the Holy Bible regarding his father or where he came from. There’s no explanation about where he was born either or when he died. So the priest Melchizedek can be equated with God’s own Son Himself, who has the role of priest forever.
4 So we see that Melchizedek was a very important person, of course, because Abraham, our famous forefather, gave him a tenth of all the best treasure that was taken away in the war. 5 But in days to follow, the Law said that “only the ministers of God’s Tabernacle who were people from the tribe of Levi had the right to receive a tithe from the people of Israel.” [21] They receive that tithe from their own brothers and sisters who are also Abraham’s descendants. 6 Even though Melchizedek was not a Levite, he received that tithe from Abraham. And Melchizedek also blessed Abraham our forefather, who had received God’s promises. 7 And we know that the person who blesses is always greater than the person who receives the blessing.
8 Think about these differences too. Those ministers from the tribe of Levi who receive the tithe are just humans who will die. Whereas the testimony of God’s Word about Melchizedek is that he lives forever. 9 And it can be said that Levi himself, the forefather of those who have the right to receive the tithe, paid a tithe to Melchizedek through Abraham. 10 Because when Abraham met Melchizedek and gave a tithe, Levi wasn’t born yet. So it may be considered that Levi was present, even though he was still in Abraham’s body.
Jesus is the Priest according to the pattern of Melchizedek
11 So we can now make a conclusion. It’s obvious that spiritual perfection can’t be achieved through the ministry of the descendants of Levi, even though their ministry is based on the Law. For if spiritual perfection could have been achieved through them, God wouldn’t have needed to send a different Priest who didn’t come from the descendants of Levi and Aaron. 12 And if God sent a Priest using a different way than what was already determined, it means the whole Law has to be changed. 13-14 By that I mean our Lord Jesus didn’t come from the tribe of Levi, but from the tribe of Judah. People from that tribe have never served animal sacrifices on the altar in God’s House, and Moses didn’t permit people from that tribe to work as priests.
15 The difference that has happened becomes clearer when we realize that this new Priest is like Melchizedek. 16 He was raised up as High Priest, not because of the old rule which was based on physical descendants but because He possesses power which can’t be destroyed, that is power to live forever. 17 This is what was written in the Holy Bible about Him,
“You have the position of Priest forever, according to the pattern of the appointment of the priest Melchizedek.” [22]
18 So now we see that the old Law has been cancelled because that law was too weak and useless. 19 Because no one will ever become perfect before God by obeying the law. But now a new way has been opened up for us to reach what we hope for, where we can meet God directly.
20-21 And we can be more certain of this new way which is through our High Priest Jesus, because He was authorized by God with an oath, whereas the other priests were appointed without an oath. For God swore to Jesus, as it’s written in the Psalms of David,
“The Lord has promised with an oath and won’t change His mind.
‘You have the position of Priest forever, according to the previous pattern of the appointment of the priest Melchizedek.” [23]
22 So because God swore like that, it’s clear that this new promise of God is guaranteed more than the old promise with Israel’s forefathers. And it’s also clear that Jesus is our Middle-man [1] in this new promise.
23 There’s also this difference. According to the old rules, there’s always a change of high priest because every high priest is prevented from continuing in his position by death. 24 But Jesus lives forever. So as High Priest He’ll never be replaced by anyone else. 25 For that reason Jesus can perfectly save each of us who come to God through Him, because He lives forever and is always ready and willing to ask God to help us.
26 So Jesus is the High Priest who’s really fitting for us, because He’s holy, and in Him there’s no sin or any wrong at all! He was also raised up to the place that’s separated from sinners, which is the most honored place in heaven. 27 He isn’t like the other priests who needed to present sacrifices everyday, and they each had to present sacrifices for their own sins before serving offerings for the sins of others. But Jesus offered His own life as an offering just once, forever. 28 Of course this difference happened because the Law appoints a high priest from normal human beings, even though they have weaknesses. Whereas the promise that was accompanied by God’s oath and was given after the Law appoints God’s own Son as High Priest. So He’s the High Priest who’s really perfect and exactly right for us, forever! [2]
Chapter 8
Jesus is our High Priest
1 So the main point of all I wrote above is that our High Priest sits in the place of greatest honor next to the throne of God Almighty in heaven. 2 He also serves there in the most holy worship center [1] — that is in the true Tabernacle of the Lord. That Tabernacle was set up by God Himself in heaven, not the old tabernacle that was made by human hands.
3 Of course, every high priest has the duty to offer various kinds of gifts and sacrifices to God. It’s the same with our High Priest, He had to have something to offer. 4 If Jesus still lived on this earth, he couldn’t possibly have been appointed to become a priest because there are already people from a different tribe who serve all of the offerings according to the Law. 5 But God’s earthly Tabernacle, where the earthly priests served, was only a picture or shadow of the real Tabernacle of the Lord in heaven. Notice that before Moses built the Lord’s first Tabernacle, God ordered him,
“You must make everything exactly the same as the example that I showed you up on the mountain.” [24]
6 But now Jesus has been given a ministry that’s far more glorious than the ministry of the earthly priests because He has become the Middle-man who manages the new promise between us and God. And that new promise is far more glorious than the old promise because God has promised better things, like what I’ll go on to explain.
7 If the former promise that was made through Moses as middle-man had been satisfactory, then a second promise wouldn’t have been needed. 8-10 But God Himself wasn’t satisfied with the old promise, so He said to the people of Israel,
“This is the word of the Lord. In days to come,
I’ll set up a new promise
with you people of Judah and with all the people of Israel.
The new promise isn’t the same as what I set up with your forefathers
when I had compassion on them, and with My own hand
led them out of Egypt.
But they didn’t keep living according to all the rules of that promise,
so I took My hands off them.
But this is the new promise which I’ll later set up with you people of Israel:
I’ll put My law in your minds,
and I’ll write My law on your hearts.
Then I’ll become your God,
and you’ll become My people.
11 For that reason, you won’t need to remind each of the brothers in the faith later on
like this, ‘Know the Lord’,
because all of you, great or small, will truly know Me.
12 For I’ll forgive all of your evil with great compassion
and won’t remember your sins anymore.” [25]
13 So because God spoke about a new promise, it’s clear that the promise made with Moses as middle-man was considered outdated. This means that the old promise won’t be valid anymore.
Chapter 9
Various rules about the way to worship God according to the old promise
1 In the first promise, there were various rules about how to worship God in the Lord’s earthly Tabernacle. 2 The yard of the Lord’s Tabernacle was fenced, and the Tabernacle had two rooms in the back of that yard. The first was called the Holy Room. There was a lamp and a table in this room. And every Sabbath Day, bread was set out before the Lord on top of that table. 3 The door to the Holy Room was separated by a cloth curtain. In back of that first room there was an entrance to the second room, and that doorway was seperated by a second cloth curtain. That second room was called the Most Holy Room. 4 In that second room there was a small altar made of gold, which was used to offer incense. And the Ark of the Covenant, which was all covered in gold, was there too. A golden bottle filled with the food called manna was kept in the ark. [26] And the staff of Aaron which had sprouted and two stone tablets on which God’s Ten Commandments were written were also in there. The two tablets were the proof of the first promise with God. 5 On top of the ark there were two carved guardian angels which faced each other, with the wings of the two angels opened wide to protect the cover of the chest. The carved angels symbolize the glory of God. The cover of the chest was called the ‘Place for Making Peace’. [1] But it isn’t the time now to explain all of these things in detail.
6 After all of that was prepared like I’ve explained, the priests went in and out of the Holy Room everyday to perform their duties. 7 But only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Room and that was just once a year. When he entered, he had to bring the blood of two animals to sprinkle on the Place for Making Peace. The blood of the first animal was sprinkled for his own sin, and the blood of the second was for sins that weren’t intentionally done by the people of Israel. 8 Through those various rules the Holy Spirit showed that the way to enter the Most Holy Room and come directly before God wasn’t open yet. As long as the first room still existed, it meant that we as ordinary people couldn’t enter there.
9 This is an illustration that shows the difference between the old system and the new system. In the old system, the voluntary gifts and sacrifices to forgive sin were offered to God, of course. Yet none of it could make the consciences of the people who brought those offerings perfectly clean. 10 All of those offerings were just religious rules about food, drink and various customs of cleansing. Those were all just rules about physical things and were only valid until God improved everything with the new system.
The perfect ministry of Christ in the Lord’s Tabernacle in heaven
11 So now Christ has become our High Priest. We receive all the good things that God promised to us through Him. The Most Holy Room where He serves is the one in heaven and is perfect, not the earthly tabernacle that was made by human hands. 12 And when Christ entered that Most Holy Room, He didn’t bring the blood of a male goat or bull calf like the high priest did under the old system, but he brought His own blood to make the payment to buy us back once forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of a goat or bull was sprinkled on the worshipers to cleanse their bodies of uncleanness. Or in the ritual of cleansing, each person was sprinkled with a mixture of pure water and ashes from a burnt sacrifice of a young female cow. [27] 14 But in the new system the blood of Christ, who offered Himself as a sacrifice through God’s Spirit that lives forever, is so much stronger! His blood, which was really perfect, purifies every part of us so that we no longer desire to involve ourselves in deeds that lead to spiritual death. [2] In that way we are truly free to serve the living God.
15 So with this new promise, Christ is the Middle-man between us and God. In that way, we who’ve been called by God can receive all the blessings which were promised by Him, that is the blessings that last forever, as if we inherit those blessings. And Christ is worthy to be the Middle-man, because His death was necessary to pay the price to buy back people. For no one could be completely forgiven through the various sacrifices done under the old promise.
16 And because of Christ’s death, the new promise with God went into effect in a natural way, like an agreement made in a will. This is how it’s done:.A will only goes into effect when the maker of the will is proven to be dead. 17 For a will becomes legal when the maker of the will has died. If that person is still alive, the will isn’t in effect yet, of course. 18 It was the same when the first promise of God with the people of Israel was legalized by the blood of animals. 19 For after Moses told all of the commands of the Law to all of the people of Israel, he mixed the blood of some bulls and goats with water. Then he used a string of red wool which had been tied to branches of the hysop plant as a tool for sprinkling, and with that tool he sprinkled the mixture of blood on the Book of the Law and on all the people 20 while saying, “This blood is the sign that the promise with God is legal, and we’re obligated to follow these commands.” [28] 21 And in the same way, Moses also sprinkled that blood on the Holy Tabernacle and on all the utensils that were used in worship. 22 And it can be said that according to the Law, almost everything had to be purified with the blood of the animal sacrifice, and sin wasn’t forgiven without the blood of animal sacrifices.
23-24 Remember that the Holy Tabernacle on earth, which was purified like that, is only a picture or shadow of the true one in heaven. So if the earthly tabernacle, which was made with human hands, had to be purified with the blood of animals, of course the true tabernacle had to be purified with an offering that’s far more glorious than the blood of an animal sacrifice. And that’s what happened when Christ entered the true Most Holy Room with His own blood! So He’s still there as Middle-man for us before God.
25-26 Christ isn’t like the earthly high priest who was forced to enter the Most Holy Room every year bringing blood that wasn’t his own. If Christ had been like that, it would mean that He would have had to suffer and offer Himself over and over again since the creation of the world. But according to the will of God, Christ came to this world just once to offer Himself as a sacrifice to erase sin. And in that way, in this current age, so many of the prophets prophecies have become a reality!
27 Of course God has determined that we humans live and die only once, and after that we’re judged. 28 In the same way, Christ died as a sacrifice to bear all of our sins just once. But when He comes a second time, He won’t have to deal with the problem of sin again. That will be the time when all of us who’re really longing for His coming will receive the salvation that we’re hoping for!
Chapter 10
Only Christ’s sacrifice fulfills God’s will and purifies us perfectly
1 So the way to worship God, which was written in the Law, was only a picture or shadow of the good things God planned to reveal to His people at the time set by Him. The old way of worshiping God didn’t show the true will of God. For under the old way, even though sacrifices of animals were offered every year they couldn’t perfectly cleanse the worshipers’ consciences. 2 For if the consciences of the worshipers had really been cleansed through the animal sacrifices mentioned, then they would definitely not have felt convicted of their sins anymore. And if so, they wouldn’t feel it was necessary to offer animal sacrifices anymore, of course. 3 Instead, what happened is that those sacrifices made them remember their sins every time they offered them. 4 For the offerings of the blood of bulls and goats couldn’t actually erase the sin of man.
5 That’s why when Christ came to this world He said to God,
“You don’t want sacrifices and offerings,
but You’ve prepared a body for Me to serve you completely.
6 You aren’t pleased with sacrifices to erase sin,
even when every part of the animal offering is burned up.
7 For that reason, I say, ‘Yes God, I’m ready!
As it’s written about Me in the Holy Bible,
I’ve come to do Your will.’” [29]
8 First of all, in the quote above Christ said that God didn’t want and wasn’t pleased with ‘sacrifices and offerings’ and all kinds of ‘sacrifices to erase sin’, including even the sacrifices where ‘the animal was burned up’. But that’s exactly what was commanded in the Law. 9 Then He said, “Yes God, I’m ready! I’ve come to do Your will.” So in saying that, Christ cancelled the old way to erase sin and made a new way. 10 For what God desired was that we be purified forever with the one-time sacrifice of Christ Jesus’ body alone.
11 With the old system, each priest had to stand before the altar in the Lord’s Tabernacle everyday and repeatedly perform the religious requirements, and give different kinds of sacrifices which could never ever erase sin. 12 Whereas our High Priest Christ offered just one sacrifice, which is valid forever, and then He sat at the most honored place beside God. 13 And now He awaits “the moment God makes all of His enemies submit to Him.” [30] 14 So by offering just one sacrifice, Christ has perfectly cleansed us from sin forever. It’s the same in our daily lives, we’re purified by Him more and more.
15 And the Holy Spirit also says the same thing to us in the verse I quoted. For He said earlier,
16 “This is the word of the Lord.
This is the new promise that I’ll set up later on with you people of Israel:
I’ll put My law in your minds,
and I’ll write My law in your hearts.” [31]
17 Then He said,
“I won’t remember your sins or evil anymore.” [32]
18 So if all of that has been forgiven, then it isn’t necessary to offer sacrifices to erase sin anymore.
Let’s come to God freely in prayer
19 For that reason, Brothers and Sisters, because of the blood of Jesus, we may enter the holy worship center in heaven without feeling afraid! 20 For the way to enter that Place used to be closed to us by a cloth curtain, and now a new way has been opened for us by our Middle-man Jesus. And His own Body, which is a living door, is the entrance for us. 21 And now because our High Priest rules over all the people of God, 22 let’s come freely to God in our own prayers without feeling afraid, with hearts that have been made perfect and believe completely in Him. For our hearts have been spiritually sprinkled with a liquid that purifies our consciences from the burden of sin and feelings of guilt. And our bodies have been spiritually cleansed with pure water. 23 Let’s firmly hold onto our faith, that is to all the things that we hope for and acknowledge! For He is very faithful to fulfill everything that He has promised.
Let’s hold onto our faith in God firmly and remain faithful to Him
24 For that reason, let’s all think about how to motivate each other and remind each other to show love and do good things. 25 Let’s not become lazy about getting together in our fellowship, like what has become the usual way for some of us. Instead, let’s motivate each other to remain zealous to get together, and be even more zealous because we realize that the day of Christ’s coming is getting closer.
26 For if we continue to commit sin on purpose after we’ve received the true news about all that Christ has done for us, then there’s no other sacrifice that can erase that sin. 27 Whoever of us lives like that just waits for God to impose the last terrifying judgment, when He’ll judge everyone who opposes Him and throw them into the fire which has been prepared to destroy them. 28 For example, remember what was done under the old system. Whoever broke the Law was killed without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three eye witnesses. 29 So try to imagine how people who insult God’s Son deserve to be punished! People like that claim to be followers of Christ, but they keep living in sin. They consider the blood of Jesus that purifies us to be insignificant, that is the blood that was poured out to make the new promise with God legal. And in that way they insult God’s Spirit who gave the Good News about the kindness of God to us. 30 People like that will definitely not escape from punishment, for we know who God truly is. He’s the one who said,
“I’m the one who has the right to repay evil. Let Me alone be the one who repays.”
And the Lord said again,
“I the Lord will judge My people.” [33]
31 Watch out fearfully! Don’t get struck by the wrath of the living God!
32 But I’m asking each of you not to forget what happened when God first enlightened your hearts to know Christ. Even though you suffered terribly, you kept standing firm. 33 Some of you who were insulted in public and even beaten. And there are also those who helped our brothers and sisters who’ve been persecuted like that. 34 And when our brothers and sisters in the faith were imprisoned, you sympathized with their suffering as if you yourselves were imprisoned. In fact there are those among you who were persecuted to the point that your possessions were taken away. You remained joyful even in that situation because you know that you have heavenly treasure that’s guaranteed, which lasts forever.
35 So keep on being brave, and don’t let anyone let go of his faith in Christ which you’ve held onto firmly until now. For your faith will produce a great reward. 36 It’s important for us now to remain patient in suffering so that we keep doing God’s will. In that way we’ll receive everything that God has promised us. 37 For as it’s written in the Holy Bible,
“In just a short time, He who’s coming
will arrive and won’t delay any longer.
38 The one who’s righteous before Me will live forever because he believes completely in Me.
But I won’t be happy with the person who forsakes Me when he experiences trouble.” [1]
39 Brothers and Sisters, I’m sure that we aren’t people who ‘forsake’ the Lord and are destroyed. But we’re people who ‘fully believe’ in Him and are saved.
Chapter 11
Heroes of the faith
1 By ‘believing completely’ I mean being certain that we’ll surely receive what we hope for from God, even though we don’t see it yet. 2 For by believing completely, our forefathers became pleasing in God’s eyes.
3 By believing completely we understand that by His word alone God created everything on earth and in the heavens. So everything that we can see came from things that we can’t see.
4 Because Abel believed completely in God, he offered a sacrifice that was better than the sacrifice offered by Cain. For that reason God was pleased with Abel and accepted him as a righteous person. So even though Abel is long dead, he’s still an example for us because of his faith.
5 It’s the same with Enoch. Because he believed completely, he was taken up to heaven without experiencing death. As it’s written in the Holy Bible, “He suddenly disappeared, because he was taken up by God.” [34] For before he was taken up, he was known as a person whose life always pleased God. 6 It’s clear that without believing completely we can’t possibly please Him, because everyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God really exists and that He blesses everyone who sincerely seeks Him.
7 Noah is another example. He believed completely when God told him about things that had never been seen by man. Because Noah believed and respected God, he built a ship to save his family. And because of believing completely, he proved that the people of the world at that time were wrong, so God accepted him as a righteous person.
8 And the faith of Abraham is also an example. He believed God completely when he was told to go to another land that God promised to give him and his descendants as an inheritance. Then by believing completely he left, even though he didn’t yet know where he should go. 9 Because he believed completely, he endured life as a foreigner in the land which God promised he would possess. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just lived there in tents, and they inherited the same promise together. 10 It’s obvious that Abraham was waiting for a city that was planned and built by God so that he would become a resident of that city whose foundation will never be shaken.
11 The faith of Abraham also became an example when Sarah would give birth to Isaac. Even though they were already old and Sarah was barren, God made Sarah able to get pregnant so that they would have a descendant. This happened because Abraham believed completely that God is faithful and would keep His promises. 12 So because just one man, Abraham, believed completely when he was old and almost dead, “his descendants are countless, like the stars in the sky or the sand on the sea shore.”
13 All of the people mentioned believed completely until death. Even though they hadn’t yet seen what God had promised them, it was as if they saw its shadow in the distance and welcomed those things by believing completely. Then they became aware and acknowledged that they were just like guests and foreigners on this earth. 14 In speaking like that, it’s clear that they waited for a homeland which would become their own possession. 15 What they were talking about wasn’t the land that they had left. For if they had missed that land, they had many opportunities to return there. 16 What they were longing for was the land of heaven, which is far better than that land. So God has prepared a city for them, and He’s happy to be called their God.
17 Abraham also became an example when his faith was tested by God, when God ordered him to offer up Isaac. Abraham believed completely, then he willingly sacrificed his only son (by Sarah) even though Abraham had received God’s promises, 18 including this promise:
“Only Isaac’s descendants will be your descendants before Me.” [35]
19 Even so, he was willing to sacrifice Isaac because he believed completely that God had the power to bring his son back to life after death. And actually, when God said, “Don’t kill him,” it was like Abraham received Isaac back to life after death.
20 And Isaac also believed completely that God would fulfill His promises in times to come. Because of that he remembered those promises when he blessed Jacob and Esau. 21 And Jacob also believed completely when he was already very old and almost dead, when he placed his hands on the heads of Joseph’s two sons and blessed them. Then he praised God while leaning on the tip of his cane. 22 Joseph also believed completely in the same way. When he was almost dead, he reminded the family of Israel about God’s promise to take them out of Egypt, and he ordered that his body be brought out at a later time too.
23 Moses’ parents are also examples of people who believed. They believed completely in God, and because of that they weren’t afraid to break the king’s law. After Moses was born they hid him for three months. They were aware that God had given them an unusual son.
24 Then Moses himself was also an example of people who believed completely. When he was an adult he refused to be called the daughter of King Pharoah’s son. 25 He thought it was better to be tortured and be in trouble with the people of God than to live a pleasant life of sin in the king’s palace. He was aware that a pleasant life like that was just temporary. 26 By believing completely, he waited for a future time when Christ would come to save the people of Israel. Because of that, he considered it was far more worthwhile to be persecuted for Christ’s sake than to have all the riches of Egypt. He felt it was far better to wait for the reward that God would give Him. 27 And because Moses believed completely in God, he dared to leave Egypt. He wasn’t afraid of the anger of the Pharoah, but with his eyes firmly focused ahead he walked as if seeing the invisible God. 28 And also because of that faith, Moses held the first Passover Day by sprinkling blood on all the doors of the houses of the people of Israel so that every house of the Israelites was protected from the angel who would kill the firstborn sons.
29 The people of Israel are also examples of people who believed completely. Because of their faith they could cross the Red Sea as if passing through on dry land. But the soldiers of Egypt drowned when they tried to cross it.
30 They believed completely. Because of that, after they had walked around outside the walls of Jericho for seven days, the city walls fell down.
31 And because Rahab the prostitute believed completely in God, she received the two spies of Israel who spied on their region and helped them. For that reason she wasn’t destroyed along with all the residents of that city who refused to believe in God.
32 And there is still much more that I could tell, but there isn’t enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets! 33 They also believed completely. Because of that they were given power to snatch lands from the power of foreign kings, and some among them were given power to rule with justice over their enemies. Others received what God promised them and some others were protected by Him so that they weren’t eaten by lions. 34 Some of the others escaped the danger of great fire, [1] others were protected from wars, and there were those who were very weak, who were given amazing strength. There were also those who became heroes in war, and there were only a few soldiers of Israel, but they defeated the enemy’s troops and then the enemies ran away. 35 Also because they believed completely in God, several women experienced miracles where members of their families came back to life from death.
But there are also examples of other people who believed completely. There were those who were constantly tortured in prison. The people who tortured each of them said, “Insult your god and we’ll release you!” But they refused to be set free because they believed completely that as a result of their faithfulness they would certainly be brought back to a far better life after death. 36 And among them were those who kept enduring when their faith was tested, even though they were insulted and almost beaten to death or left in prison bound with iron chains. 37-38 Among those believers there were also those stoned to death, those whose bodies were cut in two with a saw and those who were killed with the sword. And among them, there were those who were so poor that they didn’t have a place to live and only had the clothes on their backs which were made of sheep or goat skin. They had little food, were made to suffer and were tortured continually. People like that were too good to live in this world, so they lived just like nomads either in the desert or on the mountains and were forced to live in caves or in holes underground.
39 Now those people have become good examples for us, because it’s proven that they believed completely in God. Even though they died before receiving what God had promised them, God was still pleased with them because of their faith. 40 For the plan of God isn’t just for them but it’s for us too. God determined that it was better for them to wait for us, and when our faith has finally been tested and is perfected, only then will all of us receive the amazing blessing that is prepared for us!
Chapter 12
How to endure in the race of faith
1 Because of all of that, Brothers and Sisters, let’s remember and imitate the way of life of the heroes of the faith who’ve gone before us and are now waiting for us! So let’s set aside and abandon every burden and sin that hinders us in the race that God has determined for us to run, and let’s keep struggling on to reach our goal. 2 In this race, may our eyes keep looking ahead to Jesus. He’s the King and the most important Hero of the Faith for us, and He finished the race that was given to Him with perfection. He was willing to endure very shameful suffering on the cross because He kept looking ahead to the joy that was prepared for Him on a later day. Now He’s sitting, waiting for us in the place of greatest honor beside the throne of God. 3 For that reason, let’s always meditate on the example of Jesus who stood firm when sinful people insulted and persecuted Him so cruelly. If we follow Jesus’ example, we won’t get weary easily and give up. 4 For of course in our fight against sin, we haven’t been killed yet.
5 Let’s not forget the advice given by the Lord, where He calls each of us “My child.” He said,
“My child, don’t regard My discipline lightly
and don’t give up when I rebuke you.
6 For I discipline every child that I love,
and I spank everyone that I accept as a child.” [36]
7 So when we suffer because of our heavenly Father’s spanking, we have to remember that God is treating us like His children. For it isn’t unusual for a father to discipline his own child! 8 If you’re never corrected by the Lord it means you aren’t His legitimate child. For the Lord corrects all of His children. 9 Our fathers who’re on this earth have corrected us, of course. After that we respected them. So let’s submit to God as our spiritual Father even more, because if we endure testing we’ll enter eternal life. 10 And our fathers, who’re on this earth, corrected each of us for just a short time according to what they consider to be good. But when our heavenly Father corrects us, it’s always fitting and useful so that we’re purified, just like He’s pure. 11 Of course every time we’re corrected, the experience doesn’t make us happy but makes us sad. But after we’re trained by that experience, the result is that we live more righteously and we feel calm in the eyes of God.
12 So because we’ve been called to run in this race, let’s strengthen our weak arms, and let’s not allow our knees to shake. 13 And may our legs keep running straight ahead! Don’t turn to the left or right! In that way, if a weak or lame person follows our example their legs won’t go out of joint because of tripping, but they will be healed and strengthened more and more.
Don’t reject God’s kindness
14 Try to live peacefully with everyone! Try to live holy too! For anyone who doesn’t try to live holy won’t see the Lord. 15 Be on guard so that none of you stops holding onto the kindness of God. Because if someone is like that, he’ll become like a poisonous plant that can poison others of us so that they’re infected with his uncleanness. 16 And you also have to be on guard so that none of you lives immorally and doesn’t respect God like Esau did. As the firstborn son, he was the one who actually had the right to inherit all of his father’s wealth when his father died. But he sold all that wealth for just a dish of food. 17 Remember what happened then. When he changed his mind and wanted to receive his father’s blessing as the firstborn son, his father refused to give him that blessing. Even though he cried, he couldn’t change anything that he’d already done.
God’s old promise frightens, but the new promise gives joy
18 We, who come to God through Christ according to the new promise, aren’t like the people of Israel who received the old promise. They approached an earthly mountain, Mount Sinai. They were very afraid because the weather suddenly became cloudy, they were covered by darkness and struck by a strong wind, and the mountain was burned with a blazing fire. 19 Then they heard the piercing sound of a heavenly trumpet and the voice of God Himself. Our forefathers became so frightened that they asked Moses that God not speak directly to them again 20 because they were so afraid that they couldn’t endure the command of God which was,
“If a person or an animal even touches this mountain, it has to be stoned to death.” [37] 21 And of course what they saw was so frightening that Moses himself even said,
“I’m really afraid and shaking.” [38]
22-23 Instead, we’ve come to God spiritually through the new promise. And we’ve been brought by Christ to the new Mount Zion, which is the heavenly Jerusalem and the home of the living God. We’re joyfully welcomed as citizens of the kingdom of heaven by thousands of angels, for we come through the First Son of God and inherit everything together with Him. We’re the church of God’s Son, and each of our names are written in the book of life in heaven. We’re accepted by God who will judge everyone, and we now enter into the fellowship of all the righteous people who’ve gone ahead of us and have been made perfect. 24 And Jesus, who is like the Middle-man of the new promise from God, accepts us. Of course, we as the descendents of Cain, inherit punishment from him because of the first murder when he spilled the blood of his younger brother Able. We all deserve to be punished. But now we’re spiritually sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, which cleanses our consciences from sin. We’re freed from punishment.
25 So Brothers and Sisters, let’s guard ourselves so that no one refuses to listen to God who is speaking to us from heaven. For if our forefathers didn’t avoid being punished when they received the message from God through the worldly middle-man, Moses, we surely deserve to receive a harsher punishment if we refuse to hear Him who’s now speaking to us from heaven! 26 At the time God spoke to our forefathers on Mount Sinai, His voice made the earth shake. But now He has promised this,
“I’ll shake the earth once more and not just the earth, but the sky and heaven too.” [39]
27 By saying “once more,” it’s clear that God means that everything that was created which can be shaken will be destroyed so that the things that can’t be shaken will remain.
28 So Brothers and Sisters, because we’ve become citizens of God’s kingdom which can’t be shaken, we should be thankful to Him. And let’s please God by worshiping Him full of fear and respect 29 because our God is as the Holy Bible says, “a fire which burns up everything that isn’t perfect.” [40]
Chapter 13
The way of life that pleases God’s heart
1 You should always love each other as brothers and sisters in the faith. 2 Remember this, the doors of all your homes should be frequently open to people who need a place to stay. For in doing that, without being aware of it, some people have received angels into their homes! 3 And don’t forget to pray for and help our brothers and sisters in the faith who’re now imprisoned. Do it as if you yourself were also suffering with them in that prison and sympathize with the troubles of our brothers and sisters in the faith who’re now suffering, as if you were also suffering like them.
4 All of us should value the relationship of our marriages as something that’s holy, and the sexual relationship of husband and wife should be guarded so that it’s kept pure because God will punish everyone who commits immorality or adultery. 5 Let’s not allow our lives to be contolled by money. Instead, we should be satisfied with what we have for God says,
“I’ll never neglect you.
I’ll never leave you alone.” [41]
6 So as it’s written in Psalms, we can say with certainty,
“The Lord is my Helper!
I won’t be afraid.
People who oppose me can’t do anything to me.” [42]
7 Remember our leaders who delivered God’s Word to us and who’ve gone before us to heaven. Meditate on their good way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Christ Jesus never changes, past, present and forever.
9 Let’s not be led astray by people who bring all kinds of other teachings. It’s better if your heart is encouraged because of depending on God’s kindness than to follow those who’re busy with many rules about food, for no one has ever succeeded in becoming perfect in the eyes of God by following rules like that.
10 In the old system of sacrifices, the priests could eat two pieces of meat from the animal sacrifices. Whereas in the new system, we’re blessed through the heavenly altar, and the priests who serve in God’s earthly House don’t have the right to eat anything from that altar. 11 But it can be said that the new system resembles the old system. For with the sacrifice of forgiveness for sin, none of the meat was eaten by the priests. After the high priest brought the blood of that animal into the Most Holy Room, which is the blood of forgiveness for sin, then all the body parts of that animal were completely burned to ashes in another place outside of the camp of the people of Israel, not on the altar in the Lord’s Tabernacle. 12 In a similar way, Jesus suffered outside the city of Jerusalem so that we are purified by His own blood and become His people. 13 For that reason let’s go to Jesus outside of the city walls in a spiritual way. [1] By that I mean let’s not be ashamed to leave the old Jewish rules, and let’s consider it an honor if we’re insulted just because of following Jesus. 14 For in this world we don’t have a city that lasts forever, but we’re waiting for the new Jerusalem. 15 So through Jesus, let’s always give spiritual offerings to God, that is we should praise God through all our words and tell that Jesus is our Lord with boldness. 16 And let’s not forget to do good things to other people and help each other because that’s also an offering that pleases God.
17 We should respect and obey our leaders in the faith because God has given them the duty to guard each of our lives spiritually, and they know that they’re responsible to give an account to God later on. So always respect and obey them so that they can do their duties with glad hearts. For if they work with sad hearts, that certainly won’t bring us blessing.
18 Keep praying for me and for everyone who works with me because we’re sure that our consciences aren’t guilty, and we always try to do what’s right. 19 And I especially request that you pray for me that God will soon send me back to you.
Prayer of blessing and final words
20-21 May God,
who always guards us so that we live with feelings of calm,
and who raised our Lord Jesus from death,
equip you with everything that you need to do His will.
And may God, through the help of Christ Jesus
our Great Shepherd who made the new promise with God valid
through the sacrifice of His own blood,
enable you to do everything that pleases God.
Give glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.
22 Brothers and Sisters, I ask that you listen patiently to my advise in this letter when it’s read in the church because this letter isn’t too long. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy was set free from prison. If he comes here soon, the two of us will visit you.
24 Give my greetings to all your leaders and to all our brothers and sisters in the faith, that is to everyone who has been purified by the Lord. And all the brothers and sisters in the faith in Italy send greetings to you.
25 I pray that God will always be kind to each of you.