God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

In Jesus, God has shown us who he is

Many years ago, God spoke to our ancestors by his prophets.[a] He spoke many times and in many different ways. But in these last days, he has spoken to us in his Son.[b] In the beginning, God worked through his Son to make the whole universe. He decided that everything should belong to his Son. The Son shows us completely what God is like. He shines with God's great glory. His nature is the same as God's nature. The Son's powerful word causes everything to continue. He himself made it possible for us to be clean from our sins. After he had done that, he returned to heaven. He went and he sat at the right side of God, who rules with all authority.[c]

God's Son is greater than the angels

That shows us that God's Son is much greater than the angels. God has given him a name that shows he is more important than they are. God never said this to any angel:

‘You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.’[d]

In another place in the Bible, God says,

‘I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.’[e]

Also, when God was ready to bring his greatest Son into the world, he said:

‘All God's angels must worship him.’

God speaks about the angels like this:

‘God makes his angels like winds.
They serve him like fires that burn brightly.’

But this is what God says to his Son:

‘You are God and you will rule as King for ever!
You will rule your kingdom in a completely good way.
You love everything that is right.
And you hate everything that is wrong.
Because of that, you will be completely happy.
I am your God and I have blessed you.
I have chosen you to be greater than others who are with you.’

10 The Bible also says this:

‘Lord, in the beginning you made the earth.
With your own power, you also made everything above the earth.
11 All these things will come to an end.
But as for you, you will continue for ever.
Like clothes, those things will all become old.
12 Then you will put them away like an old coat.
You will change them, like people change clothes.
But you will always continue to be the same.
Your life will never come to an end.’

13 Also, God has never said this to any of the angels:

‘Sit at my right side until I win against your enemies completely.
Then you will be able to put your feet on them.’

14 So we see that all the angels are spirits who serve God. God sends them as his servants to help the people that he will save.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Before Jesus came, God sent his prophets to speak his messages to his people, the Israelites.
  2. 1:2 Jesus was much greater than any of the prophets. He did not just bring a message from God. He clearly showed God himself. He could do this because he is God's Son, not just a servant.
  3. 1:3 After Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, he rose up and went to sit ‘at the right side of God’. The right side is the most important place. This means that Jesus rules with the same power and authority as God himself.
  4. 1:5 See Psalms 2:7.
  5. 1:5 See 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13.