The Example of Jesus’ Suffering

12 Therefore, since[a] we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, putting aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us[b], let us run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider the one who endured such hostility by sinners against himself,[c] so that you will not grow weary in your souls and give up. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your[d] blood as you[e] struggle against sin. And have you completely forgotten the exhortation which instructs you as sons?

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    or give up when you are corrected by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves,
    and punishes every son whom he accepts.”[f]

Endure it for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, in which all legitimate sons[g] have become participants, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had our earthly fathers[h] who disciplined us, and we respected them. Will we not much rather subject ourselves to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a few days according to what seemed appropriate to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we can have a share in his holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.

A Serious Warning Against Refusing God

12 Therefore strengthen your slackened hands and your weakened knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. 15 Take care that no one falls short of the grace of God; that no one growing up like a root of bitterness causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one be a sexually immoral or totally worldly person like Esau, who for one meal traded his own birthright. 17 For you know that also afterwards, when he[i] wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.

18 For you have not come to something that can be touched, and to a burning fire, and to darkness, and to gloom, and to a whirlwind, 19 and to the noise of a trumpet, and to the sound of words which those who heard begged that not another word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”[j] 21 And the spectacle was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”[k] 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels, to the festal gathering 23 and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood[l] that speaks better than Abel’s does.

25 Watch out that you do not refuse the one who is speaking! For if those did not escape when they[m] refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape,[n] if we[o] reject the one who warns from heaven, 26 whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, saying,

“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.”[p]

27 Now the phrase “yet once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, namely, things that have been created, in order that the things that are not shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we[q] are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. 29 For indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 12:1 Here “since” is supplied as a component of the participle (“have”) which is understood as causal
  2. Hebrews 12:1 Literally “the easily ensnaring sin”
  3. Hebrews 12:3 *The plural reflexive pronoun can still be translated as singular; see Louw-Nida 92.25
  4. Hebrews 12:4 The words “shedding your” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity
  5. Hebrews 12:4 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal participle (“struggle”)
  6. Hebrews 12:6 A quotation from Prov 3:11–12
  7. Hebrews 12:8 The phrase “legitimate sons” is not in the Greek text but is implied
  8. Hebrews 12:9 Literally “the flesh of our fathers”
  9. Hebrews 12:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal participle (“wanted”)
  10. Hebrews 12:20 A quotation from Exod 19:12–13
  11. Hebrews 12:21 A quotation from Deut 9:19
  12. Hebrews 12:24 Literally “to the blood of sprinkling”
  13. Hebrews 12:25 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal participle (“refused”)
  14. Hebrews 12:25 *Here the verb “will … escape” is an understood repetition from the previous clause
  15. Hebrews 12:25 Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“reject”) which is understood as conditional
  16. Hebrews 12:26 A quotation from Hag 2:6
  17. Hebrews 12:28 Here “since” is supplied as a component of the participle (“are receiving”) which is understood as causal

12 Therefore toigaroun since we echō ourselves hēmeis have echō so great tosoutos a cloud nephos of witnesses martys surrounding perikeimai us hēmeis, let us also kai lay aside apotithēmi every pas impediment onkos, and kai the ho sin hamartia that so easily distracts euperistatos, and let us run trechō with dia endurance hypomonē the ho race agōn that is prescribed prokeimai for us hēmeis, fixing our gaze aphoraō upon eis Jesus Iēsous, the ho pioneer archēgos and kai perfecter teleiōtēs of our ho faith pistis, who hos rather than anti the ho joy chara set before prokeimai him autos endured hypomenō a cross stauros, disregarding kataphroneō its shame aischunē, and te has kathizō now te taken his seat kathizō at en the right hand dexios of the ho throne thronos of ho God theos. Consider analogizomai him who endured hypomenō from hypo sinners hamartōlos · ho such toioutos opposition antilogia · ho against eis himself heautou, so that hina you may not grow weary kamnō in ho your hymeis souls psychē and lose heart eklyō.

You have antikathistēmi not yet oupō resisted antikathistēmi to the point mechri of bloodshed haima as you struggle antagōnizomai against pros · ho sin hamartia. And kai have you forgotten eklanthanomai the ho word of encouragement paraklēsis that hostis speaks dialegomai to you hymeis as hōs sons hyios? “ My egō son hyios, do not regard lightly oligōreō the discipline paideia of the Lord kyrios, nor mēde lose heart eklyō when corrected elenchō by hypo him autos. For gar the Lord kyrios disciplines paideuō the one hos he loves agapaō, and de corrects with punishment mastigoō everyone pas whom hos he receives paradechomai as a son hyios.”

Endure hypomenō your trials hypomenō as eis divine discipline paideia. God theos is treating prospherō you hymeis as hōs sons hyios. · ho For gar what tis son hyios is there whom hos a father patēr does not ou discipline paideuō? But de if ei you are eimi left without chōris discipline paideia, in which hos all pas sons share metochos, then ara you are eimi illegitimate children nothos and kai not ou sons hyios. Furthermore eita, · ho we had echō · ho our hēmeis natural sarx fathers patēr who disciplined paideutēs us and kai we respected entrepō them. Should we not ou much polys · de more mallon submit ourselves hypotassō to the ho Father patēr of ho spirits pneuma and kai live zaō? 10 For gar they ho disciplined paideuō us for pros a short oligos time hēmera as kata it ho seemed dokeō best to them autos, but de he ho disciplines us for epi our ho benefit sympherō, so that eis we may share metalambanō · ho his autos holy character hagiotēs. 11 All pas · de discipline paideia at pros the ho time pareimi seems dokeō not ou to be eimi pleasant chara, but alla painful lypē; but de later hysteros it yields apodidōmi the peaceful eirēnikos fruit karpos of righteousness dikaiosynē to those ho who have been trained gymnazō by dia it autos.

12 Therefore dio strengthen anorthoō your ho drooping pariēmi hands cheir and kai · ho weakened paralyō knees gony 13 and kai make poieō straight orthos paths trochia for ho your hymeis feet pous, so that hina what ho is lame chōlos may not be dislocated ektrepō, but de rather mallon healed iaomai.

14 Strive for diōkō peace eirēnē with meta everyone pas, and kai for the ho holiness hagiasmos without chōris which hos no one oudeis will see horaō the ho Lord kyrios. 15 Take care episkopeō that no one tis forfeits hystereō apo the ho grace charis of ho God theos; and that no root rhiza of bitterness pikria grows phyō up anō and causes trouble enochleō and kai by dia it autos many polys are defiled miainō. 16 that no one tis becomes immoral pornos and ē profane bebēlos like hōs Esau ēsau, who hos gave up apodidōmi his heautou inheritance rights prōtotokia in return for anti a single heis meal brōsis. · ho 17 For gar you know oida that hoti even kai afterward metepeita, when he wanted thelō to inherit klēronomeō the ho blessing eulogia, he was rejected apodokimazō, for gar he found heuriskō no ou opportunity topos for repentance metanoia, even though kaiper he sought ekzēteō the blessing autos earnestly ekzēteō with meta tears dakryon.

18 For gar you have not ou come to proserchomai something that can be touched psēlaphaō, · kai to a blazing kaiō fire pyr, and kai darkness gnophos, and kai gloom zophos, and kai a whirlwind thuella; 19 · kai to ēchos the blast ēchos of a trumpet salpinx and kai a sound phōnē of words rhēma which hos made those ho who heard akouō it beg paraiteomai that no further message logos be given prostithēmi to them autos, 20 for gar they could not ou endure pherō the ho order that was given diastellō: “ If even kan a wild animal thērion touches thinganō the ho mountain oros, it shall be stoned lithoboleō.” 21 And kai so houtōs awesome phoberos was eimi the ho spectacle phantazō that Moses Mōysēs said legō, “ I am eimi terrified ekphobos and kai trembling entromos.”

22 On the contrary alla, you have come to proserchomai Mount oros Zion Siōn, even kai to the city polis of the living zaō God theos, the heavenly epouranios Jerusalem Ierousalēm, and kai to innumerable myrias angels angelos, to a joyful assembly panēgyris, 23 and kai to the assembly ekklēsia of the firstborn prōtotokos whose names are inscribed apographō in en heaven ouranos, and kai to God theos, the judge kritēs of all pas, and kai to the spirits pneuma of the righteous dikaios who have been made perfect teleioō, 24 and kai to Jesus Iēsous, mediator mesitēs of a new neos covenant diathēkē, and kai to sprinkled rhantismos blood haima speaking laleō more effectively kreittōn than para the ho blood of Abel Habel.

25 Take care blepō not to disregard paraiteomai the ho one who is speaking laleō! For gar if ei those ekeinos did not ou escape ekpheugō when they disregarded paraiteomai the ho one who warned chrēmatizō them on epi earth , how much polys less mallon will we hēmeis, if we ho reject apostrephō the ho one who warns from apo heaven ouranos. 26 At that time tote his hos · ho voice phōnē shook saleuō the ho earth , but de now nyn he has promised epangellomai, “ Yet eti once more hapax will I egō shake seiō not ou only monon the ho earth but alla also kai the ho heaven ouranos.” 27 The ho phrase, · de Yet eti once more hapax,” declares dēloō the ho removal metathesis of ho what can be shaken saleuō that is hōs, created things poieō so that hina what ho cannot be shaken saleuō may remain menō.

28 Therefore dio since we are receiving paralambanō a kingdom basileia that cannot be shaken asaleutos, let us be echō thankful charis, and in dia this way hos worship latreuō God theos in an acceptable manner euarestōs, · ho with meta reverence eulabeia and kai awe deos, 29 for gar indeed kai · ho our hēmeis God theos is a consuming katanaliskō fire pyr.