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God Has Spoken by His Son

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,[a] whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.(A) He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains[b] all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for[c] sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,(B) having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.(C)

The Son Is Superior to Angels

For to which of the angels did God[d] ever say,

“You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son”?(D)

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds
    and his servants flames of fire.”(E)

But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is[e] forever and ever,
    and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your[f] kingdom.(F)
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;[g]
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”(G)

10 And,

“In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands;(H)
11 they will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like clothing;(I)
12 like a cloak you will roll them up,
    and like clothing[h] they will be changed.
But you are the same,
    and your years will never end.”

13 And to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?(J)

14 Are not all angels[i] spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?(K)

Warning to Pay Attention

Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message declared through angels proved valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty,(L) how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was confirmed for us by those who heard him,(M) while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.(N)

Exaltation through Abasement

Now God[j] did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.(O) But someone has testified somewhere,

“What are humans that you are mindful of them[k]
    or mortals that you care for them?[l](P)
You have made them for a little while lower[m] than the angels;
    you have crowned them with glory and honor,[n]
    subjecting all things under their feet.”

Now in subjecting all things to them, God[o] left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them,(Q) but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower[p] than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God[q] he might taste death for everyone.(R)

10 It was fitting that God,[r] for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.(S) 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.[s] For this reason Jesus[t] is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,(T) 12 saying,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”(U)

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”(V)

14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,(W) 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.(X) 16 For it is clear that he did not come to help angels but the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.(Y) 18 Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.(Z)

Moses a Servant, Christ a Son

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,(AA) who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all[u] God’s[v] house.” Yet Jesus[w] is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.(AB) (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)(AC) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s[x] house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later.(AD) Christ, however, was faithful over God’s[y] house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm[z] the boldness and the pride inspired by hope.(AE)

Warning against Unbelief

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,(AF)
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
    as on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors put me to the test,[aa]
though they had seen my works 10     for forty years.
Therefore I was angry with that generation,
and I said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 As in my anger I swore,
    ‘They will not enter my rest.’ ”

12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”(AG)

16 Now who were they who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?(AH) 17 And with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?(AI) 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient?(AJ) 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.(AK)

The Rest That God Promised

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it.(AL) For indeed the good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.[ab](AM) For we who have believed are entering that rest, just as God[ac] has said,

“As in my anger I swore,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”

though his works were finished since the foundation of the world. For somewhere it speaks about the seventh day as follows, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”(AN) And again in this place it says, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he sets a certain day—“today”—saying through David much later, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”(AO)

For if Joshua had given them rest, God[ad] would not speak later about another day. So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, 10 for those who enter God’s[ae] rest also rest from their labors as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.(AP) 13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.(AQ)

Jesus the Great High Priest

14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.(AR) 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested[af] as we are, yet without sin.(AS) 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness,(AT) and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.(AU)

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by[ag] the one who said to him,

“You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you”;(AV)

as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
    according to the order of Melchizedek.”(AW)

In the days of his flesh, Jesus[ah] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.(AX) Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered,(AY) and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,(AZ) 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Warning against Falling Away

11 About this[ai] we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,(BA) 13 for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.(BB)

Footnotes

  1. 1.2 Or the Son
  2. 1.3 Or bears along
  3. 1.3 Other ancient authorities add our
  4. 1.5 Greek he
  5. 1.8 Or God is your throne
  6. 1.8 Other ancient authorities read his
  7. 1.9 Other ancient authorities read wickedness
  8. 1.12 Other ancient authorities lack like clothing
  9. 1.14 Gk all of them
  10. 2.5 Gk he
  11. 2.6 Gk What is man that you are mindful of him?
  12. 2.6 Gk or the son of man that you care for him? In the Hebrew of Psalm 8.4–6 both man and son of man refer to all humankind
  13. 2.7 Or them only a little lower
  14. 2.7 Other ancient authorities add and set them over the works of your hands
  15. 2.8 Gk he
  16. 2.9 Or who was made a little lower
  17. 2.9 Other ancient authorities read apart from God
  18. 2.10 Gk he
  19. 2.11 Gk are all of one
  20. 2.11 Gk he
  21. 3.2 Other ancient authorities lack all
  22. 3.2 Gk his
  23. 3.3 Gk this one
  24. 3.5 Gk his
  25. 3.6 Gk his
  26. 3.6 Other ancient authorities add to the end
  27. 3.9 Other ancient authorities read tempted me, tested me
  28. 4.2 Other ancient authorities read it did not meet with faith in those who listened
  29. 4.3 Gk he
  30. 4.8 Gk he
  31. 4.10 Gk his
  32. 4.15 Or tempted
  33. 5.5 Gk lacks was appointed by
  34. 5.7 Gk he
  35. 5.11 Or him

God’s Final Word: His Son

In the past God spoke(A) to our ancestors through the prophets(B) at many times and in various ways,(C) 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) 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) 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

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father”[a]?(O)

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son”[b]?(P)

And again, when God brings his firstborn(Q) into the world,(R) he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[c](S)

In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels spirits,
    and his servants flames of fire.”[d](T)

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.
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,

“Sit at my right hand(AC)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool(AD) for your feet”[g]?(AE)

14 Are not all angels ministering spirits(AF) sent to serve those who will inherit(AG) salvation?(AH)

Warning to Pay Attention

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.(AI) For since the message spoken(AJ) through angels(AK) was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,(AL) 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) 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

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 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)
You made them a little[h] lower than the angels;
    you crowned them with glory and honor
    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] 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,

“I will put my trust in him.”[p](BE)

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”[q](BF)

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

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) He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(BW) 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. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(BY) “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. 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

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(CF)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(CG)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
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:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”[u](CQ)

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

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) 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) Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”[w](CY)

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”[x](CZ) And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”(DA)

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) 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:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts.”[y](DC)

For if Joshua had given them rest,(DD) God would not have spoken(DE) later about another day. 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.

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) He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray,(EA) since he himself is subject to weakness.(EB) This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.(EC) And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.(ED)

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,

“You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father.”[ab](EH)

And he says in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
    in the order of Melchizedek.(EI)[ac](EJ)

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) Son(EO) though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered(EP) 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)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
  2. Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
  3. Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
  4. Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
  5. Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
  6. Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
  7. Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1
  8. Hebrews 2:7 Or them for a little while
  9. Hebrews 2:8 Psalm 8:4-6
  10. Hebrews 2:8 Or You made him a little lower than the angels;/ you crowned him with glory and honor/ and put everything under his feet.”
  11. Hebrews 2:8 Or him
  12. Hebrews 2:8 Or him
  13. Hebrews 2:8 Or him
  14. 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.
  15. Hebrews 2:12 Psalm 22:22
  16. Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:17
  17. Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:18
  18. Hebrews 2:17 Or like his brothers
  19. Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
  20. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
  21. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
  22. Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith
  23. Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
  24. Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
  25. Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
  26. Hebrews 4:10 Or labor
  27. Hebrews 4:14 Greek has gone through the heavens
  28. Hebrews 5:5 Psalm 2:7
  29. Hebrews 5:6 Psalm 110:4