Hebrews 12
New King James Version
The Race of Faith
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, (A)let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and (B)let us run (C)with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, (D)who for the joy that was set before Him (E)endured the cross, despising the shame, and (F)has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Discipline of God(G)
3 (H)For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, (I)lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 (J)You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
(K)“My son, do not despise the [c]chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For (L)whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 (M)If[d] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what (N)son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, (O)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 (P)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, (Q)that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no [e]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields (R)the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Renew Your Spiritual Vitality(S)
12 Therefore (T)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 (U)Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, (V)without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone (W)fall short of the grace of God; lest any (X)root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any (Y)fornicator or [f]profane person like Esau, (Z)who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was (AA)rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
The Glorious Company
18 For you have not come [g]to (AB)the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and [h]darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it (AC)begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: (AD)“And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned [i]or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, (AE)“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 [j]general assembly and church of (AF)the firstborn (AG)who are registered in heaven, to God (AH)the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men (AI)made perfect, 24 to Jesus (AJ)the Mediator of the new covenant, and to (AK)the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things (AL)than that of Abel.
Hear the Heavenly Voice
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For (AM)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, (AN)“Yet once more I [k]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the (AO)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 [l]may (AP)serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For (AQ)our God is a consuming fire.
Footnotes
- 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
Hebreos 12
Reina Valera Contemporánea
Con la mirada fija en Jesús
12 Por lo tanto, también nosotros, que tenemos tan grande nube de testigos a nuestro alrededor, liberémonos de todo peso y del pecado que nos asedia, y corramos con paciencia la carrera que tenemos por delante. 2 Fijemos la mirada en Jesús, el autor y consumador de la fe, quien por el gozo que le esperaba sufrió la cruz y menospreció el oprobio, y se sentó a la derecha del trono de Dios.
3 Por lo tanto, consideren a aquel que sufrió tanta contradicción de parte de los pecadores, para que no se cansen ni se desanimen. 4 En la lucha que ustedes libran contra el pecado, todavía no han tenido que resistir hasta derramar su sangre; 5 y ya han olvidado la exhortación que como a hijos se les dirige:
«Hijo mío, no menosprecies la disciplina del Señor,
ni te desanimes cuando te reprenda;
6 porque el Señor disciplina al que ama,
y azota a todo el que recibe como hijo.»(A)
7 Si ustedes soportan la disciplina, Dios los trata como a hijos. ¿Acaso hay algún hijo a quien su padre no discipline? 8 Pero si a ustedes se les deja sin la disciplina que todo el mundo recibe, entonces ya no son hijos legítimos, sino ilegítimos. 9 Por otra parte, tuvimos padres terrenales, los cuales nos disciplinaban, y los respetábamos. ¿Por qué no mejor obedecer al Padre de los espíritus, y así vivir? 10 La verdad es que nuestros padres terrenales nos disciplinaban por poco tiempo, y como mejor les parecía, pero Dios lo hace para nuestro beneficio y para que participemos de su santidad. 11 Claro que ninguna disciplina nos pone alegres al momento de recibirla, sino más bien tristes; pero después de ser ejercitados en ella, nos produce un fruto apacible de justicia.
Los que rechazan la gracia de Dios
12 Levanten, pues, las manos caídas y las rodillas entumecidas;(B) 13 enderecen las sendas por donde van,(C) para que no se desvíen los cojos, sino que sean sanados. 14 Procuren vivir en paz con todos, y en santidad, sin la cual nadie verá al Señor. 15 Tengan cuidado. No vayan a perderse la gracia de Dios; no dejen brotar ninguna raíz de amargura,(D) pues podría estorbarles y hacer que muchos se contaminen con ella. 16 Que no haya entre ustedes ningún libertino ni profano, como Esaú, que por una sola comida vendió su primogenitura.(E) 17 Ya ustedes saben que después, aunque deseaba heredar la bendición, fue rechazado y no tuvo ya la oportunidad de arrepentirse, aun cuando con lágrimas buscó la bendición.(F)
18 Ustedes no se han acercado a aquel monte que se podía tocar y que ardía en llamas, ni tampoco a la oscuridad, a las tinieblas y a la tempestad, 19 ni al sonido de la trompeta, ni a la voz que hablaba, y que quienes la oyeron rogaban que no les hablara más(G) 20 porque no podían sobrellevar lo que se les ordenaba: «Incluso si una bestia toca el monte, será apedreada o atravesada con una lanza».(H) 21 Lo que se veía era tan terrible, que Moisés dijo: «Estoy temblando de miedo».(I) 22 Ustedes, por el contrario, se han acercado al monte de Sión, a la celestial Jerusalén, ciudad del Dios vivo, y a una incontable muchedumbre de ángeles, 23 a la congregación de los primogénitos que están inscritos en los cielos, a Dios, el Juez de todos, a los espíritus de los justos que han sido hechos perfectos, 24 a Jesús, el Mediador del nuevo pacto, y a la sangre rociada que habla mejor que la de Abel.(J)
25 Tengan cuidado de no desechar al que habla. Si no escaparon los que desecharon al que los amonestaba en la tierra,(K) mucho menos escaparemos nosotros si desechamos al que amonesta desde los cielos. 26 En aquella ocasión, la voz de Dios sacudió la tierra, pero ahora ha prometido: «Una vez más sacudiré no sólo la tierra, sino también el cielo.»(L) 27 Y esta frase, «Una vez más», significa que las cosas movibles, es decir, las cosas hechas, serán removidas para que permanezcan las inconmovibles. 28 Así que nosotros, que hemos recibido un reino inconmovible, debemos ser agradecidos y, con esa misma gratitud, servir a Dios y agradarle con temor y reverencia. 29 Porque nuestro Dios es un fuego que todo lo consume.(M)
Hebrews 12
Common English Bible
Let’s also run the race
12 So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, 2 and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne.
Run the race with discipline
3 Think about the one who endured such opposition from sinners so that you won’t be discouraged and you won’t give up. 4 In your struggle against sin, you haven’t resisted yet to the point of shedding blood, 5 and you have forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons and daughters:
My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline
or give up when you are corrected by him,
6 because the Lord disciplines whomever he loves,
and he punishes every son or daughter whom he accepts.[a]
7 Bear hardship for the sake of discipline. God is treating you like sons and daughters! What child isn’t disciplined by his or her father? 8 But if you don’t experience discipline, which happens to all children, then you are illegitimate and not real sons and daughters. 9 What’s more, we had human parents who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live? 10 Our human parents disciplined us for a little while, as it seemed best to them, but God does it for our benefit so that we can share his holiness. 11 No discipline is fun while it lasts, but it seems painful at the time. Later, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.
12 So strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees! 13 Make straight paths for your feet so that if any part is lame, it will be healed rather than injured more seriously. 14 Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone—and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it. 15 Make sure that no one misses out on God’s grace. Make sure that no root of bitterness grows up that might cause trouble and pollute many people. 16 Make sure that no one becomes sexually immoral or ungodly like Esau. He sold his inheritance as the oldest son for one meal. 17 You know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he couldn’t find a way to change his heart and life, though he looked for it with tears.
Priestly service in heavenly Jerusalem
18 You haven’t drawn near to something that can be touched: a burning fire, darkness, shadow, a whirlwind, 19 a blast of a trumpet, and a sound of words that made the ones who heard it beg that there wouldn’t be one more word. 20 They couldn’t stand the command, If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.[b] 21 The sight was so frightening that Moses said, “I’m terrified and shaking!”
22 But you have drawn near to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels in a festival gathering, 23 to the assembly of God’s firstborn children who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel’s blood.
25 See to it that you don’t resist the one who is speaking. If the people didn’t escape when they refused to listen to the one who warned them on earth, how will we escape if we reject the one who is warning from heaven? 26 His voice shook the earth then, but now he has made a promise: Still once more I will shake not only the earth but heaven also.[c] 27 The words “still once more” reveal the removal of what is shaken—the things that are part of this creation—so that what isn’t shaken will remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s continue to express our gratitude.[d] With this gratitude, let’s serve[e] in a way that is pleasing to God with respect and awe, 29 because our God really is a consuming fire.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 12:6 Prov 3:11-12
- Hebrews 12:20 Exod 19:12-13
- Hebrews 12:26 Exod 19:18
- Hebrews 12:28 Or hold on to grace
- Hebrews 12:28 Or offer priestly service
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2009, 2011 by Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible