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Chapter 13
1 Ἀδελφοὶ οὖν, ἤδη ποτὲ μετανοήσωμεν, νήψωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν·
μεστοὶ γάρ ἐσμεν πολλῆς ἀνοίας καὶ πονηρίας. ἐξαλείψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὰ πρότερα ἁμαρτήματα καὶ μετανοήσαντες ἐκ ψυχῆς σωθῶμεν, καὶ μὴ γινώμεθα ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι μηδὲ θέλωμεν μόνον ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔξω ἀνθρώποις ἐπὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα δι' ἡμᾶς μὴ βλασφημῆται. 		Therefore, brothers, let us repent immediately.
Let us be clear-headed concerning good;
for we are full of much foolishness and wickedness.
Let us wipe away from ourselves the former sins, and having repented our souls, let us be saved,
and let us not become men pleasers nor desire to please only ourselves; but also by our righteousness, to please those men who are outside, in order that the Name is not blasphemed because of us.
2 λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος·
διὰ παντὸς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καὶ πάλιν·
Οὐαὶ δι' ὃν βλασφημεῖται τὸ ὄνομά μου. ἐν τίνι βλασφημεῖται; ἐν τῷ μὴ ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς ἃ βούλομαι. 		For the Lord says, “My Name is continually blasphemed in all the nations” {Isa. 52:5},
and again, “Woe to him on whose account My Name is blasphemed.” {unknown source}
Why is it blasphemed?
Because you don’t do what I desire.
3 τὰ ἔθνη γὰρ ἀκούοντα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς καλὰ καὶ μεγάλα θαυμάζει·
ἔπειτα καταμαθόντα τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἄξια τῶν ῥημάτων ὧν λέγομεν, ἔνθεν εἰς βλασφημίαν τρέπονται, λέγοντες εἶναι μῦθόν τινα καὶ πλάνην. 		For when the pagans hear the oracles of God from our mouths, they marvel at their beauty and greatness;
after they discover that our works are not worthy of the words we speak, then they turn themselves to blasphemy, saying that it is a myth and a delusion.
4 ὅταν γὰρ ἀκούσωσιν παρ' ἡμῶν, ὅτι λέγει ὁ θεός·
Οὐ χάρις ὑμῖν, εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ χάρις ὑμῖν, εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας ὑμᾶς·
ταῦτα ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν, θαυμάζουσιν τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀγαθότητος·
ὅταν δὲ ἴδωσιν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον τοὺς μισοῦντας οὐκ ἀγαπῶμεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας, καταγελῶσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ βλασφημεῖται τὸ ὄνομα. 		For when they hear from us that God says,
“It is no credit to you, if you love them who love you,
but this is credit to you, if you love your enemies and those who hate you” {see Luke 6:32, 35};
when they hear these things, I said, they marvel at the exceeding goodness;
but when they see that we not only do not love those who hate us, but also do not even love those who love us, they scornfully laugh at us, and the Name is blasphemed.
Summary
This passage delivers a urgent pastoral warning against hypocrisy and moral failure within the Christian community.

The author stresses that the reputation of God and the credibility of the Gospel among non-Christians ("those outside") depend directly on the ethical lives of believers.

When pagans hear the exalted moral standards of Christ's teaching (specifically loving one's enemies, cf. Luke 6:32, 35) but witness Christians failing to live up to even basic standards of mutual love, they dismiss Christianity as a mere "myth and delusion," bringing shame upon God's name (citing Isaiah 52:5).
Significant Greek Expressions
νήψωμεν ("let us be sober-minded"): From νήφω (to be sober, clear-headed, or self-controlled). Paired with repentance (μετανοήσωμεν), it emphasizes active mental clarity and moral alertness directed toward doing good (ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν).

ἐξαλείψωμεν ("let us wipe away / erase"): From ἐξαλείφω (to wipe out, obliterate, or erase writing). The author pictures repentance as completely clearing away the record or stain of past sins (τὰ πρότερα ἁμαρτήματα).

ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι ("men-pleasers"): A compound word (ἀνθρωπάρεσκος) used in Pauline literature (cf. Eph 6:6, Col 3:22). Here, the author warns against seeking superficial human approval, while paradoxically insisting that Christians must live righteous lives so that outsiders (τοῖς ἔξω ἀνθρώποις) are positively drawn to God.

μῦθόν τινα καὶ πλάνην ("a kind of myth and delusion"): Describes how non-believers evaluate a hypocritical church:

μῦθος: A fictional tale, fable, or myth.

πλάνη: Wandering, deception, or delusion. Hypocrisy reduces the divine word (τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ) to empty human fiction in the eyes of the world.

ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀγαθότητος ("extraordinary degree of goodness"):Ὑπερβολή (literally "a throwing beyond," root of hyperbole) combined with ἀγαθότης highlights the radical, superabundant nature of Christian love (loving enemies), which leaves outsiders in awe (θαυμάζουσιν) when genuinely demonstrated.

καταγελῶσιν ἡμῶν ("they laugh us to scorn"): From καταγελάω (to mock, deride, or laugh down at). Failure to embody even basic love turns initial pagan admiration into public ridicule and open blasphemy (βλασφημεῖται τὸ ὄνομα) of God's holy name.