Brothers and sisters, I beg you to accept my word. It tells you to be faithful. Accept my word because I have written to you only a short letter.

弟兄们，我略略写信给你们，望你们听我劝勉的话。

弟兄们，我简略地写信给你们，希望你们听我劝勉的话。

弟兄们，我简略地写信给你们，希望你们听我劝勉的话。

弟兄姊妹，我简短地写信给你们，希望你们听我劝勉的话。

弟兄们，我劝你们耐心接受我这劝勉的话，因为我只是简略地写给你们。

弟兄们，我恳求你们容忍我这劝勉的话，因为我只是简略地写信给你们。

弟兄們，我略略寫信給你們，望你們聽我勸勉的話。

弟兄們，我簡略地寫信給你們，希望你們聽我勸勉的話。

弟兄們，我簡略地寫信給你們，希望你們聽我勸勉的話。

弟兄姊妹，我簡短地寫信給你們，希望你們聽我勸勉的話。

弟兄們，我勸你們耐心接受我這勸勉的話，因為我只是簡略地寫給你們。

弟兄們，我求你們要容納這勸勉的話；因為我給你們寫信、也只是簡略罷了。

弟兄們，我懇求你們容忍我這勸勉的話，因為我只是簡略地寫信給你們。

兄弟乎、我今畧書達爾、請容我勸勉之言、

吾以尺素遺兄弟、請聽我勸勉、

兄弟乎、我畧書此達爾、求爾聽我勸勉、

兄弟乎、予匆匆作書、書不盡意；勸勉之言、幸勿見罪。

Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.

I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.

Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

But I urge you, brothers and sisters, listen patiently to this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words.

But I exhort you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation: for I have written unto you in few words.

Brothers, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly.

But I exhort you, brothers, endure the word of exhortation; for I have written to you in few words.

I consider Silas to be a faithful brother. With his help I have written you this short letter. I have written it to encourage you. And I have written to speak the truth about the true grace of God. Remain strong in it.

Holy brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his people. So keep thinking about Jesus. We embrace him as our apostle and our high priest.

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.Don’t forget to welcome outsiders. By doing that, some people have welcomed angels without knowing it.Keep on remembering those in prison. Do this as if you were together with them in prison. And remember those who are treated badly as if you yourselves were suffering.

Brothers and sisters, make sure that none of you has a sinful heart. Do not let an unbelieving heart turn you away from the living God.But build one another up every day. Do it as long as there is still time. Then none of you will become stubborn. You won’t be fooled by sin’s tricks.

So we are Christ’s official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God!

So put your hands to work. Strengthen your legs for the journey.“ Make level paths for your feet to walk on.”( Proverbs 4:26) Then those who have trouble walking won’t be disabled. Instead, they will be healed.Try your best to live in peace with everyone. Try hard to be holy. Without holiness no one will see the Lord.Be sure that no one misses out on God’s grace. See to it that a bitter plant doesn’t grow up. If it does, it will cause trouble. And it will make many people impure.See to it that no one commits sexual sins. See to it that no one is godless like Esau. He sold the rights to what he would receive as the oldest son. He sold them for a single meal.

So let us make every effort to enjoy that rest. Then no one will die by disobeying as they did.

We want each of you to be faithful to the very end. If you are, then what you hope for will fully happen.We don’t want you to slow down. Instead, be like those who have faith and are patient. They will receive what God promised.

We work together with God. So we are asking you not to receive God’s grace and then do nothing with it.

Jesus also suffered outside the city gate. He suffered to make the people holy by spilling his own blood.So let us go to him outside the camp. Let us be willing to suffer the shame he suffered.Here we do not have a city that lasts. But we are looking for the city that is going to come.So let us never stop offering to God our praise through Jesus. Let us talk openly about our faith in him. Then our words will be like an offering to God.Don’t forget to do good. Don’t forget to share with others. God is pleased with those kinds of offerings.

Look at the big letters I’m using as I write to you with my own hand!

Because of the authority Christ has given me, I could be bold. I could order you to do what you should do anyway.But we love each other. And I would rather appeal to you on the basis of that love. I, Paul, am an old man. I am now also a prisoner because of Christ Jesus.

A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. And let us keep on running the race marked out for us.Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes the journey of faith. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Christ is humble and free of pride. Because of this, I make my appeal to you. I, Paul, am the one you call“ shy” when I am face to face with you. But when I am away from you, you think I am“ bold” toward you.

Brothers and sisters, we are not afraid to enter the Most Holy Room. We enter boldly because of the blood of Jesus.His way is new because he lives. It has been opened for us through the curtain. I’m talking about his body.We also have a great priest over the house of God.So let us come near to God with a sincere heart. Let us come near boldly because of our faith. Our hearts have been sprinkled. Our minds have been cleansed from a sense of guilt. Our bodies have been washed with pure water.Let us hold firmly to the hope we claim to have. The God who promised is faithful.Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works.And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching.What if we keep sinning on purpose? What if we do it even after we know the truth? Then there is no offering for our sins.All we can do is to wait in fear for God to judge. His blazing fire will burn up his enemies.Suppose someone did not obey the law of Moses. And suppose two or three witnesses made charges against them. That person would die without mercy.People who deserve even more punishment include those who have hated the Son of God. They include people who have said no to him. They include people who have treated as unholy the blood of the covenant that makes them holy. They also include people who have disrespected the Holy Spirit who brings God’s grace. Don’t you think people like this should be punished more than anyone else?We know the God who said,“ I am the God who judges people. I will pay them back.”( Deuteronomy 32:35) Scripture also says,“ The Lord will judge his people.”( Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 135:14)It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.Remember those earlier days after you received the light. You remained strong in a great battle that was full of suffering.Sometimes people spoke badly about you in front of others. Sometimes you were treated badly. At other times you stood side by side with people being treated like this.You suffered along with people in prison. When your property was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew that God had given you better and more lasting things.So don’t throw away your bold faith. It will bring you rich rewards.You need to be faithful. Then you will do what God wants. You will receive what he has promised.“ In just a little while, he who is coming will come. He will not wait any longer.”And,“ The one who is right with God will live by faith. And I am not pleased with the one who pulls back.”( Habakkuk 2:3, 4)But we don’t belong to the people who pull back and are destroyed. We belong to the people who believe and are saved.

God’s promise of enjoying his rest still stands. So be careful that none of you fails to receive it.

Be sure that you don’t say no to the one who speaks. People did not escape when they said no to the one who warned them on earth. And what if we turn away from the one who warns us from heaven? How much less will we escape!At that time his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised,“ Once more I will shake the earth. I will also shake the heavens.”( Haggai 2:6)The words“ once more” point out that what can be shaken can be taken away. I’m talking about created things. Then what can’t be shaken will remain.We are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken. So let us be thankful. Then we can worship God in a way that pleases him. Let us worship him with deep respect and wonder.

So we must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard. Then we will not drift away from it.