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Hebrews 1-12
New International Version
Hebrews 1-12
New International Version
God’s Final Word: His Son
1 In the past God spoke(A) to our ancestors through the prophets(B) at many times and in various ways,(C) 2 but in these last days(D) he has spoken to us by his Son,(E) whom he appointed heir(F) of all things, and through whom(G) also he made the universe.(H) 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory(I) and the exact representation of his being,(J) sustaining all things(K) by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,(L) he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.(M) 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.(N)
The Son Superior to Angels
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
Or again,
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn(Q) into the world,(R) he says,
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;(U)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions(V)
by anointing you with the oil(W) of joy.”[e](X)
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.(Y)
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.(Z)
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,(AA)
and your years will never end.”[f](AB)
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits(AF) sent to serve those who will inherit(AG) salvation?(AH)
Warning to Pay Attention
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.(AI) 2 For since the message spoken(AJ) through angels(AK) was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,(AL) 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?(AM) This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,(AN) was confirmed to us by those who heard him.(AO) 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,(AP) and by gifts of the Holy Spirit(AQ) distributed according to his will.(AR)
Jesus Made Fully Human
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone(AS) has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?(AT)
7 You made them a little[h] lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet.”[i][j](AU)
In putting everything under them,[k] God left nothing that is not subject to them.[l] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.[m] 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor(AV) because he suffered death,(AW) so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.(AX)
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,(AY) should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.(AZ) 11 Both the one who makes people holy(BA) and those who are made holy(BB) are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[n](BC) 12 He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”[o](BD)
13 And again,
And again he says,
14 Since the children have flesh and blood,(BG) he too shared in their humanity(BH) so that by his death he might break the power(BI) of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil(BJ)— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear(BK) of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.(BL) 17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[r](BM) fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful(BN) and faithful high priest(BO) in service to God,(BP) and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.(BQ) 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.(BR)
Jesus Greater Than Moses
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,(BS) who share in the heavenly calling,(BT) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge(BU) as our apostle and high priest.(BV) 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(BW) 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,(BX) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(BY) 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant(BZ) in all God’s house,”[s](CA) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son(CB) over God’s house. And we are his house,(CC) if indeed we hold firmly(CD) to our confidence and the hope(CE) in which we glory.
Warning Against Unbelief
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:(CF)
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts(CG)
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.(CH)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(CI)
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (CJ)”[t](CK)
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(CL) 13 But encourage one another daily,(CM) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(CN) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(CO) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(CP) 15 As has just been said:
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(CR) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(CS) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(CT) if not to those who disobeyed?(CU) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(CV)
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.(CW) 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.[v](CX) 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”[x](CZ) 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”(DA)
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,(DB) 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
8 For if Joshua had given them rest,(DD) God would not have spoken(DE) later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[z](DF) just as God did from his.(DG) 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.(DH)
12 For the word of God(DI) is alive(DJ) and active.(DK) Sharper than any double-edged sword,(DL) it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.(DM) 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.(DN) Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest(DO) who has ascended into heaven,[aa](DP) Jesus the Son of God,(DQ) let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.(DR) 15 For we do not have a high priest(DS) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are(DT)—yet he did not sin.(DU) 16 Let us then approach(DV) God’s throne of grace with confidence,(DW) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God,(DX) to offer gifts and sacrifices(DY) for sins.(DZ) 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray,(EA) since he himself is subject to weakness.(EB) 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.(EC) 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.(ED)
5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory(EE) of becoming a high priest.(EF) But God said(EG) to him,
6 And he says in another place,
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions(EK) with fervent cries and tears(EL) to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard(EM) because of his reverent submission.(EN) 8 Son(EO) though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered(EP) 9 and, once made perfect,(EQ) he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest(ER) in the order of Melchizedek.(ES)
Warning Against Falling Away(ET)
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths(EU) of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!(EV) 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,(EW) is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature,(EX) who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.(EY)
6 Therefore let us move beyond(EZ) the elementary teachings(FA) about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[ad](FB) and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites,[ae](FC) the laying on of hands,(FD) the resurrection of the dead,(FE) and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting,(FF) we will do so.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,(FG) who have tasted the heavenly gift,(FH) who have shared in the Holy Spirit,(FI) 5 who have tasted the goodness(FJ) of the word of God(FK) and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[af] away, to be brought back to repentance.(FL) To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God(FM) all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.(FN) In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends,(FO) we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.(FP) 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope(FQ) for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate(FR) those who through faith and patience(FS) inherit what has been promised.(FT)
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,(FU) 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[ag](FV) 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.(FW)
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.(FX) 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging(FY) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,(FZ) he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,(GA) we who have fled to take hold of the hope(GB) set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,(GC) 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.(GD) He has become a high priest(GE) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.(GF)
Melchizedek the Priest
7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem(GG) and priest of God Most High.(GH) He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,(GI) 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy,(GJ) without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,(GK) he remains a priest forever.
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch(GL) Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!(GM) 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people(GN)—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed(GO) him who had the promises.(GP) 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.(GQ) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Jesus Like Melchizedek
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people(GR) established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,(GS) one in the order of Melchizedek,(GT) not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,(GU) and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.(GV) 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,(GW) and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless(GY) 19 (for the law made nothing perfect),(GZ) and a better hope(HA) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.(HB)
20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.(HE)
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.(HF) 25 Therefore he is able to save(HG) completely[aj] those who come to God(HH) through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.(HI)
26 Such a high priest(HJ) truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,(HK) exalted above the heavens.(HL) 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices(HM) day after day, first for his own sins,(HN) and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all(HO) when he offered himself.(HP) 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;(HQ) but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,(HR) who has been made perfect(HS) forever.
The High Priest of a New Covenant
8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest,(HT) who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,(HU) 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle(HV) set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest(HW) is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices,(HX) and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.(HY) 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.(HZ) 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy(IA) and shadow(IB) of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned(IC) when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[ak](ID) 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant(IE) of which he is mediator(IF) is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.(IG) 8 But God found fault with the people and said[al]:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant(IH)
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors(II)
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant(IJ) I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.(IK)
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.(IL)
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,(IM)
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.(IN)”[am](IO)
13 By calling this covenant “new,”(IP) he has made the first one obsolete;(IQ) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.(IR) 2 A tabernacle(IS) was set up. In its first room were the lampstand(IT) and the table(IU) with its consecrated bread;(IV) this was called the Holy Place.(IW) 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,(IX) 4 which had the golden altar of incense(IY) and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.(IZ) This ark contained the gold jar of manna,(JA) Aaron’s staff that had budded,(JB) and the stone tablets of the covenant.(JC) 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,(JD) overshadowing the atonement cover.(JE) But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly(JF) into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered(JG) the inner room,(JH) and that only once a year,(JI) and never without blood,(JJ) which he offered for himself(JK) and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.(JL) 8 The Holy Spirit was showing(JM) by this that the way(JN) into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration(JO) for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered(JP) were not able to clear the conscience(JQ) of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food(JR) and drink(JS) and various ceremonial washings(JT)—external regulations(JU) applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest(JV) of the good things that are now already here,[an](JW) he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle(JX) that is not made with human hands,(JY) that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;(JZ) but he entered the Most Holy Place(KA) once for all(KB) by his own blood,(KC) thus obtaining[ao] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls(KD) and the ashes of a heifer(KE) sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit(KF) offered himself(KG) unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences(KH) from acts that lead to death,[ap](KI) so that we may serve the living God!(KJ)
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator(KK) of a new covenant,(KL) that those who are called(KM) may receive the promised(KN) eternal inheritance(KO)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.(KP)
16 In the case of a will,[aq] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.(KQ) 19 When Moses had proclaimed(KR) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,(KS) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.(KT) 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[ar](KU) 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,(KV) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.(KW)
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies(KX) of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;(KY) he entered heaven itself,(KZ) now to appear for us in God’s presence.(LA) 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place(LB) every year with blood that is not his own.(LC) 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.(LD) But he has appeared(LE) once for all(LF) at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.(LG) 27 Just as people are destined to die once,(LH) and after that to face judgment,(LI) 28 so Christ was sacrificed once(LJ) to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,(LK) not to bear sin,(LL) but to bring salvation(LM) to those who are waiting for him.(LN)
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
10 The law is only a shadow(LO) of the good things(LP) that are coming—not the realities themselves.(LQ) For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect(LR) those who draw near to worship.(LS) 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.(LT) 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.(LU) 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats(LV) to take away sins.(LW)
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world,(LX) he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;(LY)
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll(LZ)—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[as](MA)
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”(MB)—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.”(MC) He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy(MD) through the sacrifice of the body(ME) of Jesus Christ once for all.(MF)
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices,(MG) which can never take away sins.(MH) 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,(MI) he sat down at the right hand of God,(MJ) 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.(MK) 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect(ML) forever those who are being made holy.(MM)
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies(MN) to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”[at](MO)
17 Then he adds:
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence(MQ) to enter the Most Holy Place(MR) by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way(MS) opened for us through the curtain,(MT) that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest(MU) over the house of God,(MV) 22 let us draw near to God(MW) with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,(MX) having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience(MY) and having our bodies washed with pure water.(MZ) 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope(NA) we profess,(NB) for he who promised is faithful.(NC) 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,(ND) 25 not giving up meeting together,(NE) as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another(NF)—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.(NG)
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning(NH) after we have received the knowledge of the truth,(NI) no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire(NJ) that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.(NK) 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God(NL) underfoot,(NM) who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant(NN) that sanctified them,(NO) and who has insulted the Spirit(NP) of grace?(NQ) 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[av](NR) and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[aw](NS) 31 It is a dreadful thing(NT) to fall into the hands(NU) of the living God.(NV)
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light,(NW) when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.(NX) 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution;(NY) at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.(NZ) 34 You suffered along with those in prison(OA) and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.(OB) 35 So do not throw away your confidence;(OC) it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere(OD) so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.(OE) 37 For,
38 And,
“But my righteous[ay] one will live by faith.(OH)
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”[az](OI)
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
Faith in Action
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for(OJ) and assurance about what we do not see.(OK) 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.(OL)
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,(OM) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended(ON) as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.(OO) And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.(OP)
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[ba](OQ) For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him(OR) must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen,(OS) in holy fear built an ark(OT) to save his family.(OU) By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.(OV)
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,(OW) obeyed and went,(OX) even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land(OY) like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents,(OZ) as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.(PA) 10 For he was looking forward to the city(PB) with foundations,(PC) whose architect and builder is God.(PD) 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,(PE) was enabled to bear children(PF) because she[bb] considered him faithful(PG) who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,(PH) came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.(PI)
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;(PJ) they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,(PK) admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.(PL) 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.(PM) 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.(PN) Therefore God is not ashamed(PO) to be called their God,(PP) for he has prepared a city(PQ) for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.(PR) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[bc](PS) 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,(PT) and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.(PU)
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,(PV) and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.(PW)
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born,(PX) because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.(PY)
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.(PZ) 25 He chose to be mistreated(QA) along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace(QB) for the sake of Christ(QC) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.(QD) 27 By faith he left Egypt,(QE) not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer(QF) of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.(QG)
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.(QH)
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.(QI)
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[bd](QJ)
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,(QK) Barak,(QL) Samson(QM) and Jephthah,(QN) about David(QO) and Samuel(QP) and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,(QQ) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,(QR) 34 quenched the fury of the flames,(QS) and escaped the edge of the sword;(QT) whose weakness was turned to strength;(QU) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.(QV) 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.(QW) There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging,(QX) and even chains and imprisonment.(QY) 37 They were put to death by stoning;[be](QZ) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.(RA) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,(RB) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves(RC) and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended(RD) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,(RE) 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us(RF) would they be made perfect.(RG)
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run(RH) with perseverance(RI) the race marked out for us,
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
- Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
- Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
- Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
- Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
- Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1
- Hebrews 2:7 Or them for a little while
- Hebrews 2:8 Psalm 8:4-6
- Hebrews 2:8 Or 7 You made him a little lower than the angels;/ you crowned him with glory and honor/ 8 and put everything under his feet.”
- Hebrews 2:8 Or him
- Hebrews 2:8 Or him
- Hebrews 2:8 Or him
- Hebrews 2:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 12; and in 3:1, 12; 10:19; 13:22.
- Hebrews 2:12 Psalm 22:22
- Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:17
- Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:18
- Hebrews 2:17 Or like his brothers
- Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
- Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
- Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
- Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith
- Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
- Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
- Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
- Hebrews 4:10 Or labor
- Hebrews 4:14 Greek has gone through the heavens
- Hebrews 5:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 5:6 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 6:1 Or from useless rituals
- Hebrews 6:2 Or about baptisms
- Hebrews 6:6 Or age, 6 if they fall
- Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17
- Hebrews 7:17 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 7:21 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 7:25 Or forever
- Hebrews 8:5 Exodus 25:40
- Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.
- Hebrews 8:12 Jer. 31:31-34
- Hebrews 9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come
- Hebrews 9:12 Or blood, having obtained
- Hebrews 9:14 Or from useless rituals
- Hebrews 9:16 Same Greek word as covenant; also in verse 17
- Hebrews 9:20 Exodus 24:8
- Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
- Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33
- Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34
- Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35
- Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14
- Hebrews 10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3
- Hebrews 10:38 Some early manuscripts But the righteous
- Hebrews 10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)
- Hebrews 11:5 Gen. 5:24
- Hebrews 11:11 Or By faith Abraham, even though he was too old to have children—and Sarah herself was not able to conceive—was enabled to become a father because he
- Hebrews 11:18 Gen. 21:12
- Hebrews 11:31 Or unbelieving
- Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;
Hebrews 1-13
New American Standard Bible
Hebrews 1-13
New American Standard Bible
God’s Final Word in His Son
1 God, after He (A)spoke long ago to the fathers in (B)the prophets in many portions and (C)in many ways, 2 [a](D)in these last days (E)has spoken to us [b]in His (F)Son, whom He appointed (G)heir of all things, (H)through whom He also made the [c](I)world. 3 [d]And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact (J)representation of His nature, and [e](K)upholds all things by [f]the word of His power. When He had made (L)purification of sins, He (M)sat down at the right hand of the (N)Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent (O)name than they.
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“(P)You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”?
And again,
“(Q)I will be a Father to Him
And He will be a Son to Me”?
6 And [g]when He again (R)brings the firstborn into [h](S)the world, He says,
“(T)And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And regarding the angels He says,
“(U)He makes His angels winds,
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But regarding the Son He says,
“(V)Your throne, God, is forever and ever,
And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of [i]His kingdom.
9 (W)You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
(X)Therefore God, Your God, has (Y)anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your companions.”
10 And,
“(Z)You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
11 (AA)They will perish, but You remain;
(AB)And they all will [j]wear out like a garment,
12 (AC)And like a robe You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are (AD)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,
14 Are they not all (AG)ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will (AH)inherit (AI)salvation?
Pay Attention
2 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to [k]what we have heard, so that (AJ)we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word (AK)spoken through (AL)angels proved [l]unalterable, and (AM)every violation and act of disobedience received a just [m](AN)punishment, 3 (AO)how will we escape if we neglect so great a (AP)salvation? [n]After it was at first (AQ)spoken through the Lord, it was (AR)confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by (AS)signs and wonders, and by (AT)various [o]miracles and by [p](AU)gifts of the Holy Spirit (AV)according to His own will.
Earth Subject to Man
5 For He did not subject to angels [q](AW)the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But someone has testified (AX)somewhere, saying,
“(AY)What is man, that You think of him?
Or a son of man, that You are concerned about him?
7 (AZ)You have made him [r]for a little while lower than angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor[s];
8 (BA)You have put everything in subjection under his feet.”
For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now (BB)we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
Jesus Briefly Humbled
9 But we do see Him who was (BC)made [t]for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, (BD)because of His suffering death (BE)crowned with glory and honor, so that (BF)by the grace of God He might (BG)taste death (BH)for everyone.
10 For (BI)it was fitting for Him, (BJ)for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to (BK)perfect the [u](BL)originator of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who (BM)sanctifies and those who (BN)are [v]sanctified are all (BO)from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them (BP)brothers and sisters, 12 saying,
“(BQ)I will proclaim Your name to My brothers,
In the midst of the assembly I will sing Your praise.”
13 And again,
“(BR)I will put My trust in Him.”
And again,
“(BS)Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”
14 Therefore, since the children share in [w](BT)flesh and blood, (BU)He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that (BV)through death He might destroy (BW)the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who through (BX)fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For clearly He does not [x]give help to angels, but He gives help to the [y]descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He [z]had (BY)to be made like His brothers so that He might (BZ)become a merciful and faithful (CA)high priest in (CB)things pertaining to God, to (CC)make [aa]propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was [ab](CD)tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are [ac]tempted.
Jesus Our High Priest
3 Therefore, (CE)holy brothers and sisters, partakers of a (CF)heavenly calling, consider (CG)the Apostle and (CH)High Priest of our (CI)confession: Jesus; 2 [ad]He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (CJ)Moses also was in all His house. 3 (CK)For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now (CL)Moses was faithful in all [ae]God’s house as (CM)a servant, (CN)for a testimony of those things (CO)which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as (CP)a Son over His house—(CQ)whose house we are, (CR)if we hold firmly to our (CS)confidence and the boast of our [af](CT)hope.
7 Therefore, just as (CU)the Holy Spirit says,
“(CV)Today if you hear His voice,
8 (CW)Do not harden your hearts as [ag]when they provoked Me,
As on the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 (CX)Where your fathers put Me to the test,
And saw My works for (CY)forty years.
10 (CZ)Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 (DA)As I swore in My anger,
‘They certainly shall not enter My rest.’”
The Danger of Unbelief
12 (DB)Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart [ah]that falls away from (DC)the living God. 13 But (DD)encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the (DE)deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ (DF)if we keep the beginning of our [ai](DG)commitment firm until the end, 15 while it is said,
16 For who (DI)provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, (DJ)did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (DK)whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear (DL)that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were (DM)disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of (DN)unbelief.
The Believer’s Rest
4 Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have (DO)come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but (DP)the word [ak]they heard did not benefit them, because [al]they were not united with those who listened with faith. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,
“(DQ)As I swore in My anger,
They certainly shall not enter My rest,”
although His works were finished (DR)from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said (DS)somewhere concerning the seventh day: “(DT)And God (DU)rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this passage, “(DV)They certainly shall not enter My rest.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who previously had good news preached to them failed to enter because of (DW)disobedience, 7 He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying [am]through David after so long a time just (DX)as has been said before,
“(DY)Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
8 For (DZ)if [an]Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also (EA)rested from his works, as (EB)God did from His. 11 Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same (EC)example of (ED)disobedience. 12 For (EE)the word of God is (EF)living and (EG)active, and sharper than any two-edged (EH)sword, even penetrating as far as the division of (EI)soul and (EJ)spirit, of both joints and marrow, and (EK)able to [ao]judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And (EL)there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are (EM)open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom [ap]we must answer.
14 Therefore, since we have a great (EN)high priest who has (EO)passed through the heavens, Jesus (EP)the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our (EQ)confession. 15 For we do not have (ER)a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been (ES)tempted in all things just as we are, yet (ET)without sin. 16 Therefore let’s (EU)approach the throne of grace with (EV)confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
The Perfect High Priest
5 For every high priest (EW)taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in (EX)things pertaining to God, in order to (EY)offer both gifts and sacrifices (EZ)for sins; 2 [aq](FA)he can deal gently with the (FB)ignorant and (FC)misguided, since he himself also is [ar](FD)clothed in weakness; 3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices (FE)for sins for himself, (FF)as well as for the people. 4 And (FG)no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just (FH)as Aaron also was.
5 So too Christ (FI)did not glorify Himself in becoming a (FJ)high priest, but it was He who (FK)said to Him,
“(FL)You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”;
6 just as He also says in another passage,
7 In the days of [as]His humanity, [at](FO)He offered up both prayers and pleas with (FP)loud crying and tears to the One (FQ)able to save Him [au]from death, and He [av]was heard because of His (FR)devout behavior. 8 Although He was (FS)a Son, He learned (FT)obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been (FU)perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him, 10 being designated by God as (FV)High Priest according to (FW)the order of Melchizedek.
11 Concerning [aw]him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become [ax]poor listeners. 12 For though [ay]by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you (FX)the [az](FY)elementary principles of the (FZ)actual words of God, and you have come to need (GA)milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an (GB)infant. 14 But solid food is for (GC)the mature, who because of practice have their senses (GD)trained to (GE)distinguish between good and evil.
The Danger of Falling Away
6 Therefore (GF)leaving (GG)the [ba]elementary teaching about the [bb]Christ, let us press on to [bc](GH)maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from (GI)dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of (GJ)instruction about [bd]washings and (GK)laying on of hands, and about the (GL)resurrection of the dead and (GM)eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, (GN)if God permits. 4 For it is (GO)impossible, in the case of those who have once been (GP)enlightened and have tasted of (GQ)the heavenly gift and have been made (GR)partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and (GS)have tasted the good (GT)word of God and the powers of (GU)the age to come, 6 and then have [be]fallen away, to (GV)restore them again to repentance, [bf](GW)since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often [bg]falls on it and produces vegetation useful to those (GX)for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and [bh](GY)close to being cursed, and [bi]it ends up being burned.
Better Things for You
9 But, (GZ)beloved, we are convinced of better things regarding you, and things that [bj]accompany salvation, even though we are speaking in this way. 10 For (HA)God is not unjust so as to forget (HB)your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having (HC)served and by still serving the [bk]saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you demonstrate the same diligence [bl]so as to realize the (HD)full assurance of (HE)hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but (HF)imitators of those who through (HG)faith and endurance (HH)inherit the promises.
13 For (HI)when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He (HJ)swore by Himself, 14 saying, “(HK)indeed I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply you.” 15 And so, (HL)having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 (HM)For people swear an oath by [bm]one greater than themselves, and with them (HN)an oath serving as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 [bn]In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to (HO)the heirs of the promise [bo](HP)the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, [bp]confirmed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which (HQ)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to (HR)the hope set before us. 19 [bq]This (HS)hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which (HT)enters [br]within the veil, 20 (HU)where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a (HV)high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Melchizedek’s Priesthood like Christ’s
7 For this (HW)Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the (HX)Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, (HY)without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like (HZ)the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the (IA)patriarch, (IB)gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of (IC)the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment [bs]in the Law to collect [bt]a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they [bu]are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one (ID)whose genealogy is not traced from them (IE)collected [bv]a tenth from Abraham and [bw](IF)blessed the one who (IG)had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, (IH)of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his [bx]forefather when Melchizedek met him.
11 (II)So if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it (IJ)the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise (IK)according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For (IL)the one about whom (IM)these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord [by]was (IN)descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of [bz](IO)physical requirement, but according to the power of (IP)an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of Him,
“(IQ)You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
18 For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment (IR)because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for (IS)the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better (IT)hope, through which we (IU)come near to God. 20 And to the extent that it was not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,
22 by the same extent Jesus also has become the [ca](IY)guarantee of (IZ)a better covenant.
23 [cb]The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; 24 [cc]Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues (JA)forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is also able to (JB)save [cd]forever those who (JC)come to God through Him, since He always lives to (JD)make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a (JE)high priest, (JF)holy, (JG)innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and (JH)exalted above the heavens; 27 who has no daily need, like those high priests, to (JI)offer up sacrifices, (JJ)first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this (JK)once for all time when He (JL)offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests (JM)who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints (JN)a Son, who has been (JO)made perfect forever.
A Better Ministry
8 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a (JP)high priest, who has taken His seat at (JQ)the right hand of the throne of the (JR)Majesty in the heavens, 2 a (JS)minister [ce]in the sanctuary and [cf]in the (JT)true [cg]tabernacle, which the Lord (JU)set up, not man. 3 For every (JV)high priest is appointed (JW)to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are [ch]those who (JX)offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve (JY)a copy and (JZ)shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses [ci]was (KA)warned by God when he was about to erect the [cj]tabernacle; for, “(KB)See,” He says, “that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the (KC)mediator of (KD)a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
A New Covenant
7 For (KE)if that first covenant had been free of fault, no [ck]circumstances would have been sought for a second. 8 For in finding fault with [cl]the people, He says,
“(KF)Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
[cm]When I will bring about (KG)a new covenant
With the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
9 (KH)Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day I took them by the hand
To bring them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care about them, says the Lord.
10 (KI)For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, declares the Lord:
[cn]I will put My laws into their minds,
And write them (KJ)on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 (KK)And they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen,
And each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For (KL)they will all know Me,
From [co]the least to the greatest of them.
12 (KM)For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings,
(KN)And their sins I will no longer remember.”
13 [cp]When He said, “(KO)A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. (KP)But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is [cq]about to disappear.
The Old and the New
9 Now even the first covenant had (KQ)regulations for divine worship and (KR)the earthly sanctuary. 2 For (KS)a [cr]tabernacle was equipped, the [cs]outer sanctuary, in which were (KT)the lampstand, (KU)the table, and (KV)the [ct]sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind (KW)the second veil there was a [cu]tabernacle which is called the (KX)Most Holy Place, 4 having a golden [cv](KY)altar of incense and (KZ)the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was (LA)a golden jar holding the manna, (LB)Aaron’s staff which budded, and (LC)the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the (LD)cherubim of glory (LE)overshadowing the [cw]atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests (LF)are continually entering the [cx]outer [cy]tabernacle, performing the divine worship, 7 but into (LG)the second, only (LH)the high priest enters (LI)once a year, (LJ)not without taking blood which he (LK)offers for himself and for the [cz](LL)sins of the people committed in ignorance. 8 (LM)The Holy Spirit is signifying this, (LN)that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the [da]outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly (LO)both gifts and sacrifices are offered which (LP)cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to (LQ)food, (LR)drink, and various (LS)washings, (LT)regulations for the [db]body imposed until (LU)a time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a (LV)high priest of the (LW)good things [dc]having come, He entered through (LX)the greater and more perfect [dd]tabernacle, (LY)not made by hands, that is, (LZ)not of this creation; 12 and not through (MA)the blood of goats and calves, but (MB)through His own blood, He (MC)entered the holy place (MD)once for all time, [de]having obtained (ME)eternal redemption. 13 For if (MF)the blood of goats and bulls, and (MG)the [df]ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the [dg]cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will (MH)the blood of Christ, who through [dh](MI)the eternal Spirit (MJ)offered Himself without blemish to God, (MK)cleanse your conscience from (ML)dead works to serve (MM)the living God?
15 For this reason (MN)He is the (MO)mediator of a (MP)new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been (MQ)called may (MR)receive the promise of (MS)the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a [di]covenant, there must of necessity [dj]be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a [dk]covenant is valid only when people are dead, [dl]for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been (MT)spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, (MU)he took the (MV)blood of the calves and the goats, with (MW)water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both (MX)the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “(MY)This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he (MZ)sprinkled both the [dm]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And (NA)almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and (NB)without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore it was necessary for the (NC)copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these things, but (ND)the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ (NE)did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of (NF)the true one, but into (NG)heaven itself, now (NH)to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as (NI)the high priest enters (NJ)the Holy Place (NK)year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since (NL)the foundation of the world; but now (NM)once at (NN)the consummation of the ages He has been (NO)revealed to put away sin [dn](NP)by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And just as (NQ)it is destined for people to die once, and after this (NR)comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been (NS)offered once to (NT)bear the sins of many, will appear (NU)a second time for (NV)salvation (NW)without reference to sin, to those who (NX)eagerly await Him.
One Sacrifice of Christ Is Sufficient
10 For the Law, since it has only (NY)a shadow of (NZ)the good things to come and not the [do]form of those things itself, [dp]can (OA)never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, (OB)make those who approach perfect. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had (OC)consciousness of sins? 3 But (OD)in [dq]those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is (OE)impossible for the (OF)blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, (OG)when He comes into the world, He says,
“(OH)You have not desired sacrifice and offering,
But (OI)You have prepared a body for Me;
6 (OJ)You have not taken pleasure in whole burnt offerings and offerings for sin.
7 (OK)Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(It is written of Me in (OL)the scroll of the book)
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 After saying above, “(OM)Sacrifices and offerings and (ON)whole burnt offerings and offerings (OO)for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He [dr]said, “(OP)Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By [ds]this will, we have been (OQ)sanctified through (OR)the offering of (OS)the body of Jesus Christ (OT)once for all time.
11 Every priest stands daily ministering and (OU)offering time after time the same sacrifices, which (OV)can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice (OW)for [dt]sins (OX)for all time, (OY)sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward (OZ)until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by one offering He has (PA)perfected (PB)for all time those who are [du]sanctified. 15 And (PC)the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
16 “(PD)This is the covenant which I will make with them
After those days, declares the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their hearts,
And write them on their mind,”
He then says,
17 “(PE)And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will no longer remember.”
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required.
A New and Living Way
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we (PF)have confidence to (PG)enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by (PH)a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through (PI)the veil, that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have (PJ)a great priest (PK)over the house of God, 22 let’s (PL)approach God with a [dv]sincere heart in (PM)full assurance of faith, having our hearts (PN)sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies (PO)washed with pure water. 23 Let’s hold firmly to the (PP)confession of our (PQ)hope without wavering, for (PR)He who promised is faithful; 24 and let’s consider how (PS)to [dw]encourage one another in love and (PT)good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own (PU)meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but (PV)encouraging one another; and all the more as you see (PW)the day drawing near.
Christ or Judgment
26 For if we go on (PX)sinning willfully after receiving (PY)the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of (PZ)judgment and (QA)the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 (QB)Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 (QC)How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve (QD)who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean (QE)the blood of the covenant (QF)by which he was sanctified, and has (QG)insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “(QH)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “(QI)The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a (QJ)terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the (QK)living God.
32 But remember (QL)the former days, [dx]when, after being (QM)enlightened, you endured a great (QN)conflict of sufferings, 33 partly by being (QO)made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming [dy](QP)companions with those who were so treated. 34 For you (QQ)showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted (QR)joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves (QS)a better and lasting possession. 35 Therefore, do not throw away your (QT)confidence, which has a great (QU)reward. 36 For you have need of (QV)endurance, so that when you have (QW)done the will of God, you may (QX)receive [dz]what was promised.
37 (QY)For yet in a very little while,
(QZ)He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
38 (RA)But My righteous one will live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
39 But [ea]we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.
The Triumphs of Faith
11 Now faith is the (RB)certainty of things [eb](RC)hoped for, a [ec]proof of (RD)things not seen. 2 For by it the (RE)people of old [ed](RF)gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the [ee](RG)world has been created (RH)by the word of God so that what is seen (RI)has not been made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith (RJ)Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was (RK)attested to be righteous, God testifying [ef]about his (RL)gifts, and through [eg]faith, though (RM)he is dead, he still speaks. 5 By faith (RN)Enoch was taken up so that he would not (RO)see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who (RP)comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. 7 By faith (RQ)Noah, being (RR)warned by God about (RS)things not yet seen, [eh](RT)in reverence (RU)prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of (RV)the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith (RW)Abraham, when he was called, obeyed [ei]by going out to a place which he was to (RX)receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a stranger in (RY)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, (RZ)living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (SA)fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for (SB)the city which has (SC)foundations, (SD)whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even (SE)Sarah herself received [ej]ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him (SF)faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore even from one man, and (SG)one who was as good as dead [ek]at that, there were born descendants who were (SH)just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore.
13 (SI)All these died in faith, (SJ)without receiving the promises, but (SK)having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and (SL)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been [el]thinking of that country which they left, (SM)they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a (SN)heavenly one. Therefore (SO)God is not [em]ashamed to be (SP)called their God; for (SQ)He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith (SR)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had (SS)received the promises was offering up his [en]only son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “(ST)Through Isaac your [eo]descendants shall be named.” 19 [ep]He considered that (SU)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back [eq]as a [er](SV)type. 20 By faith (SW)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith (SX)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and (SY)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith (SZ)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
23 By faith (TA)Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the (TB)king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, (TC)when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to (TD)endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, 26 (TE)considering the [es]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the (TF)reward. 27 By faith he (TG)left Egypt, not (TH)fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though (TI)seeing Him who is unseen. 28 By faith he [et](TJ)kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that (TK)the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they (TL)passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were [eu]drowned.
30 By faith (TM)the walls of Jericho fell down [ev](TN)after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute (TO)Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies [ew]in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of (TP)Gideon, (TQ)Barak, (TR)Samson, (TS)Jephthah, of (TT)David and (TU)Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith (TV)conquered kingdoms, (TW)performed acts of righteousness, (TX)obtained promises, (TY)shut the mouths of lions, 34 (TZ)quenched the power of fire, (UA)escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, (UB)became mighty in war, (UC)put foreign armies to flight. 35 (UD)Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their [ex]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others [ey]experienced mocking and flogging, and further, (UE)chains and imprisonment. 37 They were (UF)stoned, they were sawn in two, [ez]they were tempted, they were (UG)put to death with the sword; they went about (UH)in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, (UI)tormented 38 (people of whom the world was not worthy), (UJ)wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes [fa]in the ground.
39 And all these, having (UK)gained approval through their faith, (UL)did not receive [fb]what was promised, 40 because God had [fc]provided (UM)something better for us, so that (UN)apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Jesus, the Example
12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s (UO)rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s (UP)run with (UQ)endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking only at Jesus, the [fd](UR)originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him (US)endured the cross, (UT)despising the shame, and has (UU)sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For (UV)consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary [fe](UW)and lose heart.
A Father’s Discipline
4 (UX)You have not yet resisted [ff](UY)to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“(UZ)My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor (VA)faint when you are punished by Him;
6 (VB)For (VC)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; (VD)God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, (VE)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had [fg]earthly fathers to discipline us, and we (VF)respected them; shall we not much more be subject to (VG)the Father of [fh]spirits, and (VH)live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, (VI)so that we may share His holiness. 11 (VJ)For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the (VK)peaceful fruit of righteousness.
12 Therefore, [fi](VL)strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and (VM)make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather (VN)be healed.
14 (VO)Pursue peace with all people, and the (VP)holiness without which no one will (VQ)see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one (VR)comes short of the grace of God; that no (VS)root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become (VT)defiled; 16 that there be no (VU)sexually immoral or (VV)godless person like Esau, (VW)who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterward, (VX)when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
Contrast of Sinai and Zion
18 (VY)For you have not come to (VZ)a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the (WA)blast of a trumpet and the (WB)sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard (WC)begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not [fj]cope with the command, “(WD)If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “(WE)I am terrified and trembling.” 22 But (WF)you have come to Mount Zion and to (WG)the city of (WH)the living God, (WI)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to (WJ)myriads of [fk]angels, 23 to the general assembly and (WK)church of the firstborn who (WL)are enrolled in heaven, and to God, (WM)the Judge of all, and to the (WN)spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the (WO)mediator of a new covenant, and to the (WP)sprinkled blood, which speaks better than (WQ)the blood of Abel.
The Unshaken Kingdom
25 (WR)See to it that you do not refuse Him who is (WS)speaking. For (WT)if those did not escape when they (WU)refused him who (WV)warned them on earth, [fl]much less will we escape who turn away from Him who (WW)warns us from heaven. 26 And (WX)His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “(WY)Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes (WZ)the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a (XA)kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s [fm]show gratitude, by which we may (XB)offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for (XC)our God is a consuming fire.
The Changeless Christ
13 Let (XD)love of the brothers and sisters continue. 2 Do not neglect (XE)hospitality to strangers, for by this some have (XF)entertained angels without knowing it. 3 (XG)Remember (XH)the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 4 (XI)Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; (XJ)for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5 Make sure that your character is (XK)free from the love of money, (XL)being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “(XM)I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” 6 so that we confidently say,
“(XN)The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
7 Remember (XO)those who led you, who spoke (XP)the word of God to you; and considering the [fn]result of their way of life, (XQ)imitate their faith. 8 (XR)Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever. 9 (XS)Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to (XT)be strengthened by grace, not by (XU)foods, (XV)through which those who [fo]were so occupied were not benefited. 10 We have an altar (XW)from which those (XX)who serve the [fp]tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For (XY)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered (XZ)outside the gate, (YA)that He might sanctify the people (YB)through His own blood. 13 So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, (YC)bearing His reproach. 14 For here (YD)we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking (YE)the city which is to come.
God-pleasing Sacrifices
15 (YF)Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a (YG)sacrifice of praise to God, that is, (YH)the fruit of lips praising His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and (YI)sharing, for (YJ)with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 (YK)Obey your leaders and submit to them—for (YL)they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they may do this with joy, not [fq]groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you.
18 (YM)Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a (YN)good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. 19 And I urge you all the more to do this, (YO)so that I may be restored to you more quickly.
Benediction
20 Now may (YP)the God of peace, who (YQ)brought up from the dead the (YR)great Shepherd of the sheep [fr]through (YS)the blood of the (YT)eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, 21 (YU)equip you in every good thing to do His will, (YV)working in us that (YW)which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, (YX)to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 But (YY)I urge you, (YZ)brothers and sisters, [fs]listen patiently to [ft]this (ZA)word of exhortation, for (ZB)I have written to you briefly. 23 Know that (ZC)our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. 24 Greet (ZD)all of your leaders and all the [fu](ZE)saints. Those from (ZF)Italy greet you.
25 (ZG)Grace be with you all.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:2 Or at the end of these days
- Hebrews 1:2 Or in the person of a Son; lit in Son
- Hebrews 1:2 Lit ages
- Hebrews 1:3 Lit Who being
- Hebrews 1:3 Lit upholding
- Hebrews 1:3 Or His word of power
- Hebrews 1:6 Or again when He brings
- Hebrews 1:6 Lit the inhabited earth
- Hebrews 1:8 Late mss Your
- Hebrews 1:11 Or become old
- Hebrews 2:1 Lit the things that have been heard
- Hebrews 2:2 Or steadfast
- Hebrews 2:2 Lit retribution
- Hebrews 2:3 Lit Which was
- Hebrews 2:4 Or works of power
- Hebrews 2:4 Lit distributions
- Hebrews 2:5 Lit the inhabited earth
- Hebrews 2:7 Or ...him a little lower than...
- Hebrews 2:7 One early ms continues, and have appointed him over the works of Your hands
- Hebrews 2:9 Or a little lower
- Hebrews 2:10 Or leader
- Hebrews 2:11 Or being sanctified
- Hebrews 2:14 Lit blood and flesh
- Hebrews 2:16 Lit take hold of angels, but He takes hold of
- Hebrews 2:16 Lit seed
- Hebrews 2:17 Lit was obligated to be
- Hebrews 2:17 I.e., reconciliation with God by atoning for the sins
- Hebrews 2:18 Or tested
- Hebrews 2:18 Or tested
- Hebrews 3:2 Lit being faithful
- Hebrews 3:5 Lit His
- Hebrews 3:6 One early ms adds firm until the end
- Hebrews 3:8 Lit in the provocation
- Hebrews 3:12 Or that leaves the; lit in falling away from
- Hebrews 3:14 Or assurance
- Hebrews 3:15 Lit in the rebellion
- Hebrews 4:2 Lit of hearing
- Hebrews 4:2 One early ms it was not united with faith in those who heard
- Hebrews 4:7 Or in
- Hebrews 4:8 Gr Jesus
- Hebrews 4:12 Or discern
- Hebrews 4:13 Lit is our word
- Hebrews 5:2 Lit being able to
- Hebrews 5:2 I.e., weak by nature
- Hebrews 5:7 Lit His flesh
- Hebrews 5:7 Lit who having offered up
- Hebrews 5:7 Or out of
- Hebrews 5:7 Lit having been heard
- Hebrews 5:11 Lit whom; or which
- Hebrews 5:11 Lit sluggish in hearing
- Hebrews 5:12 Lit because of the time
- Hebrews 5:12 Lit elements of the beginning
- Hebrews 6:1 Lit word of the beginning
- Hebrews 6:1 I.e., Messiah
- Hebrews 6:1 Or perfection
- Hebrews 6:2 Or baptisms
- Hebrews 6:6 Or committed apostasy; i.e., renounced the faith
- Hebrews 6:6 Or while
- Hebrews 6:7 Lit comes
- Hebrews 6:8 Lit near to a curse
- Hebrews 6:8 Lit whose end is for burning
- Hebrews 6:9 Or belong to
- Hebrews 6:10 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Hebrews 6:11 Lit to the full
- Hebrews 6:16 Or Him who is greater
- Hebrews 6:17 Lit In which
- Hebrews 6:17 Lit the unchangeableness of His
- Hebrews 6:17 Or mediated
- Hebrews 6:19 Lit Which hope we have
- Hebrews 6:19 Or inside
- Hebrews 7:5 Lit according to
- Hebrews 7:5 Or tithes
- Hebrews 7:5 Lit have come out of the loins of
- Hebrews 7:6 Or tithes
- Hebrews 7:6 Lit has blessed
- Hebrews 7:10 Lit father
- Hebrews 7:14 Lit has arisen from
- Hebrews 7:16 Lit fleshly commandment; i.e., to be a descendant of Levi
- Hebrews 7:22 Or guarantor
- Hebrews 7:23 Lit The greater number have become priests...
- Hebrews 7:24 Lit He
- Hebrews 7:25 Or completely
- Hebrews 8:2 Or of
- Hebrews 8:2 Or of
- Hebrews 8:2 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 8:4 I.e., temple priests
- Hebrews 8:5 Lit has been
- Hebrews 8:5 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 8:7 Lit place
- Hebrews 8:8 Lit them
- Hebrews 8:8 Lit And
- Hebrews 8:10 Lit Putting my laws into...
- Hebrews 8:11 Lit small to great of them
- Hebrews 8:13 Or In His saying
- Hebrews 8:13 Or near destruction
- Hebrews 9:2 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 9:2 Lit first
- Hebrews 9:2 Lit loaves of presentation
- Hebrews 9:3 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 9:4 Or censer
- Hebrews 9:5 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
- Hebrews 9:6 Lit first
- Hebrews 9:6 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 9:7 Lit ignorance of the people
- Hebrews 9:8 Lit first
- Hebrews 9:10 Lit flesh
- Hebrews 9:11 One early ms to come
- Hebrews 9:11 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 9:12 Or obtaining
- Hebrews 9:13 I.e., ashes mixed in water
- Hebrews 9:13 Lit purity
- Hebrews 9:14 Or His eternal spirit
- Hebrews 9:16 Or testament
- Hebrews 9:16 Lit be brought
- Hebrews 9:17 Or testament
- Hebrews 9:17 One early ms for is it then...lives?
- Hebrews 9:21 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 9:26 Or by His sacrifice
- Hebrews 10:1 Lit image
- Hebrews 10:1 One early ms they can
- Hebrews 10:3 Lit them there is
- Hebrews 10:9 Lit has said
- Hebrews 10:10 Lit which
- Hebrews 10:12 Or sins, forever sat down
- Hebrews 10:14 Or being sanctified
- Hebrews 10:22 Lit true
- Hebrews 10:24 Or stir up
- Hebrews 10:32 Lit in which
- Hebrews 10:33 Or partners
- Hebrews 10:36 Lit the promise
- Hebrews 10:39 Lit we are not of shrinking back...but of faith
- Hebrews 11:1 Or expected
- Hebrews 11:1 Or conviction about
- Hebrews 11:2 Lit obtained a good testimony
- Hebrews 11:3 Or worlds were; lit ages
- Hebrews 11:4 I.e., by receiving his gifts
- Hebrews 11:4 Lit it
- Hebrews 11:7 Or was reverent and prepared
- Hebrews 11:8 Lit to go out
- Hebrews 11:11 Lit power for the laying down of seed
- Hebrews 11:12 Lit in these things
- Hebrews 11:15 Or remembering
- Hebrews 11:16 Lit ashamed of them, to be
- Hebrews 11:17 I.e., only son with Sarah
- Hebrews 11:18 Lit seed
- Hebrews 11:19 Lit Considering
- Hebrews 11:19 Lit in
- Hebrews 11:19 I.e., of resurrection, figuratively, pointing to the future
- Hebrews 11:26 I.e., insults like those later suffered by Christ
- Hebrews 11:28 Lit has kept
- Hebrews 11:29 Lit swallowed up
- Hebrews 11:30 Lit after they had been encircled for
- Hebrews 11:31 Lit with
- Hebrews 11:35 Lit redemption
- Hebrews 11:36 Lit received the trial of
- Hebrews 11:37 One early ms does not contain they were tempted
- Hebrews 11:38 Lit of
- Hebrews 11:39 Lit the promise
- Hebrews 11:40 Or foreseen
- Hebrews 12:2 Or leader
- Hebrews 12:3 Lit fainting in your souls
- Hebrews 12:4 Lit as far as blood
- Hebrews 12:9 Lit fathers of our flesh
- Hebrews 12:9 Or our spirits
- Hebrews 12:12 Lit make straight
- Hebrews 12:20 Lit bear
- Hebrews 12:22 Or angels in festive gathering, and to the church
- Hebrews 12:25 Lit much rather we will not escape...
- Hebrews 12:28 Lit have
- Hebrews 13:7 Or end of their life
- Hebrews 13:9 Lit walked
- Hebrews 13:10 Or sacred tent
- Hebrews 13:17 Or sighing
- Hebrews 13:20 Lit in
- Hebrews 13:22 Or listen to
- Hebrews 13:22 Lit the
- Hebrews 13:24 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
Hebrews 1-13
New King James Version
Hebrews 1-13
New King James Version
God’s Supreme Revelation(A)
1 God, who [a]at various times and (B)in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the [b]worlds; 3 (C)who being the brightness of His glory and the express (D)image of His person, and (E)upholding all things by the word of His power, (F)when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our sins, (G)sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as (H)He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The Son Exalted Above Angels
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:
(I)“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?
And again:
(J)“I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”?
6 But when He again brings (K)the firstborn into the world, He says:
(L)“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7 And of the angels He says:
(M)“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But to the Son He says:
(N)“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A [f]scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, (O)has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
10 And:
(P)“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11 (Q)They will perish, but You remain;
And (R)they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the (S)same,
And Your years will not fail.”
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:
(T)“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?
14 (U)Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will (V)inherit salvation?
Do Not Neglect Salvation
2 Therefore we must give [g]the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word (W)spoken through angels proved steadfast, and (X)every transgression and disobedience received a just [h]reward, 3 (Y)how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, (Z)which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was (AA)confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 (AB)God also bearing witness (AC)both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and (AD)gifts[i] of the Holy Spirit, (AE)according to His own will?
The Son Made Lower than Angels(AF)
5 For He has not put (AG)the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 6 But one testified in a certain place, saying:
(AH)“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
7 You have made him [j]a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
[k]And set him over the works of Your hands.
8 (AI)You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”
For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now (AJ)we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, (AK)who was made [l]a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death (AL)crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death (AM)for everyone.
Bringing Many Sons to Glory
10 For it was fitting for Him, (AN)for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation (AO)perfect through sufferings. 11 For (AP)both He who [m]sanctifies and those who are being sanctified (AQ)are all of one, for which reason (AR)He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying:
(AS)“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
13 And again:
(AT)“I will put My trust in Him.”
And again:
(AU)“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He (AV)Himself likewise shared in the same, (AW)that through death He might destroy him who had the power of (AX)death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who (AY)through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not [n]give aid to angels, but He does [o]give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had (AZ)to be made like His brethren, that He might be (BA)a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 (BB)For in that He Himself has suffered, being [p]tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
The Son Was Faithful
3 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (BC)Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as (BD)He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but (BE)He who built all things is God. 5 (BF)And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as (BG)a servant, (BH)for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as (BI)a Son over His own house, (BJ)whose house we are (BK)if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope [q]firm to the end.
Be Faithful(BL)
7 Therefore, as (BM)the Holy Spirit says:
(BN)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but [r]exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
(BO)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers
16 (BP)For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (BQ)whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And (BR)to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of (BS)unbelief.
The Promise of Rest
4 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, (BT)let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, [s]not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
(BU)“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: (BV)“And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: (BW)“They shall not enter My rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
(BX)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if [t]Joshua had (BY)given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
The Word Discovers Our Condition
11 (BZ)Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is (CA)living and powerful, and (CB)sharper than any (CC)two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is (CD)a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 (CE)And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are (CF)naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Seeing then that we have a great (CG)High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, (CH)let us hold fast our confession. 15 For (CI)we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but (CJ)was in all points tempted as we are, (CK)yet without sin. 16 (CL)Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Qualifications for High Priesthood
5 For every high priest taken from among men (CM)is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can [u]have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to (CN)weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for (CO)himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as (CP)Aaron was.
A Priest Forever
5 (CQ)So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:
(CR)“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
6 As He also says in another place:
(CS)“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had (CT)offered up prayers and supplications, (CU)with vehement cries and tears to Him (CV)who was able to save Him from death, and was heard (CW)because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned (CX)obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And (CY)having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest (CZ)“according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom (DA)we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become (DB)dull of hearing.
Spiritual Immaturity
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the [v]oracles of God; and you have come to need (DC)milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is (DD)a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are [w]of full age, that is, those who by reason of [x]use have their senses exercised (DE)to discern both good and evil.
The Peril of Not Progressing
6 Therefore, (DF)leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to [y]perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from (DG)dead works and of faith toward God, 2 (DH)of the doctrine of baptisms, (DI)of laying on of hands, (DJ)of resurrection of the dead, (DK)and of eternal judgment. 3 And this [z]we will do if God permits.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted (DL)the heavenly gift, and (DM)have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 [aa]if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, (DN)since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, (DO)receives blessing from God; 8 (DP)but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
A Better Estimate
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For (DQ)God is not unjust to forget (DR)your work and [ab]labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have (DS)ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence (DT)to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become [ac]sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience (DU)inherit the promises.
God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, (DV)He swore by Himself, 14 saying, (DW)“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the (DX)promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and (DY)an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to (DZ)the heirs of promise (EA)the [ad]immutability of His counsel, [ae]confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two [af]immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to (EB)lie, we [ag]might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope (EC)set before us.
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, (ED)and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 (EE)where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, (EF)having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
The King of Righteousness(EG)
7 For this (EH)Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the [ah]spoils. 5 And indeed (EI)those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham (EJ)and blessed (EK)him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, (EL)of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Need for a New Priesthood(EM)
11 (EN)Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has [ai]officiated at the altar.
14 For it is evident that (EO)our Lord arose from (EP)Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning [aj]priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For [ak]He testifies:
(EQ)“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of (ER)its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for (ES)the law made nothing [al]perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of (ET)a better hope, through which (EU)we draw near to God.
Greatness of the New Priest
20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:
(EV)“The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
‘You are a priest [am]forever
According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”),
22 by so much more Jesus has become a [an]surety of a (EW)better covenant.
23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also (EX)able to save [ao]to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives (EY)to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, (EZ)who is holy, [ap]harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, (FA)and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His (FB)own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
The New Priestly Service
8 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, (FC)who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of (FD)the [aq]sanctuary and of (FE)the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
3 For (FF)every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore (FG)it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve (FH)the copy and (FI)shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, (FJ)“See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now (FK)He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a (FL)better covenant, which was established on better promises.
A New Covenant(FM)
7 For if that (FN)first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: (FO)“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the (FP)Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and (FQ)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 (FR)None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the (FS)Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, (FT)and their sins [ar]and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
13 (FU)In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
The Earthly Sanctuary(FV)
9 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and (FW)the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the [as]sanctuary; 3 (FX)and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the (FY)golden censer and (FZ)the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were (GA)the golden pot that had the manna, (GB)Aaron’s rod that budded, and (GC)the tablets of the covenant; 5 and (GD)above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
Limitations of the Earthly Service
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, (GE)the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone (GF)once a year, not without blood, which he offered for (GG)himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that (GH)the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered (GI)which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with (GJ)foods and drinks, (GK)various [at]washings, (GL)and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
The Heavenly Sanctuary
11 But Christ came as High Priest of (GM)the good things [au]to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not (GN)with the blood of goats and calves, but (GO)with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place (GP)once for all, (GQ)having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if (GR)the blood of bulls and goats and (GS)the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, [av]sanctifies for the [aw]purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without [ax]spot to God, (GT)cleanse your conscience from (GU)dead works (GV)to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason (GW)He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that (GX)those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
The Mediator’s Death Necessary
16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For (GY)a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 (GZ)Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every [ay]precept to all the people according to the law, (HA)he took the blood of calves and goats, (HB)with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, (HC)“This is the (HD)blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise (HE)he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are [az]purified with blood, and (HF)without shedding of blood there is no [ba]remission.
Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice
23 Therefore it was necessary that (HG)the copies of the things in the heavens should be [bb]purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For (HH)Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [bc]copies of (HI)the true, but into heaven itself, now (HJ)to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as (HK)the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 (HL)And as it is appointed for men to die once, (HM)but after this the judgment, 28 so (HN)Christ was (HO)offered once to bear the sins (HP)of many. To those who (HQ)eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Animal Sacrifices Insufficient
10 For the law, having a (HR)shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, (HS)can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once [bd]purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For (HT)it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Christ’s Death Fulfills God’s Will(HU)
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
(HV)“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’ ”
8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, [be]O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 (HW)By that will we have been [bf]sanctified (HX)through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ’s Death Perfects the Sanctified
11 And every priest stands (HY)ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 (HZ)But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down (IA)at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting (IB)till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being [bg]sanctified.
15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 (IC)“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, (ID)“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is [bh]remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Hold Fast Your Confession
19 Therefore, brethren, having (IE)boldness[bi] to enter (IF)the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and (IG)living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us (IH)draw near with a true heart (II)in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for (IJ)He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 (IK)not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and (IL)so much the more as you see (IM)the Day approaching.
The Just Live by Faith
26 For (IN)if we sin willfully (IO)after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there (IP)no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and (IQ)fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three (IR)witnesses. 29 (IS)Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, (IT)counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, (IU)and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, (IV)“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” [bj]says the Lord. And again, (IW)“The Lord will judge His people.” 31 (IX)It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But (IY)recall the former days in which, after you were [bk]illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made (IZ)a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while (JA)you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on [bl]me (JB)in my chains, and (JC)joyfully accepted the plundering of your [bm]goods, knowing that (JD)you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves [bn]in heaven. 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, (JE)which has great reward. 36 (JF)For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, (JG)you may receive the promise:
37 “For (JH)yet a little while,
And (JI)He[bo] who is coming will come and will not [bp]tarry.
38 Now (JJ)the[bq] just shall live by faith;
But if anyone draws back,
My soul has no pleasure in him.”
39 But we are not of those (JK)who draw back to [br]perdition, but of those who (JL)believe to the saving of the soul.
By Faith We Understand
11 Now faith is the [bs]substance of things hoped for, the [bt]evidence (JM)of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that (JN)the [bu]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Faith at the Dawn of History(JO)
4 By faith (JP)Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still (JQ)speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, (JR)“and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7 By faith (JS)Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, (JT)prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of (JU)the righteousness which is according to faith.
Faithful Abraham(JV)
8 By faith (JW)Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, (JX)dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (JY)the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for (JZ)the city which has foundations, (KA)whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith (KB)Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and (KC)she[bv] bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him (KD)faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as (KE)dead, were born as many as the (KF)stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
The Heavenly Hope
13 These all died in faith, (KG)not having received the (KH)promises, but (KI)having seen them afar off [bw]were assured of them, embraced them and (KJ)confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things (KK)declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind (KL)that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed (KM)to be called their God, for He has (KN)prepared a city for them.
The Faith of the Patriarchs(KO)
17 By faith Abraham, (KP)when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 [bx]of whom it was said, (KQ)“In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God (KR)was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
20 By faith (KS)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, (KT)blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22 By faith (KU)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
The Faith of Moses(KV)
23 By faith (KW)Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s (KX)command.
24 By faith (KY)Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the [by]passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming (KZ)the [bz]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures [ca]in Egypt; for he looked to the (LA)reward.
27 By faith (LB)he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith (LC)he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29 By faith (LD)they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
By Faith They Overcame
30 By faith (LE)the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith (LF)the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who [cb]did not believe, when (LG)she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of (LH)Gideon and (LI)Barak and (LJ)Samson and (LK)Jephthah, also of (LL)David and (LM)Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, (LN)stopped the mouths of lions, 34 (LO)quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 (LP)Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were (LQ)tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and (LR)of chains and imprisonment. 37 (LS)They were stoned, they were sawn in two, [cc]were tempted, were slain with the sword. (LT)They wandered about (LU)in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, (LV)in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, (LW)having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be (LX)made perfect apart from us.
The Race of Faith
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, (LY)let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and (LZ)let us run (MA)with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the [cd]author and [ce]finisher of our faith, (MB)who for the joy that was set before Him (MC)endured the cross, despising the shame, and (MD)has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Discipline of God(ME)
3 (MF)For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, (MG)lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 (MH)You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
(MI)“My son, do not despise the [cf]chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For (MJ)whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 (MK)If[cg] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what (ML)son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, (MM)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to (MN)the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, (MO)that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no [ch]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields (MP)the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Renew Your Spiritual Vitality(MQ)
12 Therefore (MR)strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 (MS)Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, (MT)without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone (MU)fall short of the grace of God; lest any (MV)root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any (MW)fornicator or [ci]profane person like Esau, (MX)who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was (MY)rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
The Glorious Company
18 For you have not come [cj]to (MZ)the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and [ck]darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it (NA)begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: (NB)“And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned [cl]or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, (NC)“I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the [cm]general assembly and church of (ND)the firstborn (NE)who are registered in heaven, to God (NF)the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men (NG)made perfect, 24 to Jesus (NH)the Mediator of the new covenant, and to (NI)the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things (NJ)than that of Abel.
Hear the Heavenly Voice
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For (NK)if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, (NL)“Yet once more I [cn]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the (NM)removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we [co]may (NN)serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For (NO)our God is a consuming fire.
Concluding Moral Directions
13 Let (NP)brotherly love continue. 2 (NQ)Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing (NR)some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 (NS)Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.
4 (NT)Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; (NU)but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, (NV)“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:
(NW)“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”
Concluding Religious Directions
7 Remember those who [cp]rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is (NX)the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried [cq]about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might [cr]sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing (NY)His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 (NZ)Therefore by Him let us continually offer (OA)the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, (OB)the fruit of our lips, [cs]giving thanks to His name. 16 (OC)But do not forget to do good and to share, for (OD)with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
17 (OE)Obey those who [ct]rule over you, and be submissive, for (OF)they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Prayer Requested
18 (OG)Pray for us; for we are confident that we have (OH)a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell
20 Now may (OI)the God of peace (OJ)who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, (OK)that great Shepherd of the sheep, (OL)through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you [cu]complete in every good work to do His will, (OM)working in [cv]you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.
24 Greet all those who [cw]rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.
25 Grace be with you all. Amen.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:1 Or in many portions
- Hebrews 1:2 Or ages, Gr. aiones, aeons
- Hebrews 1:3 NU omits by Himself
- Hebrews 1:3 cleansed
- Hebrews 1:3 NU omits our
- Hebrews 1:8 A ruler’s staff
- Hebrews 2:1 all the more careful attention
- Hebrews 2:2 retribution or penalty
- Hebrews 2:4 distributions
- Hebrews 2:7 Or for a little while
- Hebrews 2:7 NU, M omit the rest of v. 7.
- Hebrews 2:9 Or for a little while
- Hebrews 2:11 sets apart
- Hebrews 2:16 Or take on the nature of
- Hebrews 2:16 Or take on
- Hebrews 2:18 tested
- Hebrews 3:6 NU omits firm to the end
- Hebrews 3:13 encourage
- Hebrews 4:2 NU, M since they were not united by faith with those who heeded it
- Hebrews 4:8 Gr. Jesus, same as Heb. Joshua
- Hebrews 5:2 deal gently with
- Hebrews 5:12 sayings, Scriptures
- Hebrews 5:14 mature
- Hebrews 5:14 practice
- Hebrews 6:1 maturity
- Hebrews 6:3 M let us do
- Hebrews 6:6 Or and have fallen away
- Hebrews 6:10 NU omits labor of
- Hebrews 6:12 lazy
- Hebrews 6:17 unchangeableness of His purpose
- Hebrews 6:17 guaranteed
- Hebrews 6:18 unchangeable
- Hebrews 6:18 M omits might
- Hebrews 7:4 plunder
- Hebrews 7:13 served
- Hebrews 7:14 NU priests
- Hebrews 7:17 NU it is testified
- Hebrews 7:19 complete
- Hebrews 7:21 NU ends the quotation after forever.
- Hebrews 7:22 guarantee
- Hebrews 7:25 completely or forever
- Hebrews 7:26 innocent
- Hebrews 8:2 Lit. holies
- Hebrews 8:12 NU omits and their lawless deeds
- Hebrews 9:2 holy place, lit. holies
- Hebrews 9:10 Lit. baptisms
- Hebrews 9:11 NU that have come
- Hebrews 9:13 sets apart
- Hebrews 9:13 cleansing
- Hebrews 9:14 blemish
- Hebrews 9:19 command
- Hebrews 9:22 cleansed
- Hebrews 9:22 forgiveness
- Hebrews 9:23 cleansed
- Hebrews 9:24 representations
- Hebrews 10:2 cleansed
- Hebrews 10:9 NU, M omit O God
- Hebrews 10:10 set apart
- Hebrews 10:14 set apart
- Hebrews 10:18 forgiveness
- Hebrews 10:19 confidence
- Hebrews 10:30 NU omits says the Lord
- Hebrews 10:32 enlightened
- Hebrews 10:34 NU the prisoners instead of me in my chains
- Hebrews 10:34 possessions
- Hebrews 10:34 NU omits in heaven
- Hebrews 10:37 Or that which
- Hebrews 10:37 delay
- Hebrews 10:38 NU My just one
- Hebrews 10:39 destruction
- Hebrews 11:1 realization
- Hebrews 11:1 Or confidence
- Hebrews 11:3 Or ages, Gr. aiones, aeons
- Hebrews 11:11 NU omits she bore a child
- Hebrews 11:13 NU, M omit were assured of them
- Hebrews 11:18 to
- Hebrews 11:25 temporary
- Hebrews 11:26 reviling because of
- Hebrews 11:26 NU, M of
- Hebrews 11:31 were disobedient
- Hebrews 11:37 NU omits were tempted
- Hebrews 12:2 originator
- Hebrews 12:2 perfecter
- Hebrews 12:5 discipline
- Hebrews 12:7 NU, M It is for discipline that you endure; God
- Hebrews 12:11 discipline
- Hebrews 12:16 godless
- Hebrews 12:18 NU to that which
- Hebrews 12:18 NU gloom
- Hebrews 12:20 NU, M omit the rest of v. 20.
- Hebrews 12:23 festal gathering
- Hebrews 12:26 NU will shake
- Hebrews 12:28 M omits may
- Hebrews 13:7 lead
- Hebrews 13:9 NU, M away
- Hebrews 13:12 set apart
- Hebrews 13:15 Lit. confessing
- Hebrews 13:17 lead
- Hebrews 13:21 perfect
- Hebrews 13:21 NU, M us
- Hebrews 13:24 lead
Hebrews 1-13
The Message
Hebrews 1-13
The Message
1 1-3 Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!
The Son Is Higher than Angels
3-6 After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule. Did God ever say to an angel, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you” or “I’m his Father, he’s my Son”? When he presents his honored Son to the world, he says, “All angels must worship him.”
7 Regarding angels he says,
The messengers are winds,
the servants are tongues of fire.
8-9 But he says to the Son,
You’re God, and on the throne for good;
your rule makes everything right.
You love it when things are right;
you hate it when things are wrong.
That is why God, your God,
poured fragrant oil on your head,
Marking you out as king,
far above your dear companions.
10-12 And again to the Son,
You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations,
then crafted the stars in the sky.
Earth and sky will wear out, but not you;
they become threadbare like an old coat;
You’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak,
and lay them away on the shelf.
But you’ll stay the same, year after year;
you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.
13 And did he ever say anything like this to an angel?
Sit alongside me here on my throne
Until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.
14 Isn’t it obvious that all angels are sent to help out with those lined up to receive salvation?
2 1-4 It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off. If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away with anything, do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this magnificent salvation? First of all, it was delivered in person by the Master, then accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him. All the while God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs and miracles, as he saw fit.
The Salvation Pioneer
5-9 God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here. It says in Scripture,
What is man and woman that you bother with them;
why take a second look their way?
You made them not quite as high as angels,
bright with Eden’s dawn light;
Then you put them in charge
of your entire handcrafted world.
When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.
10-13 It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,
I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know
about you;
I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.
Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says,
Even I live by placing my trust in God.
And yet again,
I’m here with the children God gave me.
14-15 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.
16-18 It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed.
The Centerpiece of All We Believe
3 1-6 So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God’s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.
6-11 Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in “the bitter uprising,”
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”
12-14 So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as God’s still calling it Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.
These words keep ringing in our ears:
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.
15-19 For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren’t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn’t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they’d never get where they were going, wasn’t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.
When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith
4 1-3 For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”
3-7 God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest.” So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David’s psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:
Today, please listen,
don’t turn a deaf ear . . .
8-11 And so this is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for “today.” The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.
12-13 God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.
The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain
14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
5 1-3 Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience. But that also means that he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the peoples’.
4-6 No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was. Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you!” In another place God declares, “You’re a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.”
7-10 While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.
Re-Crucifying Jesus
11-14 I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.
6 1-3 So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!
4-8 Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they’ve personally experienced the sheer goodness of God’s Word and the powers breaking in on us—if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can’t start over as if nothing happened. That’s impossible. Why, they’ve re-crucified Jesus! They’ve repudiated him in public! Parched ground that soaks up the rain and then produces an abundance of carrots and corn for its gardener gets God’s “Well done!” But if it produces weeds and thistles, it’s more likely to get cussed out. Fields like that are burned, not harvested.
9-12 I’m sure that won’t happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them.
God Gave His Word
13-18 When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it all the way, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.
18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.
Melchizedek, Priest of God
7 1-3 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Highest God. He met Abraham, who was returning from “the royal massacre,” and gave him his blessing. Abraham in turn gave him a tenth of the spoils. “Melchizedek” means “King of Righteousness.” “Salem” means “Peace.” So, he is also “King of Peace.” Melchizedek towers out of the past—without record of family ties, no account of beginning or end. In this way he is like the Son of God, one huge priestly presence dominating the landscape always.
4-7 You realize just how great Melchizedek is when you see that Father Abraham gave him a tenth of the captured treasure. Priests descended from Levi are commanded by law to collect tithes from the people, even though they are all more or less equals, priests and people, having a common father in Abraham. But this man, a complete outsider, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him, the one to whom the promises had been given. In acts of blessing, the lesser is blessed by the greater.
8-10 Or look at it this way: We pay our tithes to priests who die, but Abraham paid tithes to a priest who, the Scripture says, “lives.” Ultimately you could even say that since Levi descended from Abraham, who paid tithes to Melchizedek, when we pay tithes to the priestly tribe of Levi they end up with Melchizedek.
A Permanent Priesthood
11-14 If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn’t have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. But since it didn’t get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus’ family tree connecting him with that priestly line.
15-19 But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life—he lives!—“priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.” The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way—Jesus!—a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place.
20-22 The old priesthood of Aaron perpetuated itself automatically, father to son, without explicit confirmation by God. But then God intervened and called this new, permanent priesthood into being with an added promise:
God gave his word;
he won’t take it back:
“You’re the permanent priest.”
This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God—one that really works! A new covenant.
23-25 Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be replaced. But Jesus’ priesthood is permanent. He’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.
26-28 So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God’s presence in heaven itself. Unlike the other high priests, he doesn’t have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He’s done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the sacrifice. The law appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right. But this intervening command of God, which came later, appoints the Son, who is absolutely, eternally perfect.
A New Plan with Israel
8 1-2 In essence, we have just such a high priest: authoritative right alongside God, conducting worship in the one true sanctuary built by God.
3-5 The assigned task of a high priest is to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and it’s no different with the priesthood of Jesus. If he were limited to earth, he wouldn’t even be a priest. We wouldn’t need him since there are plenty of priests who offer the gifts designated in the law. These priests provide only a hint of what goes on in the true sanctuary of heaven, which Moses caught a glimpse of as he was about to set up the tent-shrine. It was then that God said, “Be careful to do it exactly as you saw it on the Mountain.”
6-13 But Jesus’ priestly work far surpasses what these other priests do, since he’s working from a far better plan. If the first plan—the old covenant—had worked out, a second wouldn’t have been needed. But we know the first was found wanting, because God said,
Heads up! The days are coming
when I’ll set up a new plan
for dealing with Israel and Judah.
I’ll throw out the old plan
I set up with their ancestors
when I led them by the hand out of Egypt.
They didn’t keep their part of the bargain,
so I looked away and let it go.
This new plan I’m making with Israel
isn’t going to be written on paper,
isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;
This time I’m writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts.
I’ll be their God,
they’ll be my people.
They won’t go to school to learn about me,
or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons.
They’ll all get to know me firsthand,
the little and the big, the small and the great.
They’ll get to know me by being kindly forgiven,
with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.
By coming up with a new plan, a new covenant between God and his people, God put the old plan on the shelf. And there it stays, gathering dust.
A Visible Parable
9 1-5 That first plan contained directions for worship, and a specially designed place of worship. A large outer tent was set up. The lampstand, the table, and “the bread of presence” were placed in it. This was called “the Holy Place.” Then a curtain was stretched, and behind it a smaller, inside tent set up. This was called “the Holy of Holies.” In it were placed the gold incense altar and the gold-covered ark of the covenant containing the gold urn of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, the covenant tablets, and the angel-wing-shadowed mercy seat. But we don’t have time to comment on these now.
6-10 After this was set up, the priests went about their duties in the large tent. Only the high priest entered the smaller, inside tent, and then only once a year, offering a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the people’s accumulated sins. This was the Holy Spirit’s way of showing with a visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can’t just walk in on God. Under this system, the gifts and sacrifices can’t really get to the heart of the matter, can’t assuage the conscience of the people, but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior. It’s essentially a temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made.
Pointing to the Realities of Heaven
11-15 But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven’s “tent”—the true Holy Place—once and for all. He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all. If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.
16-17 Like a will that takes effect when someone dies, the new covenant was put into action at Jesus’ death. His death marked the transition from the old plan to the new one, canceling the old obligations and accompanying sins, and summoning the heirs to receive the eternal inheritance that was promised them. He brought together God and his people in this new way.
18-22 Even the first plan required a death to set it in motion. After Moses had read out all the terms of the plan of the law—God’s “will”—he took the blood of sacrificed animals and, in a solemn ritual, sprinkled the document and the people who were its beneficiaries. And then he attested its validity with the words, “This is the blood of the covenant commanded by God.” He did the same thing with the place of worship and its furniture. Moses said to the people, “This is the blood of the covenant God has established with you.” Practically everything in a will hinges on a death. That’s why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, especially regarding forgiveness of sins.
23-26 That accounts for the prominence of blood and death in all these secondary practices that point to the realities of heaven. It also accounts for why, when the real thing takes place, these animal sacrifices aren’t needed anymore, having served their purpose. For Christ didn’t enter the earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and offered himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins. He doesn’t do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own; if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.
27-28 Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.
The Sacrifice of Jesus
10 1-10 The old plan was only a hint of the good things in the new plan. Since that old “law plan” wasn’t complete in itself, it couldn’t complete those who followed it. No matter how many sacrifices were offered year after year, they never added up to a complete solution. If they had, the worshipers would have gone blissfully on their way, no longer dragged down by their sins. But instead of removing awareness of sin, when those animal sacrifices were repeated over and over they actually heightened awareness and guilt. The plain fact is that bull and goat blood can’t get rid of sin. That is what is meant by this prophecy, put in the mouth of Christ:
You don’t want sacrifices and offerings year after year;
you’ve prepared a body for me for a sacrifice.
It’s not fragrance and smoke from the altar
that whet your appetite.
So I said, “I’m here to do it your way, O God,
the way it’s described in your Book.”
When he said, “You don’t want sacrifices and offerings,” he was referring to practices according to the old plan. When he added, “I’m here to do it your way,” he set aside the first in order to enact the new plan—God’s way—by which we are made fit for God by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus.
11-18 Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:
This new plan I’m making with Israel
isn’t going to be written on paper,
isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;
This time “I’m writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts.”
He concludes,
I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.
Don’t Throw It All Away
19-21 So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body.
22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
26-31 If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me.
32-39 Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion.
It won’t be long now, he’s on the way;
he’ll show up most any minute.
But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust;
if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy.
But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.
Faith in What We Don’t See
11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
4 By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.
5-6 By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
7 By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.
8-10 By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.
11-12 By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That’s how it happened that from one man’s dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.
* * *
13-16 Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
17-19 By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, “Your descendants shall come from Isaac.” Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that’s what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
20 By an act of faith, Isaac reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau.
21 By an act of faith, Jacob on his deathbed blessed each of Joseph’s sons in turn, blessing them with God’s blessing, not his own—as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff.
22 By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.
23 By an act of faith, Moses’ parents hid him away for three months after his birth. They saw the child’s beauty, and they braved the king’s decree.
24-28 By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them.
29 By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.
30 By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.
31 By an act of faith, Rahab, the Jericho harlot, welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God.
* * *
32-38 I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.
39-40 Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.
Discipline in a Long-Distance Race
12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
4-11 In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?
My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.
God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off big-time, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.
12-13 So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!
14-17 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.
An Unshakable Kingdom
18-21 Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words—“If an animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead”—they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified.
22-24 No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace.
25-27 So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.
28-29 Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!
Jesus Doesn’t Change
13 1-4 Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you. Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.
5-6 Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote,
God is there, ready to help;
I’m fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?
7-8 Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.
9 Don’t be lured away from him by the latest speculations about him. The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life. Products named after Christ don’t seem to do much for those who buy them.
10-12 The altar from which God gives us the gift of himself is not for exploitation by insiders who grab and loot. In the old system, the animals are killed and the bodies disposed of outside the camp. The blood is then brought inside to the altar as a sacrifice for sin. It’s the same with Jesus. He was crucified outside the city gates—that is where he poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God’s altar to cleanse his people.
13-15 So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.
* * *
16 Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
17 Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?
18-21 Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we’re doing or why, but it’s hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about is living well before God. Pray that we may be together soon.
May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
22-23 Friends, please take what I’ve written most seriously. I’ve kept this as brief as possible; I haven’t piled on a lot of extras. You’ll be glad to know that Timothy has been let out of prison. If he leaves soon, I’ll come with him and get to see you myself.
24 Say hello to your pastoral leaders and all the congregations. Everyone here in Italy wants to be remembered to you.
25 Grace be with you, every one.
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