К Евреям послание Апостола Павла

The time and place of its writing are unknown. According to legend, it is attributed to the Apostle Paul. In its content, it is completely consistent with the spirit of the other epistles of the Apostle Paul, but many thoughts and expressions, interpretations of history and institutions with parables and similarities, show a close acquaintance with Alexandrian philosophy, which is not visible in the other epistles of the Apostle Paul. In any case, it was written later than other messages. – The Jewish Christians to whom this letter was written belonged in all likelihood to the Alexandrian or Roman communities, and the letter intends to explain to people who know in detail the liturgical orders of the Old Testament, the fulfillment in the New Testament and in the Christian Church of the images and parables of the Holy Scripture. Chapter 1. About Christ. His superiority over the Angels God spoke many times and in various ways to our fathers in the prophets, in these last days he spoke to us in the Son, whom he appointed heir in everything; He also created the eyelids (the universe). He, the radiance of His glory and the image of His being, containing everything by the word of His power and having accomplished the cleansing of our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, revealing Himself as above the Angels as above the name of the angels and the name He inherited. To which of the Angels was it spoken by God: “Thou art My Son—I have given birth to Thee this day” (Ps. 2)? And again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son.” And when he introduces the Firstborn into the universe, he says: “and let all the Angels of God worship Him” (Ps. 96). About the Angels he says: “Create Your angels spirits and Your servants a fiery flame” (Ps. 103); and about the Son: “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a scepter of righteousness, a scepter of your kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity—for this reason Thou hast anointed Thee, O God, Thy God, with the oil of gladness, more than Thy partakers” (Ps. 44). And again: “In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hands are the heavens. They will perish, but You remain, and like the robe they will promise, and like their garments they will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will not fail” (Ps. 101). To which of the Angels was it spoken by God: “Sit at My right hand, until I will make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps. 109)? Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve for those who should inherit salvation? So we must remember with all attention what we have heard (what we have been taught), so as not to fall away. If through the Angels the word proclaimed was firm and for every violation and disobedience there was a righteous reward, then how can we escape by neglecting so much salvation, which the Lord Himself announced in the beginning, and then those who heard from Him confirmed in us, and God testified with signs and wonders and divers powers and the dispensing of the Holy Spirit according to His will? It was not to the Angels that God subjugated the future universe (future eternal life), which we are talking about. No, but no one testified anywhere with these words: “What is man, that you remember him, or the son of man, that you visit him? Thou hast made him less than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands; He put everything under his feet” (Ps. 8). When he had subdued everything to him, he left nothing unsubdued to him. Now we still do not see that everything has been subjugated to him (man). But we see that Jesus, who was a little lower than the angels, was crowned with glory and honor for suffering death, so that by the grace of God He tasted death for everyone. So it was necessary that He, for whose sake all things exist and from whom all things exist, and by Whom many sons were brought to glory, should make the master of their salvation through suffering. For both He who illuminates and those who are sanctified are all from One, and therefore he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying: “I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, in the midst of the church I will sing praises to You” (Ps. 21). And again: “I will trust in Him.” And again: “Behold Az and the children whom God has given Me” (Is. 8). And since all children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also took on flesh and blood, so that by death He might abolish him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and will deliver those who, under pain of death, were subject to slavery for the rest of their lives. For He does not receive from the Angels, but from the seed of Abraham He receives. Therefore, he had to become like his brothers in everything, so that he would be a merciful and faithful High Priest before God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. And just as He Himself endured being tempted, He can also help those who are tempted. Chapter 3. Superiority over Moses and Joshua Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider Jesus Christ, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, - how faithful He is to Him who appointed Him, as Moses was in all His house. And His glory is greater than Moses, just as more honor is given to the builder of a house than to the house itself. And every house was built by someone, and the Creator of all things is God. And Moses served faithfully in all His house, as a minister appointed as a witness to what was to be proclaimed. Christ is like the Son in His house; We are His house, if we only preserve to the end the boldness and glory of the hope in which we boast. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the time of murmuring, in the days of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted Me, they tempted Me and saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation: they always err in heart, they have not known My ways, and I swore in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest” (Ps. 94). Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil and unfaithful heart, and that you depart from the living God. But instruct one another every day, while you can still say “today,” lest any of you become hardened by being deceived by sin. We have all become partakers of Christ, if only we preserve the beginning of life received (from Him) to the end, until the word is spoken: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the time of murmuring.” Some of those who heard it complained, but not all who came out of Egypt with Moses. With whom was He indignant for forty years? Was it not on those who sinned, whose bones fell in the wilderness? And about whom did he swear that they would not enter His rest? Obviously, about the rebellious. So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief. So we must be afraid, while the promise still remains for us to enter His rest, lest one of you be late. For the gospel was the same to us as to those; but the word they heard did not benefit them, not being mixed with the faith of those who heard it. And we enter into rest, having believed, as His word was: “I swore in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest,” although God’s work was accomplished at the beginning of the creation of the world, for it is said nowhere about the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works” (Gen. 2). And one more thing: “they will not enter My rest.” And since it remains for some to enter into the rest, but those to whom it was announced before did not enter because of disobedience, - then he also establishes a certain day “today,” saying, after a long time, through the mouth of David, as was stated above: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” And if Joshua had brought peace to the people, they would not have spoken of another day. Therefore the Sabbath still remains for the people of God; for whoever entered into His rest would also rest from his works, just as God did from His works. Let us therefore strive to enter into this rest, lest anyone, following the same example, fall into disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from Him, but everything is naked and open before His eyes; We'll give him a report. Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us firmly hold to our confession. Our High Priest is not such that he cannot sympathize with us in our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things like us, except sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Chapter 5. Superiority over Aaron Every high priest, chosen from among men, is appointed for men to serve God for them - to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; can sympathize with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is surrounded by weakness, and therefore must offer sacrifices for sins both for the people and for himself. And no one himself accepts the honor of this title, only he who is called from God, like Aaron. So it was not Christ Himself who appropriated the glory of being a high priest, but He who said to Him: “Thou art my Son—today I have begotten Thee.” as in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109). In the days of His flesh, with a strong cry and with tears, He offered prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard for His reverence. Although there was a Son, he learned obedience through suffering and, having been perfected, became for all those who obey Him the author of eternal salvation, having been named High Priest by God according to the order of Melchizedek. I should have told you a lot about this, but it is difficult to interpret for you, because you have become unable to listen. Judging by the time, you should have been teachers, but you need to be taught again the first principles of the words of God, and you also need to be fed with milk, and not with solid food. Anyone who is fed with milk is ignorant of the word of truth and is still a child. Solid food is characteristic of the perfect, whose senses have been trained by long experience to distinguish between good and evil. Chapter 6. The highest dignity of a Christian Therefore, having left the beginnings of the teaching of Christ, let us hasten to perfection and will not again lay the foundation for conversion from dead works and faith in God, the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this, God willing. For it is impossible - having once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift and become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age, and those who have fallen away, to once again renew them with repentance, when they crucify the Son of God to themselves a second time and betray Him to shame. The earth, which has drunk the rain that falls on it many times and produces grain for the benefit of those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But the one that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is close to damnation, and its end is burning. Although we say this, we hope for you, beloved, that you are better than this and hold on to salvation. For God is not unjust, He will not forget your work and the labor of love that you have shown in His name, serving the saints, as you are serving now. We wish that each of you, with the same zeal, achieves confidence in hope and maintains it to the end; so that you do not become lazy, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. God, when he made the promise to Abraham, not having anyone higher than himself to swear by, swore by himself, and this was His verb: “In truth I will bless you by blessing, and by multiplying I will multiply you” (Gen. 22). And so, after long-suffering, Abraham received the promise. People swear by the highest, and every dispute is put to an end by an oath. Therefore, God, although it was more impressive to show the heirs of the promise the immutability of His will, used an oath as a means; so that in two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have firm consolation when, seeking refuge, we take hold of the hope set before us. And that hope is for the soul like an anchor, safe and strong, and enters into the interior behind the veil (sanctuary), where Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, becoming High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Chapter 7. The Melchizedek Priesthood and the Priesthood of Christ This Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, is the one who met Abraham when he was returning after the defeat of the kings, and blessed him; Abraham also divided the tithe from everything (from all the spoils). And his name says, firstly, “the king of righteousness,” and then the king of Salim, that is, “the king of peace.” – So, being called without a father, without a mother, without a genealogy, having neither the beginning of days nor the end of life, being likened to the Son of God, he remains a priest unceasingly. You see how great this Melchizedek is, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave tithes of his best spoils. And those who received the priesthood from the sons of Levi were commanded to take tithes according to the law from their brethren, although these came from the loins of Abraham. And this one, not descended from their lineage, received tithes from Abraham and blessed him, who had the promises. It is undeniable, however, that blessing is given from the greater to the lesser. And here the tithes are taken by mortal men, and there the one who is testified to be alive takes the tithes. And it can be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, gave tithes in the person of Abraham, for he was still in his parents' loins when Melchizedek met Abraham. So, if perfection were achieved through the Levitical priesthood (under which the law was given to the people), then what further need would there be for another high priest to rise up according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? But with the change of the priesthood there must also be a change of the law. And the One about whom this is said belonged to another tribe, from which no one approached the altar; for it is known that our Lord arose from the tribe of Judah, about which Moses said nothing regarding the priesthood. And this is even more clearly seen from the fact that in the likeness of Melchizedek another Priest arises, The priest is not according to the law of the carnal commandment (carnal, earthly order), but according to the power of incorruptible life (immortal); for this is the testimony (of Scripture): “Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109). The cancellation of the previous commandment occurs because of its powerlessness and uselessness - for the law does not bring anything to perfection; but also (along with the abolition of the former) a better hope is introduced, bringing us closer to God. And besides, all this was not done without an oath, - for they were appointed priests without an oath, but this one was made with an oath: about Him it is said: “The Lord will swear and will not repent: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” So Jesus was made surety of a new and better covenant with the oath. And many of those priests were replaced, since death did not allow one to remain alone, and this One, who abides forever, also has an imperishable priesthood; therefore He is able to save to the end those who come to God through Him, He who never ceases to live to intercede for them. This is how we desired the High Priest: holy, gentle, blameless, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. There is no need every day, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins, then for the sins of people, for he did all this once, sacrificing himself. – The Law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness; the word of oath, after the law, sets forth the Son, perfect forever. Chapter 8. The new priesthood is superior to the old Levitical one. The main thing in all that has been said is the kind of High Priest we have: the One who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven and is the minister of this sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, erected by God, and not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; So it is necessary for Him to have an offering. If He had been on earth, He would not have been a priest: here are the priests who bring gifts according to the law, which serve the image and shadow of the heavenly, as was said to Moses when he began to build the tabernacle. “Look,” it says, “create everything in the image shown to you on the mountain” (Ex. 25). Jesus received the highest ministry, since He is the mediator of a better covenant, established on better promises. If the first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no need to look for a place for a second covenant. But this is the word that was spoken to them when the Lord rebuked them: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make a new covenant against the house of Israel and against the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that he made for their fathers on the day when he took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in that covenant of mine, and I despised them, says the Lord. And this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And every man shall not teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: but all, from the least of them to the greatest, will see Me, for I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins and iniquities I will not remember from now on.” (Jer.31; Ex.19; Lev.26; Isa.54). And with that word “new” covenant, God exposed the dilapidation of the first, and what is decaying and aging is already close to decay. Chapter 9. The Excellency of the New Testament: In the Sanctuary The first covenant also had an established order of worship and an earthly sanctuary. The first tabernacle was built, and in it was a lamp and a table and an offering of bread, and its name was “holy.” Behind the second veil was the tabernacle, called the “holy of holies.” In it is a golden censer and the ark of the covenant, overlaid everywhere with gold, and in it is a golden vessel with manna, and Aaron’s rod, and the tablets of the covenant; and above him are the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the altar. But there is nothing to talk about in detail now. This was the structure, and the priests always enter the first tabernacle to perform services; and in the second - once a year, one high priest, not without blood, which he brings for himself and for human errors. By this the Holy Spirit shows that the way to the sanctuary is not yet open while the former tabernacle stands. She is the image of that current time in which gifts and sacrifices are brought that cannot satisfy the conscience of the one bringing them; but all this, with food and drink and with various ablutions and with the rites of the carnal order, was established only until the time of correction. The Excellence of the New Covenant: Purifying Power But Christ, the High Priest of the good things to come (a better covenant), having come through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of the carnal dispensation, and not with the blood of goats and bulls, but with His own blood, He entered the sanctuary once and found eternal redemption. If the blood of goats and oxen and the ashes of a heifer through sprinkling sanctify those defiled into carnal purity, then how much more will the Blood of Christ, Who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself blameless to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, in service to the living and true God. And therefore He is the mediator of the new covenant, so that through His death, which was in atonement for the crimes that were in the first covenant, those who were called would receive the eternal inheritance promised to them. Where there is a will, the death of the testator must be assumed, for a will becomes valid with death, but while the testator is alive, it has no force. That is why the first covenant was not confirmed without blood. For Moses, having proclaimed all the commandments of the law before all the people, took the blood of bulls and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded among you.” He also sprinkled the blood on the tabernacle and all the liturgical vessels (Ex. 24). And almost everything according to the law is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. The Excellency of the New Testament: Represented by the High Priest So the images of the heavenly had to be purified by such sacrifices, but for the heavenly itself better sacrifices were needed. For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made with hands, which was only a type of the true sanctuary, but into heaven itself, so that he might appear before the face of God for us, and not to offer Himself many times, as the high priest enters into the sanctuary once every year, not with his own blood, - otherwise He would have had to suffer many times since the beginning of the world. He once, at the end of the ages, appeared to abolish sin through His sacrifice. And just as it is appointed for men to die once, then comes the judgment, so Christ, having once sacrificed Himself to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time not for the sake of the burden of sin, but for those who wait for Him for salvation. Chapter 10. The Excellency of the New Covenant: In the Effectiveness of the Sacrifice The law has only a shadow of the good to come, but not the very image of its essence, and the same sacrifices, constantly made every year according to the law, can never make those who come with the sacrifices perfect. Otherwise, people would stop making sacrifices: when they were once cleansed by them, they would not have the consciousness of sins. But, on the contrary, the sacrifices remind them of their sins every year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, Christ, coming into the world, says this: “You did not desire sacrifices and offerings, but you made the body for Me; You did not favor burnt offerings and sin. Then he said, “Behold, I come: in the book of books it was written about Me, that I might do Your will, O God” (Ps. 39). Having said before that neither sacrifices, nor offerings, nor burnt offerings, nor sacrifices for sin, which are offered according to the law, You did not desire and did not favor, then he added: Behold, I come to do Your will, O God. Cancels the first and delivers the second. And in fulfillment of this will of God, we are sanctified once by the perfect offering of the Body of Jesus Christ. Every priest day after day stands in his ministry and makes the same sacrifices many times - sacrifices that can never take away sins. He, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever at the right hand of God, waiting then until His enemies are made His footstool; For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us of this, as it is said: “I will make this covenant with them in these days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their hearts and write them on their minds, and then their sins and iniquities will not be remembered” (Jer. 31). And where there is remission of sins, there is no need for an offering for them. A Word of Encouragement and Excitement Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter into the sanctuary, through the blood of Jesus Christ, in a new and living way, which Christ revealed to us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with all the sincerity of our hearts and with perfect faith, having cleansed our hearts from the evil conscience by sprinkling and washing our bodies with clean water. Let us continue steadfastly in confessing our hope, for He who promised is faithful. Let us be diligent towards each other, encouraging each other in love and good deeds. And we will not, as is the custom of others, abandon our meetings, but we will stir up each other, and all the more diligently now, when you already have in mind the approach of that day. If, having attained the knowledge of the truth, we sin voluntarily, then there remains no sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrible expectation of judgment and fiery rage, ready to devour opponents. If one who rejects the law of Moses, in the presence of two or three witnesses, is executed without mercy by death (Deut. 17), Then, think about it, what a grave punishment will he be guilty of who tramples on the Son of God and counts the Blood of the Testament, the Blood by which he himself was sanctified, as nothing, and who insults the Spirit of grace. We know by whom this word was spoken: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” And again: “The Lord judges His people” (Deut. 32; Ps. 134). Oh, how terrible it is to fall into the hands of the living God! Remember the first days, when you, enlightened by the Light, underwent the great feat of suffering, sometimes they themselves, amid reproaches and sorrows, were a shameful spectacle for people, sometimes they sympathized with their friends when they endured the same thing. You also had compassion for the prison prisoners 42 and accepted the plunder of your property with joy, knowing that you have in heaven a better and enduring inheritance. So do not abandon your hope; from it you will receive a great reward. You need patience so that, having done the will of God, you will receive the promise from Him. “A little more, just a little while longer, and the Coming One will come and will not delay. But the righteous will live by faith; But if anyone hesitates, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Isa.26; Hab.2). We're not one of those. who falters to destruction, but we stand in faith for the salvation of our souls. Chapter 11. Faith and devotees of faith Faith is a living feeling of hope and confidence in the invisible. The ancients (men of ancient times) testified to themselves in it. By faith we understand that the worlds were created (that the universe was created) by the word of God, so that what we see came from what is invisible. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain; with it he testified of himself that he was righteous, just as God testified of his gifts: and after death he still speaks in the image of that faith. By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, and they no longer saw him on earth, for God translated him, and before he was transposed there was a testimony about him that he pleased God (Gen. 5). Without faith it is impossible to please God; Everyone who comes to God must believe that there is a God and a rewarder of those who seek Him. By faith Noah, having received a revelation of what could not yet be foreseen, reverently built an ark for the salvation of his house; by it he condemned the world and became an heir of righteousness according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed the call to go to the country that he had to receive as an inheritance, and he went, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the promised land as if it were a stranger, and lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, joint heirs of the same promise. For he looked for a city that has a solid foundation, whose architect and builder is God. By faith, Sarah herself, barren, received the strength to receive the seed and gave birth out of time: she was sure that He who gave the promise was faithful. And so from one whose power was deadened, as many were born as there are stars in the sky and countless sands on the seashore. All these died in faith, not receiving the promised good, but only saw it from afar and rejoiced and recognized themselves as strangers and strangers on earth. And those who say this show that they are looking for their fatherland. If they had thought about the fatherland from which they came, they would have had time to return. But they strove for the best, that is, for the heavenly; therefore their God is not ashamed that he calls himself their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tempted, brought Isaac as a sacrifice, and, having promises, he offered him as a sacrifice, his only begotten, about whom it was said: “Thy seed shall be called in Isaac” (Gen. 21), for he judged that God was strong and would raise him from the dead, which is why he received it as a sign (as if he had risen from the dead). Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau with faith in the future. By faith Jacob, dying, blessed each son of Joseph and bowed down on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, at his death, spoke about the (upcoming) exodus of the children of Israel and testated about his bones. By faith, the parents, upon birth, hid Moses for three months: they saw the beauty of the baby and were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he came of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and he would rather suffer with the people of God than to have the temporary sweetness of sin, and he considered the reproach of Christ to be wealth greater than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward of the future. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the queen’s wrath, for he saw the invisible (God) and thereby became strengthened in patience. By faith he kept the Passover and the shedding of blood, so that the destroyer would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land, which the Egyptians attempted and drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after a seven-day march. By faith Rahab the harlot was saved and did not perish with the unbelievers when she received the spies in peace (and led them through another way). And what else will I say! I don’t have enough time to talk about Gideon, about Barak and Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and about other prophets. By faith they conquered kingdoms, ruled righteously, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, they extinguished the fiery power, avoided the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, were strong in military battles, and put the enemy’s regiments to flight. Wives received their dead resurrected; others were tortured and did not want to accept deliverance from torment in order to be resurrected into a better life. Others experienced abuse and beatings, as well as chains and prison. They were stoned, sawn apart, suffered torture, executed with the sword, wandered in sheep and goat skins, endured deprivation, sorrow, and bitterness. Those of whom the world was unworthy wandered through the mountains and deserts, in the caves and gorges of the earth. And all these, which testified in faith, did not accept the fulfillment of the promises: God has provided something better for us, so that they would not achieve perfection separately from us. Chapter 12. Incitement to Patience So, having such a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, having cast aside every burden (worldly) and the sin that besets us from everywhere, with patience let us strive for the feat that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author of faith and the finisher, instead of the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, regardless of the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Think about Him who endured such humiliation against Himself from sinners, so that you would not grow weary and your souls would not weaken. You have not yet fought to the point of blood, struggling against sin, and you have forgotten the words of consolation with which he speaks to you, as a father speaks to his sons: “My son, do not despise the punishment of the Lord and do not lose heart when he reproaches you” (Proverbs 3). For whom the Lord loves, he punishes, and beats every son whom he accepts. If you endure punishment, it means God treats you like sons. Is there such a son whom his father would not punish? If you remain without punishment, to which all children are subject, then you are illegitimate children, and not true sons. When our carnal parents punished us, we had fear. Shouldn't we much more be submissive to the Father of spirits, so that we may live? They punished us according to their will for a short time, but God punishes us for true benefit, so that we may become partakers of His holiness. Any punishment in its time seems not joy, but sadness; but afterwards, to those who were taught by them, it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore lift up your bowed hands and strengthen your weak knees, and walk straight with your feet, so that what is lame will not be thrown out of alignment, but will be straightened. Have peace with everyone and holy purity: without it no one will see the Lord. See that no one leaves the grace of God in vain; so that some bitter root, suddenly vegetating, does not cause damage, and many become infected from it. So that there is no fornicator or wicked person among you who, like Esau, would not sell his birthright for one piece of food. You know that after that, wanting to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; I couldn’t find a way to repent, although I asked for it with tears. You have not approached a tangible mountain or a blazing fire, and to the cloud and darkness and storm, and to the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the speaker - when those who heard him prayed so that they would not hear that word - They could not endure that command: “even if a beast touches the mountain, he will be stoned to death” (Exodus 19). And so terrible was the vision that Moses said: “I am afraid and trembling” (Deut. 33). But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem and ten thousand angels, and to the conciliar celebration and the church of the firstborn, written in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous who have reached perfection, and to the Mediator of the new covenant, Jesus, and to the shedding of Blood that is said more than the blood of Abel. Be careful, do not turn away from the one who speaks. If those who did not listen to him who spoke on earth did not escape execution, then much less will we escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven. Then His voice shook the earth, but now this is His promise: “With one more will I shake not only the earth, but also the heavens” (Ex. 19). And that word: one more time (once again) means a change in everything that was shaken, that is, created, so that only one thing remained, which remained not shaken. So, having received an unshakable kingdom, let us keep grace, and with it let us serve God pleasingly with reverence and fear. For our God is a consuming fire. Chapter 13. Christian virtues May brotherly love remain among you. Don’t forget your love of strangers: it happened that, when receiving strangers, people, without expecting it, accepted Angels as guests. Remember the prisoners, as if you yourself were in bonds with them; remember those who suffer, just as you yourself still walk in the body. Let everyone's marriage be honest and the bed undefiled; But God judges fornicators and adulterers. Do not be money-loving in disposition, be content with what you have. The Lord Himself said: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Gen.28; Deut.31), so we say boldly: “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man does to me” (Ps. 117). Loyalty to Christ and obedience to mentors Remember your mentors, who preached the word of God to you, and, looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, the same forever. Do not get carried away by alien and different teachings: it is good to strengthen hearts with grace, and not with regulations about food - those who followed them did not benefit from them. We have an altar, but one from which those serving the tabernacle have no right to eat. The bodies of animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest to cleanse sins, are burned outside the camp. So Jesus, in order to sanctify people with His Blood, suffered outside the gates. For this reason, let us also go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach on ourselves - for we do not have an abiding city here, but in the future we will seek a city for ourselves. So let us stand through Him, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips glorifying His name. Do not forget about charity and fellowship (in property with the brethren), for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Obey your mentors and submit: they are vigilantly concerned about your souls, as if they are guilty, they will give an account of this, so that they do this with joy, and not with sighs. It wouldn't be good for you. Pray for us, and we are sure that our conscience is clear, because in everything we want to live for a good cause. I especially ask you to pray that I will be returned to you as soon as possible. And the God of peace, who raised up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ, May He perfect you in every good work - to do His will, and may He do in you all that is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. I pray you, brethren, accept this word of exhortation: I have written to you a little. Know that our brother Timothy has been released; and I, together with him, if he comes soon, will see you. Greetings to all your superiors and all the saints. Greetings to you from our brothers from Italy. Grace be with you all. Amen. According to another reading: “you also had compassion for my bonds.” You might be interested in: