Bible in 90 Days

God Spoke Through His Son

1 ·In the past [Long ago] God spoke to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] through the prophets ·many times [or in a fragmentary/partial way; ^Lin many parts] and in many different ways. ² But now in these last days God has spoken to us through ·his Son [or a son; 1:3]. God has ·chosen [appointed] his Son to ·own [be heir/inheritor of] all things, and through him he made the ·world [universe; ages; ^Ccomprising both space and time; John 1:3]. ³ The Son ·reflects [or radiates; shines forth] the glory of God [John 1:14] and ·shows exactly what God is like [^Lis the exact representation/imprint/stamp of his being/essence/nature]. He ·holds everything together [sustains/upholds all things] with his powerful word. When the Son ·made people clean from their [^Lprovided purification/cleansing for] sins [9:14], he sat down at the right ·side [^Lhand; ^Cthe most honored position beside a king; Ps. 110:1] of ·God, the Great One in heaven [^Lthe Majesty/Preeminence in the highest places; ^Ca Jewish way to avoid saying the divine name of God]. ⁴ The Son became much ·greater [superior; better] than the angels, ·and [or just as; in the same way that] ·God gave him [^Lhe inherited] a name [^Ceither “Son” (v. 5), or referring to his nature or reputation] that is ·much greater than [far superior to] theirs.

⁵ This is because God never said to any of the angels,

·Nor did God say of any angel [^LAnd again],

⁶ And [^Lagain] when God brings ·his firstborn Son [^Lthe firstborn; Rom. 8:29] into the world, he says,

⁷ This is what God said about the angels:

⁸ But God said this about his Son:

¹⁰ God also says,

¹³ And God never said this to an angel:

¹⁴ ·All the angels are [^LAre they not…?] ·spirits who serve God [or ministering spirits] and are sent to ·help [serve] those who will ·receive [^Linherit] salvation.

Our Salvation Is Great

2 ·So [For this reason] we must ·be more careful to follow [pay even closer attention to] what we ·were taught [have heard]. Then we will not ·stray [drift] away from the truth. ² ·The teaching [^LIf/Since the message/word…] God spoke through angels [Acts 7:53] was shown to be ·true [firm; reliable], and ·anyone who did not follow it or obey it [every violation/transgression and disobedience] received the punishment that ·was earned [it deserved; was just]. ³ ·So surely we also will be punished [^LHow will we escape…?] if we ignore ·this [such a] great salvation. The Lord himself first ·told about [announced] this salvation, and those who heard him ·testified [confirmed to us] it was true. ⁴ God also ·testified to the truth of the message [joined in/confirmed their testimony] by using great signs, wonders, many kinds of ·miracles [acts of power], and by ·giving people [^Lthe distribution/apportioning of] gifts through the Holy Spirit, ·just as he wanted [or however he desired].

Christ Became like Us

⁵ [^LFor] God did not ·choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming [^Lsubject the world to come to angels], which is what we have been talking about. ⁶ ·It is written in the Scriptures [^LSomeone has testified somewhere],

[^LFor] When God ·put everything under their control [^Lsubjected everything to him], there was nothing left ·that they did not rule [uncontrolled; not subjected]. Still, [^Lnow; at the present time] we do not yet see ·them [or him; ^Creferring to humanity] ruling over everything. ⁹ But we see Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels. This was so that, by God’s grace, he could ·die [^Ltaste death] for everyone. And now, because he suffered and died, he is ·wearing a crown of [^Lcrowned with] glory and honor. [^CJesus fulfills humanity’s destiny: to be crowned with glory and honor; Ps. 8 (cited above).]

¹⁰ God is the One ·who made all things, and all things are for his glory [^Lthrough whom and for whom all things exist]. He wanted to ·have many children share his [lead/bring many children/sons to] glory, so [^Lit was fitting/appropriate that] he made the ·One who leads people to [Leader/Pioneer/Source of their] salvation perfect through suffering.

¹¹ [^LFor indeed] ·Jesus, [^Lthe one] who makes people holy, and those who are made holy ·are from the same family [or have the same Father; or have one origin; ^Lare all from one]. ·So [For this reason] he is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. ¹² He says,

¹³ He also says,

And he also says,

¹⁴ [^LTherefore] Since these children ·are people with physical bodies [have in common their flesh and blood], Jesus himself ·became like them [shared their humanity; ^Llikewise shared the same things]. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who were ·like slaves [held in slavery] all their lives because of their fear of death. ¹⁶ [^LFor] Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the ·people who are from [seed/descendants of] Abraham [^Cthe father of the Jewish nation; Gen. 12—25]. ¹⁷ For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way so he could ·be their [^Lbecome a] merciful and faithful high priest in ·service [^Lthe things pertaining] to God. Then Jesus could ·die in their place to take away [make atonement for; be the sacrifice that pays for; be the sacrifice that appeases God’s wrath against] ·their sins [^Lthe sins of the people]. ¹⁸ And now he can help those who are ·tempted [or tested], because he himself suffered and ·was tempted [or was tested; or passed the test].

Jesus Is Greater than Moses

3 ·So all of you [^LTherefore] holy brothers and sisters, who ·were called by God [are partners/partakers in a heavenly calling], ·think about [consider; focus on] Jesus, who ·was sent to us [or is our apostle; ^Ca commissioned messenger] and is the high priest ·of our faith [or whom we acknowledge/confess; ^Lof our confession]. ² Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him just as Moses was faithful in God’s ·family [household; house]. ³ Jesus ·has [deserves; is worthy of] more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. ⁴ [^LFor] Every house is built by someone, but the builder of everything is God himself. ⁵ Moses was faithful in ·God’s family [^Lall of God’s house; Num. 12:7] as a servant, and he ·told [testified to] what God would say in the future. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are God’s house if we ·confidently maintain our hope [or maintain our courage and confident hope].

We Must Continue to Follow God

⁷ So it is as the Holy Spirit says:

¹² So brothers and sisters, ·be careful [see to it] that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will ·turn you away from [desert; forsake] the living God. ¹³ But encourage each other every day while it is “today” [^Cmeaning the time of opportunity to be saved; v. 7]. ·Help [Encourage] each other so none of you will become hardened ·because sin has tricked you [by sin’s deception]. ¹⁴ [^LFor] We all ·share in [or have become partners with] Christ if [indeed; in fact] we ·keep [hold firm] till the end the sure ·faith [conviction; confidence] we had in the beginning. ¹⁵ This is what the Scripture says:

¹⁶ Who heard God’s voice and ·was against [rebelled against; provoked] him? ·It was [^LWas it not…?] all those people Moses led out of Egypt. ¹⁷ And with whom was God angry for forty years? ·He was angry [^LWas it not…?] with those who sinned, ·who died [^Lwhose corpses/bodies fell] in the desert [Num. 14:29, 32]. ¹⁸ And to whom ·was God talking when he promised [^Ldid he swear] that they would never enter his rest [v. 11]? He was talking to those who did not ·obey [or believe] him. ¹⁹ So we see they were not allowed to enter [^Cthe Promised Land and God’s promised rest] because ·they did not believe [of unbelief/faithlessness].

4 ·Now [Therefore], since ·God has left us the promise [the promise remains/still stands] that we may enter his rest, let us ·be very careful [beware; be wary/afraid] so none of you will ·fail to enter [appear/be found to fall short]. ² [^LFor] The ·Good News [Gospel] was preached to us just as it was to them. But the ·teaching [message; word] they heard did not help them, because they heard it but did not ·accept [combine; join] it with faith.^{[b] 3} [^LFor; Now] We who have believed are able to enter ·and have God’s rest [^Lthe rest]. As God has said,

But God’s work was finished from the ·time he made [foundation/creation of] the world. ⁴ ·In the Scriptures [^LFor somewhere] he talked about the seventh day of the week: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his works [Gen. 2:2].” ⁵ And again in ·the Scripture [or this passage; ^CPsalm 95, the passage the author has been discussing] God said, “They will never enter my rest [Ps. 95:11].”

⁶ ·It is still true that some people will [or This passage shows that some can still] enter God’s rest, but those who ·first [or formerly] ·heard the way to be saved [^Lhad the Good News/Gospel proclaimed to them] did not enter, because they did not ·obey [believe; remain faithful]. ⁷ So God ·planned [set; established; ordained] another day, called “today” [3:13]. He spoke about that day through David a long time later in the ·same Scripture used before [words quoted before]:

  ⁸ [^LFor; Now] If Joshua [^CMoses’ successor, who led God’s people into the Promised Land; Josh. 3—4] had ·led the people into that [^Lgiven them] rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹ This shows that the ·rest [^LSabbath rest; ^Csharing in the rest God enjoyed after Creation] for God’s people ·is still coming [or is still available; ^Lremains]. ¹⁰ [^LFor] Anyone who enters God’s rest ·will rest [or has also rested] from his work as God did. ¹¹ Let us ·try as hard as we can [strive; make every effort] to enter ·God’s [^Lthat] rest so that no one will ·fail [be lost; ^Lfall] by following the example of those who ·refused to obey [or did not believe; were unfaithful].

¹² [^LFor] God’s word is alive and ·working [active; powerful; effective] and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It ·cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones [^Lpenetrates until it divides even soul and spirit, joints and marrow]. And it ·judges [discerns] the ·thoughts [ideas] and ·feelings [attitudes; intentions] in our hearts. ¹³ ·Nothing in all the world [Nothing in all creation; or No creature] can be hidden from God. Everything is ·clear [naked] and ·lies open before him [^Lexposed to his eyes], and to him we must ·explain the way we have lived [give an account; answer].

Jesus Is Our High Priest

¹⁴ [^LTherefore] Since we have a great high priest [2:17–18], Jesus the Son of God, who has ·gone into [ascended to; or passed through] ·heaven [or the heavens], let us hold ·on [firmly] to ·the faith we have [^Lthe confession/profession; ^Cof our faith]. ¹⁵ ·For our high priest is able [^LFor we do not have a high priest who is unable] to ·understand [sympathize with] our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us, then, ·feel very sure that we can come before [^Lconfidently approach] God’s throne ·where there is grace [^Lof grace; ^Cas opposed to a throne of judgment and condemnation]. There we can receive mercy and ·grace [^Lfind grace] to help us ·when we need it [^Lat the right time].

5 [^LFor] Every high priest is chosen from among ·the people [human beings; ^Cto represent humans, the priest must himself be human] and is ·given the work of going before God for them [^Lappointed to represent people in things related to God] to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² Since he himself is weak [^Csubject to human frailty, both physical and moral], he is able to be gentle with those who ·do not understand [are ignorant] and who are ·doing wrong things [easily deceived; wayward; going astray]. ³ Because he is weak, the high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins and also for the sins of the people [Lev. 16].

⁴ To be a high priest is an honor, but no one ·chooses himself for this work [takes this office by his own authority; ^Ltakes this honor for himself]. He must be ·called [chosen] by God as Aaron was [^CMoses’ brother and Israel’s first high priest; Ex. 28:1]. ⁵ So also ·Christ [or the Messiah; ^Ceither a proper name or a title] did not ·choose himself to have the honor of being [^Lglorify/exalt himself by becoming] a high priest, but God ·chose [glorified; exalted] him. God said to him,

⁶ And in another Scripture God says,

⁷ ·While Jesus lived on earth [^LIn the days of his flesh/earthly life], he ·prayed to God and asked God for help [^Loffered prayers and petitions]. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because ·he trusted God [^Lof his reverence/devotion; ^Creferring especially to Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:41, 44]. ⁸ Even though Jesus was ·the Son of God [or a son; ^Cwith all the rights and privileges of an heir], he learned obedience by what he suffered [^Cthrough total obedience to God, Jesus achieved the glorified or perfected state God originally intended for human beings; 2:3–9]. ⁹ And ·because his obedience was perfect [or having achieved perfection], he ·was able to give [^Lbecame the source/means of] eternal salvation to all who obey him. ¹⁰ In this way God ·made [designated; appointed] Jesus a high priest, ·a priest like [^Lin the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek [v. 6; Ps. 110:4].

Warning Against Falling Away

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are so ·slow to understand [hard of hearing; ^Cspiritually]. ¹² By now you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again the ·first lessons [elementary truths; basic principles] of God’s ·message [revelation; oracles]. You still need ·the teaching that is like milk [^Lmilk]. You are not ready for solid food. ¹³ [^LFor] Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and ·knows nothing about [or is unskilled/inexperienced with] ·right teaching [or the message about righteousness]. ¹⁴ But solid food is for those who are ·grown up [mature]. ·They are mature enough […who through practice/exercise have trained their faculties/senses] to know the difference between good and evil.

6 ·So [Therefore] let us ·go on to grown-up teaching [^Lmove forward to maturity/completeness]. Let us ·not go back over [^Lleave behind] the ·beginning [rudimentary; elementary] ·lessons [teaching; ^Lword] we learned about ·Christ [or the Messiah; 5:5]. We should not again ·start teaching [^Llay a foundation] about ·turning away [repentance] from ·those acts that lead to death [or useless works; ^Ldead works] and about faith in God. ² We should not return to the teaching about baptisms [^Ceither Christian baptism or Jewish ceremonial washings], about laying on of hands [^Ca ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority], about the raising of the dead and eternal judgment [^Cthese may be Jewish practices or foundational Christian teaching]. ³ And we will ·go on to grown-up teaching [^Ldo this] if God allows.

⁴ For it is impossible to ·bring back again to a changed life [^Lrenew again to repentance] those who were once ·in God’s light [enlightened], and ·enjoyed [experienced; ^Ltasted] ·heaven’s gift [or the heavenly gift; ^Cperhaps the gift of salvation], and ·shared in [partook of] the Holy Spirit. ⁵ They ·found out [^Ltasted] how good God’s word is, and ·they received [^Ltasted] the ·powers [miracles] of ·his new world [the coming age/world]. ⁶ If they have ·fallen away [committed apostasy], it is impossible to ·bring them back to a changed life again [^Lrenew them again to repentance], because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are ·shaming him in front of others [making a public disgrace/exhibition of him].

⁷ ·Some people are like land that gets plenty of rain and [^LLand that drinks in the abundance of rain] produces a ·good [useful] crop for those who ·work [farm] it. That land receives God’s blessings. ⁸ ·Other people are like land that [^LBut if it…] grows thorns and ·weeds [thistles] and is worthless. It is about to be cursed by God and ·will be destroyed by fire [^Lits end/fate is burning].

⁹ ·Dear friends [Loved ones; ^TBeloved], we are saying this to you, but we ·really expect [are convinced/confident of] better things from you that ·will lead to [or accompany; come with] your salvation. ¹⁰ [For] God is ·fair [^Lnot unjust]; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed ·for him [^Lin his name] by ·helping [serving] his ·people [holy people; ^Tsaints]. And he will remember that you are still ·helping [serving] them. ¹¹ We ·want [desire for] each of you to ·go on with the same hard work [demonstrate the same zeal/diligence] ·all your lives [^Luntil the end] ·so you will surely get what you hope for [or until your hope is fulfilled/attained]. ¹² We do not want you to become ·lazy [sluggish; ^Cin contrast to diligent; v. 11]. Be ·like [^Limitators of] those who through faith and ·patience [endurance] will ·receive [inherit] what God has promised.

¹³ [^LFor] God made a promise to Abraham. And as there is no one greater than God, he ·used himself [vowed by his own name; ^Lswore by himself] when he swore to Abraham, ¹⁴ saying, “I will ·surely [or greatly] bless you and ·give you many [greatly multiply your] descendants [Gen. 22:17].” ¹⁵ Abraham ·waited patiently for this to happen [persevered], and he received what God promised.

¹⁶ [^LFor] People always ·use the name of [^Lswear by] someone greater than themselves when they swear. The oath ·proves [is confirmation] that what they say is true, and this ·ends all arguing [or settles the dispute; ^Can oath by a higher authority is taken as a legal guarantee]. ¹⁷ God wanted to ·make very clear [demonstrate convincingly] to ·those who would get what he promised [^Lthe heirs of the promise] that his ·purposes [or plans] never change, so he ·made [^Lconfirmed/guaranteed it with] an oath. ¹⁸ These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things greatly encourage us, who ·came [^Lhave fled] to God for safety, to hold on to the hope ·we have been given [^Lset before us]. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for ·the soul [our lives], ·sure [stable; secure] and ·strong [reliable; unshifting]. It enters behind the curtain in the ·Most Holy Place in heaven [^Linner place/sanctuary], ²⁰ where Jesus has gone ·ahead of us [^Las a forerunner] ·and for us [on our behalf]. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek [Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6, 10; 7:1–17].

The Priest Melchizedek

7 Melchizedek [^Ca priest and king in the time of Abraham; Gen. 14:17–24; Heb. 5:6, 10; 6:20] was the king of Salem [^Canother name for Jerusalem, meaning “peace”; v. 2] and a priest for God Most High. He met Abraham when Abraham was coming back after ·defeating [^Lthe slaughter of] the kings [Gen. 14:17–19]. When they met, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, ² and Abraham ·gave [^Lapportioned/divided to] him a ·tenth [tithe] ·of everything he had brought back from the battle [^Lof everything]. First, Melchizedek’s name means “king of ·goodness [righteousness; justice],” and he is king of Salem [^Canother name for Jerusalem], which means “king of peace.” ³ ·No one knows who Melchizedek’s father or mother was [^L…without father, without mother], ·where he came from [^Lwithout genealogy], ·when he was born, or when he died [^Lhaving neither beginning of days, nor end of life; ^Csomething unstated was assumed not to exist]. Melchizedek is like the Son of God; he continues being a priest forever [^CMelchizedek’s unmentioned genealogy in Genesis is, by analogy, like Jesus’ eternal Sonship and priesthood].

⁴ You can see how great Melchizedek was. Abraham, the ·great father [patriarch], gave him a tenth of ·everything that he won in battle [the spoils/booty/plunder]. ⁵ Now the law ·says [authorizes; commands] that those ·in the tribe [^Lof the sons/descendants] of Levi who become priests must collect a ·tenth [tithe] from the people—their ·own people [^Lbrothers (and sisters)]—even though ·the priests and the people [^Lthey] ·are from the family [are also descendants; ^Lhave come from the loins/body] of Abraham. ⁶ [^LBut] Melchizedek was not ·from the tribe of Levi [^Ldescended from them; v. 3; ^Che was not from the Levitical line of priests], but he collected a ·tenth [tithe] from Abraham. And he blessed Abraham, the man who had God’s promises [Gen. 12:1–3]. ⁷ Now ·everyone knows [it is indisputable] that the ·more important person blesses the less important person [^Llesser/inferior is blessed by the greater/superior]. ⁸ ·Priests receive a tenth, even though they are only men who live and then die [^LIn the one case, mortal men receive a tithe,…]. ·But Melchizedek, who received a tenth from Abraham, continues living, as the Scripture says [^L…but in the other case, the one (receives the tithe) who is declared (by Scripture) to be alive]. ⁹ We might even say that Levi, who receives a ·tenth [tithe], also paid it when Abraham paid Melchizedek a tenth. ¹⁰ Levi was not yet born, but he was in the ·body [loins] of his ancestor when Melchizedek met Abraham [^Cthe Levitical priesthood is considered inferior to Melchizedek’s (and Christ’s) priesthood, since Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek through his ancestor Abraham].

¹¹ ·The people were given the law concerning the system of priests from the tribe of Levi, but they could not be made perfect through that system [^LIf perfection could be attained through the Levitical priesthood, established for the people in the law…]. ·So there was [^L…why was there…?] a need for another priest to come, a priest ·like [^Lin the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek, not [^Lin the priestly order/line of] Aaron [^CMoses’ brother and Israel’s first high priest (5:4; Ex. 28:1); the existence of Melchizedek’s priestly line implies that the priesthood through Levi and Aaron was inadequate]. ¹² And when a different ·kind of priest [priesthood; priestly line] comes, the law must be changed, too. ¹³ ·We are saying these things about Christ, who [^LFor the one about whom these things are said] belonged to a different tribe [^CJesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, not Levi]. No one from that tribe [^CJudah] ever served as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴ It is clear that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests belonging to that tribe [^Cthe kings from David’s line (including Jesus) came from the tribe of Judah, but the OT priesthood came through Levi and Aaron].

Jesus Is like Melchizedek

¹⁵ And this becomes even more clear ·when we see that [^Lif] another priest ·comes [arises; appears on the scene] who is like Melchizedek [vv. 1–14]. ¹⁶ He was not made a priest by ·human rules and laws [or regulations about physical descent/ancestry] but through the power of his life, which ·continues forever [or is indestructable]. ¹⁷ [^LFor] It is said about him,

¹⁸ The ·old [former] ·rule [commandment; regulation] is now ·set aside [nullified; abolished], because it was weak and ·useless [ineffective]. ¹⁹ The law [^Cof Moses] could not make anything perfect. But now a better hope has been given to us, and ·with [by means of; through] this hope we can ·come near to [approach] God. ²⁰ ·It is important that God did this with an oath [^LAnd it was not without an oath]. Others became priests without an oath, ²¹ but ·Christ [^Lhe] became a priest with an oath, ·when God said [^Lby the one who said] to him:

²² ·This means that [Because of this oath,] Jesus is the guarantee of a better ·agreement from God to his people [covenant; contract; 8:7–13; Jer. 31:31–34; ^Cthe new covenant is greater than the old (the law of Moses) because it provides true forgiveness of sins].

²³ When one of the other priests died, he could not continue being a priest. So there were many priests. ²⁴ But because Jesus ·lives [remains; abides] forever, he ·will never stop serving as priest [^Lhas a permanent/eternal priesthood]. ²⁵ So he is able ·always to save [or to save completely/forever] those who come to God through him because he always lives, ·asking God to help [interceding for] them.

²⁶ ·Jesus is the kind of high priest we need [^LFor such a high priest is indeed suited/fitting for us]. He is holy, ·sinless [innocent; blameless], ·pure [undefiled], ·not influenced by [set apart from] sinners, and he is ·raised above the heavens [or having the highest place in heaven]. ²⁷ He is not like the other priests who had to offer sacrifices every day, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. Christ offered his sacrifice only once and for all time [9:12; 10:10] when he offered himself. ²⁸ The law ·chooses [designates; appoints] high priests who are people with weaknesses [5:2], but the word of God’s oath came later than the law. It made God’s Son to be the high priest, and that Son has been made perfect forever [2:10; 5:9].

Jesus Is Our High Priest

8 Here is the [main; most important] point of what we are saying: We have a high priest who sits on the right side of ·God’s [^Lthe Majesty’s] throne in heaven. ² Our high priest ·serves [ministers; performs priestly service] in the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; ^Lholy things], the true ·place of worship [Tabernacle; Holy Tent; Ex. 33:7] that was made by the Lord, not by humans.

³ [^LFor] Every high priest ·has the work of offering [is appointed to offer] gifts and sacrifices to God. So our high priest must also ·offer something to God [^Lhave something to offer]. ⁴ If our high priest were now living on earth, he would not be a priest, because there are already priests here who follow the law by offering gifts to God. ⁵ ·The work they do as priests [or The sanctuary in which they serve] is only a ·copy [model; prototype] and a shadow of what is in heaven. This is why God warned Moses when he was ready to build the ·Holy Tent [^TTabernacle]: “Be very careful to make everything by the ·plan [pattern; design] I showed you on the mountain [Ex. 25:40].” ⁶ But the priestly ·work [service; ministry] that has been given to Jesus is ·much greater than [far superior to] the work that was given to the other priests. In the same way, the new ·agreement [covenant; contract] that Jesus ·brought from God to his people [^Lmediates] is much ·greater [better] than the old one. And the new ·agreement [covenant; contract] is ·based [founded; legally enacted] on ·promises of better things [^Lbetter promises; ^Call God’s promises are reliable, but these promises bring greater blessings].

⁷ If there had been ·nothing wrong [no fault] with the first ·agreement [covenant; contract; ^Cgiven to Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai], there would have been no ·need for [or reason to look for; or occasion for God to establish] a second ·agreement [^Lone; ^Cthe Mosaic covenant was insufficient because it did not provide true forgiveness of sins; 10:1]. ⁸ But God ·found something wrong with his people and said [or found fault with the covenant, and said to his people]:^[c]

¹³ God called this a new ·agreement [covenant; contract], so he has made ·the first agreement [^Lthe first one] ·old [obsolete; outdated]. And anything that is ·old [obsolete; outdated] and worn out is ready to disappear.

The Old Agreement

9 The first ·agreement [covenant; contract; ^Cgiven to Israel through Moses; 8:7, 13] had ·rules [regulations; requirements] for worship and a ·place on earth for worship [^Learthly sanctuary/holy place]. ² The ·Holy Tent [^TTabernacle; Ex. 25:8–9; 26:1] was ·set up [constructed; prepared] for this. The first area in the Tent was called the Holy Place. In it were the lampstand [Ex. 25:31–39] and the table [Ex. 25:23–30] with the ·bread that was made holy for God [consecrated bread; bread of presentation/offering; Ex. 25:30; Lev. 24:5–8]. ³ Behind the second curtain was a ·room [section; ^Ltent] called the ·Most Holy Place [^THoly of Holies; Ex. 26:31–34]. ⁴ In it was a golden altar for burning incense [Lev. 16:12–13] and the ·Ark [box; chest] ·that held the old agreement [^Lof the covenant/contract; Ex. 25:10; 26:33], covered [^Lcompletely; on all sides] with gold. Inside this Ark was a golden jar of manna [Ex. 16:33–34], Aaron’s rod that once grew leaves [Num. 17:1–11], and the stone tablets of the ·old agreement [covenant; contract; Ex. 25:16; 40:20; Deut. 10:2]. ⁵ Above the Ark were the ·creatures that showed God’s glory [or glorious cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; ^Cangelic beings representing God’s presence and glory; Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 9:3; 10:1–22], ·whose wings reached over [^Lovershadowing] the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover; Lev. 16:2]. But we cannot ·tell everything about [discuss in detail] these things now.

⁶ When everything was made ready in this way, the priests went into the ·first room [outer room; ^Lfirst tent] ·every day [regularly] to ·worship [serve; minister; perform their priestly duties; Num. 28:3]. ⁷ But only the high priest could go into the ·second room [inner room; ^Lsecond one], and he did that only once a year [Ex. 30:10; Lev. 16:15, 34]. He could never enter the inner room without taking blood [^Cfrom the sacrificial animal] with him, which he offered to God for himself and for sins the people did ·without knowing they did them [unintentionally; in ignorance]. ⁸ The Holy Spirit uses this to show that the way into the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; ^Lholy things; ^THoly of Holies] ·was not open [or had not yet been revealed] while the ·system of the old Holy Tent [or outer room of the Tabernacle; ^Lfirst tent/Tabernacle] was still ·being used [in place; standing]. ⁹ This is an ·example [illustration; symbol] for the present time. It shows that the gifts and sacrifices offered cannot make the conscience of the worshiper ·perfect [clear; pure]. ¹⁰ These gifts and sacrifices were only about food and drink and special [ceremonial; ritual] washings. They were ·rules for the body [or external regulations], ·to be followed [in force; applying] until the time of God’s ·new way [reformation; new order].

The New Agreement

¹¹ But when Christ came as the high priest of the good things ·we now have^[d] [^Lthat have come], he entered the greater and more perfect ·tent [^Ttabernacle]. It is not made ·by humans [^Lwith hands] and does not belong to this ·world [creation; created order]. ¹² Christ entered the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; ^Lholy things; ^THoly of Holies] ·only once—and for all time [^Lonce for all; 7:27; 10:10]. ·He did not take with him [^L…not by means of] the blood of goats and calves. ·His sacrifice was [^L…but by means of] his own blood, and by it he ·set us free from sin forever [^Lobtained/secured eternal redemption/liberation]. ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls [Lev. 16:14–16] and the ashes of a ·cow [young cow; heifer; Num. 19:2, 17–18] are sprinkled on the people who are [^Critually] unclean, and this ·makes their bodies clean again [restores their body to ritual purity]. ¹⁴ How much more is done by the blood of Christ. He offered himself through the eternal ·Spirit [or spirit; ^Cmost likely the Holy Spirit, though possibly Christ’s own eternal spirit, or as a “spiritual” and eternal sacrifice] as a ·perfect [unblemished] sacrifice to God. His blood [^Csignifying his sacrificial death] will make our consciences ·pure [cleansed] from ·useless acts [or acts that lead to death; ^Ldead works; 6:1] so we may ·serve [worship; offer priestly service for] the living God.

¹⁵ For this reason Christ ·brings a new agreement from God to his people [^Lis the mediator of a new covenant/contract]. Those who are called by God can now receive the eternal ·blessings [inheritance] he has promised. They can have those things because Christ died to ·set them free [redeem them] from the ·sins [transgressions; violations] committed under the first agreement [covenant; contract].

¹⁶ When there is a ·will [last will and testament; ^Cthe same Greek word translated “agreement” in v. 15; the author develops his illustration from the various meanings of the word], it must be proven that the one who wrote that ·will [last will and testament] is dead. ¹⁷ [^LFor; Because] A ·will [last will and testament] ·means nothing [carries no force] while the person is alive; it can ·be used [take effect] only after the person dies. ¹⁸ This is why even the first ·agreement [covenant; contract; ^Cthe same Greek word as “will” in vv. 16–17] could not ·begin [be inaugurated/put into effect] without blood [^Cthe death of a sacrificial animal]. ¹⁹ First, Moses told all the people every command in the law. Next he took the blood of calves^[e] and mixed it with water. Then he used ·red [scarlet] wool and a branch of the hyssop plant to sprinkle it on the book of the law and on all the people. ²⁰ He said, “This is the blood ·that begins [that seals/confirms; ^Lof] the ·Agreement [Covenant; Contract] that God commanded you to ·obey [keep; Ex. 24:8].” ²¹ In the same way, Moses sprinkled the blood on the ·Holy Tent [^TTabernacle] and over all the ·things [vessels; utensils] used in worship. ²² The law says that almost everything must be ·made clean [purified; cleansed] by blood, and sins cannot be forgiven without ·blood to show death [the shedding of blood; ^Csignifying death to pay the penalty of sin].

Christ’s Death Takes Away Sins

²³ So the ·copies [symbols; models; prototypes] of the real things in heaven had to be ·made clean [purified; cleansed] by animal sacrifices. But the real things in heaven need much better sacrifices. ²⁴ [^LFor] Christ did not go into ·the Most Holy Place [a sanctuary; ^Lholy things] made by ·humans [^Lhands], which is only a ·copy [model; or prefiguration] of the real one. He went into heaven itself and ·is there [appears] now ·before [in the presence of] God ·to help us [for us; on our behalf]. ²⁵ The high priest enters the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; ^Lholy things; ^THoly of Holies] once every year with blood that is not his own. But Christ did not offer himself many times. ²⁶ ·Then [Otherwise; In such a case,] he would have had to suffer many times ·since the world was made [from the foundation/creation of the world]. But Christ ·came [appeared] ·only once and for all time [once for all; 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:10] at the ·end [culmination; climax] of ·the present age [time; ^Lthe ages] to ·take away all [nullify; abolish] sin by sacrificing himself. ²⁷ Just as ·everyone [^Lpeople] ·must [is/are destined/appointed to] die once and ·then be judged [^Tafter this the judgment], ²⁸ so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to ·take away [bear] the sins of many people [Is. 53:12]. And he will ·come [appear] a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

10 The law is only an ·unclear picture [^Lshadow] of the good things coming in the future; it is not the ·real thing [reality itself; true image of them]. The people under the law offer the same sacrifices every year, but these sacrifices can never make perfect those who come near to worship God. ² If the law could make them perfect, the sacrifices would have already ·stopped [ceased; been abolished]. The worshipers would ·be made clean [^Lhave been cleansed/purified once for all; ^Cforever], and they would no longer have a ·sense of [consciousness of; feeling of guilt about] sin. ³ But these sacrifices remind them of their sins every year, ⁴ because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ So when ·Christ [^Lhe] came into the world, he said:

  ⁸ In this Scripture ·he first said [or cited above he said], “You did not ·want [desire] sacrifices and offerings. You ·did not ask for [were not pleased with; took no delight in] burnt offerings and offerings to take away sins [v. 6].” (These are all sacrifices that the law ·commands [requires; prescribes].) ⁹ Then he said, “·Look [or Here I am; ^TBehold], I have come to do ·what you want [your will; v. 7].” God ·ends [abolishes; takes away] the ·first system of sacrifices [^Lfirst] so he can ·set up [establish] the ·new system [^Lsecond]. ¹⁰ And ·because of this [^Lby God’s will/desire/intention], we are ·made holy [sanctified; set apart to God] through the sacrifice Christ made in his body ·once and for all time [^Lonce for all; 7:27; 9:12, 26].

¹¹ ·Every day [Day after day] ·the priests [^Levery priest] stand and do their ·religious [priestly] service, ·often [again and again] offering the same sacrifices. Those sacrifices can never take away sins. ¹² But after ·Christ [^Lthis one; ^Cthis priest] offered one sacrifice for sins, forever, he sat down at the right ·side [^Lhand] of God [1:3, 13; Ps. 110:1a]. ¹³ And now ·Christ [^Lhe] waits there for his enemies to be ·put under his power [^Lmade a footstool for his feet; 1:13; Ps. 110:1b]. ¹⁴ With one ·sacrifice [offering] he made perfect forever those who are being ·made holy [sanctified; set apart to God].

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also ·tells [testifies/bears witness to] us about this. First he says:

¹⁷ Then he says:

¹⁸ Now when these have been forgiven, there is no more need for a ·sacrifice [offering] for sins.

Continue to Trust God

¹⁹ So, brothers and sisters, ·we are completely free [^Lsince we have confidence…; ^Cthis “since” clause continues through v. 22] to enter the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; ^Lholy things; ^THoly of Holies] without fear ·because of [or by means of] the blood of Jesus’ death. ²⁰ We can enter through a new and living way that Jesus ·opened [or restored; renewed; or inaugurated] for us. It leads through the curtain—Christ’s ·body [^Tflesh; ^Clike the curtain of the Most Holy Place, Christ’s body, sacrificed for us, provides access to the presence of God]. ²¹ And since we have a great priest over God’s house, ²² let us come near to God with a ·sincere [true] heart and a ·sure [confident] faith, because we have ·been made free [^Lhad our hearts sprinkled; ^Csacrificial blood was sprinkled on people and things to purify them] from a ·guilty [evil] conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water [^Cwater was used in Judaism for ritual purification]. ²³ Let us hold ·firmly [without wavering] to the hope that we have confessed, because ·we can trust God to do what he promised [^Lthe one who promised is faithful].

²⁴ Let us think about ·each other and help each other [or how to provoke/rouse/encourage each another] to show love and do good deeds. ²⁵ You should not ·stay away from [neglect; forsake] ·the church meetings [meeting together], as some are doing [^Csome were abandoning Christianity and returning to Judaism], but you should encourage each other [^Cto stay faithful to Christ and to other believers], and even more so as you see the day coming [^Cthe day of the Lord, when Christ will return].

²⁶ If we ·decide to [deliberately] go on sinning after we have learned the ·truth [^Lknowledge of the truth], there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. ²⁷ There is nothing but ·fear in waiting for the [a fearful/terrifying expectation/prospect of] judgment and the ·terrible [raging; furious] fire that will ·destroy [consume; devour] ·all those who live against God [the enemies of God; ^Lthose who oppose; the adversaries]. ²⁸ Anyone who ·refused to obey [rejected; disregarded] the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the basis of the ·evidence [testimony] provided by two or three witnesses [Deut. 17:6]. ²⁹ So how much worse punishment do you think is deserved by those who ·do not respect [trample on; show contempt for] the Son of God, who ·look at the blood of the agreement that made them holy as no different from others’ blood [^Lprofane/treat as unholy/common the blood of the covenant], who insult the Spirit of God’s grace? ³⁰ We know that God said, “·I will punish those who do wrong [^TVengeance is mine]; I will repay them [Deut. 32:35].” And he also said, “The Lord will judge his people [Deut. 32:36; Ps. 135:14].” ³¹ It is a ·terrible [dreadful; terrifying] thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² Remember those ·days in the past [or early days of your faith] when you first ·learned the truth [^Lwere enlightened]. You ·remained strong [endured; persevered] through a hard struggle with many sufferings. ³³ Sometimes you were ·hurt and attacked before crowds of people [^Lexposed to public shame/ridicule and persecution/oppression], and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. ³⁴ You ·helped [had sympathy for; or suffered with] the prisoners [^Cprobably Christians imprisoned for their faith]. You even had joy when ·all that you owned [your property] was ·taken from you [seized; confiscated], because you knew you had ·something [^La possession; property] better and more lasting.

³⁵ So do not ·lose [throw away] ·the courage you had in the past [or your confident trust in God; or your boldness], which has a great reward. ³⁶ You must ·hold on [persevere; endure], so you can do ·what God wants [the will of God] and receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For in a very short time [Is. 26:20],

³⁹ But we are not those who ·turn back [shrink back] and are ·lost [destroyed]. We are people who have faith ·and are saved [leading to the possession/ preservation of life/the soul].

What Is Faith?

11 Faith means ·being sure [the assurance; or the tangible reality; or the sure foundation] of the things we hope for and ·knowing that something is real even if we do not see it [the conviction/assurance/evidence about things not seen]. ² Faith is the reason ·we remember [or God commended/approved] ·great people who lived in the past [the people of old; the ancients; our spiritual ancestors].

³ It is by faith we understand that the ·whole world [universe; cosmos; ages] was made by God’s ·command [word; Gen. 1] so what we see was ·made by something that cannot be seen [^Lnot made from/by visible things].

⁴ It was by faith that Abel offered God a ·better [more acceptable] sacrifice than Cain [Gen. 4:4–8]. God ·said he was pleased with [commended him for; bore testimony to] the gifts Abel offered and ·called Abel [commended him as; testified that he was] a ·good [righteous] man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking [12:24].

⁵ It was by faith that Enoch was taken to heaven so he would not ·die [experience/^Lsee death]. He could not be found, because God had taken him away [Gen. 5:22–24]. Before he was taken, ·the Scripture says that he was [^Lhe was commended as] a man who truly pleased God. ⁶ [^LAnd] Without faith no one can please God. [^LFor; Because] Anyone who comes to God must believe that he ·is real [exists] and that he rewards those who ·truly want to find [earnestly/sincerely seek] him.

⁷ It was by faith that Noah heard God’s warnings about things he could not yet see [Gen. 6:13–22]. He ·obeyed God [responded with reverent fear] and built a ·large boat [^Tark] to save his ·family [household]. By his faith, Noah ·showed that the world was wrong [^Lcondemned/pronounced judgment against the world], and he became ·one of those who are made right with God [^Lan heir of the righteousness that comes] through faith.

⁸ It was by faith Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to another place ·God promised to give him [^Lhe would later receive as an inheritance; Gen. 12:1–4, 7]. He left his own country, not knowing where he was ·to go [going]. ⁹ It was by faith that he lived like a ·foreigner [stranger; resident alien] in the ·country God promised to give him [Promised Land]. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who ·had received [were co-heirs of] that same promise from God. ¹⁰ [^LFor] Abraham was waiting for the city [^Cthe heavenly Jerusalem, symbolic of the presence of God; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 21:2] that has real foundations—the city ·planned and built by [^Lwhose architect/designer and builder is] God.

¹¹ ·He was too old to have children, and Sarah [or Sarah was too old and] ·could not have children [was barren/sterile]. It was by faith that ·Abraham was made able to become a father, because he [or Sarah was made able to bear children, because she] ·trusted God [^Lconsidered God faithful/trustworthy] to do what he had promised^[f] [Gen. 21:2]. ¹² This man was so old he was ·almost [as good as] dead, but from ·him [^Lone man] ·came [^Lwere fathered/^Tbegotten] as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Like the sand on the seashore, they could not be counted [Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 32:12].

¹³ All these great people died in faith. They did not ·get [receive] the things that God promised his people, but they saw them ·coming far in the future [^Lfrom afar] and ·were glad [welcomed/greeted them]. They ·said [acknowledged/recognized that] they were like ·strangers [foreigners] and ·visitors [sojourners; refugees; resident aliens] on earth. ¹⁴ When people say such things, they show they are looking for a ·country that will be their own [homeland]. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they ·could have gone back [^Lwould have had an opportunity to return]. ¹⁶ But [as it is; ^Lnow] they were ·waiting [desiring; longing] for a better country—a heavenly one. So God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷ It was by faith that Abraham, when God tested him, offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice [Gen. 22:1–10]. ·God made the promises to Abraham, but Abraham [^LThe one who received the promises] was ready to offer his ·own [unique; one of a kind; John 3:16] son as a sacrifice. ¹⁸ God had said, “·The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac [Through Isaac your offspring/seed will carry on your name; Gen. 21:12].” ¹⁹ Abraham ·believed [considered; reasoned] that God ·could [had the power to] raise the dead, and ·really [in one sense; in a manner of speaking; figuratively speaking], it was as if Abraham ·got [received] Isaac back from death.

²⁰ It was by faith that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau ·in regard to their future [^Lconcerning things to come; Gen. 27]. ²¹ It was by faith that Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each one of Joseph’s sons [Gen. 49]. Then he ·worshiped [or bowed in reverent worship] as he leaned on the top of his ·walking stick [staff; Gen. 47:31].

²² It was by faith that Joseph, while he was dying, spoke about ·the Israelites leaving Egypt [^Lthe exodus of the children/sons of Israel] and ·gave instructions [commanded] about ·what to do with his body [^Lhis bones; Gen. 50:24–25; Ex. 13:19].

²³ It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born [Ex. 2:2–3]. [^L…because] They saw that Moses was a ·beautiful baby [or special child], and they were not ·afraid to disobey [intimidated by; ^Lafraid of] the king’s order.

²⁴ It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of ·the king of Egypt’s [^LPharaoh’s] daughter [Ex. 2:10]. ²⁵ He chose to ·suffer [be mistreated/oppressed] with God’s people instead of enjoying ·sin for a short time [^Lthe temporary/fleeting pleasures of sin]. ²⁶ He thought it was better to suffer ·for [the disgrace/stigma/ humilation of] ·Christ [or the Messiah/Anointed One] than to have all the treasures of Egypt, because ·he was looking for [or his eyes were fixed on] God’s reward. ²⁷ It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger [Ex. 10:28–29]. Moses ·continued strong [persevered; was resolute] as if he could see the ·God that no one can see [^Lone who is invisible; v. 13]. ²⁸ It was by faith that Moses ·prepared [celebrated; kept] the Passover [Ex. 12] and ·spread the blood on the doors [^Lthe sprinkling of blood; 10:22] so the ·one who brings death [destroyer] would not ·kill [^Ltouch] the firstborn sons of Israel [Ex. 12:7, 13, 29–30].

²⁹ It was by faith that the people crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land [Ex. 14:21–30]. But when the Egyptians tried it, they were ·drowned [destroyed; ^Lswallowed].

³⁰ It was by faith that the walls of Jericho fell after the people had ·marched around [encircled] them for seven days [Josh. 6].

³¹ It was by faith that Rahab, the prostitute, ·welcomed [^Lwelcomed with peace] the spies and ·was not killed [did not perish] with ·those who refused to obey God [the disobedient; or the unbelievers; Josh. 2].

³² ·Do I need to give more examples [^LWhat more shall I say]? I do not have time to tell you about Gideon [Judg. 6—8], Barak [Judg. 4], Samson [Judg. 13—16], Jephthah [Judg. 10:6—12:15], David [1 Sam. 16—1 Kin. 2], Samuel [1 Sam. 1—16], and the prophets. ³³ Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They ·did what was right [practiced righteousness; or administered justice], received ·God’s promises [or what God promised], and shut the mouths of lions [Dan. 6]. ³⁴ They ·stopped [quenched; extinguished] great fires and ·were saved [escaped; fled] from being killed with swords. ·They were weak, and yet were made strong [Their strength was turned to weakness; or They recovered from illnesses]. They were powerful in battle and ·defeated [routed; drove back] ·other [foreign] armies. ³⁵ Women received their dead relatives raised back to life [1 Kin. 17:22; 2 Kin. 4:35]. [But] Others were tortured and refused to accept ·their freedom [release; redemption] so they could ·be raised from the dead [gain/obtain a resurrection] to a better life. ³⁶ Some were ·laughed at [mocked] and ·beaten [flogged; scourged]. Others were put in chains and thrown into prison [Gen. 39:20; Jer. 20:2; 37:15]. ³⁷ They were stoned to death [1 Kin. 21:13], they were ·cut [sawn] in half [^CJewish tradition reported that Isaiah was martyred this way],^[g] and they were killed with swords [1 Kin. 19:10; Jer. 26:23]. Some ·wore [^Ltraveled about in] the skins of sheep and goats. They were ·poor [destitute], ·abused [persecuted; oppressed], and treated badly. ³⁸ The world was not ·good enough for [worthy of] them! They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the earth.

³⁹ All these people ·are known for [were commended for; or won approval through] their faith, but none of them received what God had promised. ⁴⁰ God ·planned to give us [had provided] something better so that they would be made perfect, but ·only together with us [^Lnot without us].

Follow Jesus’ Example

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of ·people whose lives tell us what faith means [^Lwitnesses], let us run the race that is before us ·and never give up [with endurance/perseverance]. ·We should [Let us] ·remove from our lives [get rid of; cast aside] anything that ·would get in the way [impedes/hinders us] and the sin that so easily ·holds us back [entangles/clings to us]. ² Let us ·look only to [keep our eyes on] Jesus, the ·One who began [Pioneer/Founder of; or Leader/Prince of] our faith and who ·makes it perfect [completes it]. He ·suffered death on [^Lendured] the cross, ·accepting the shame as if it were nothing [^Ldisregarding/despising the shame] because of the joy that ·God put before [lay ahead for] him. And now he is sitting at the right ·side [^Lhand] of God’s throne [1:3; 13; Ps. 110:1]. ³ Think about Jesus, who endured such ·hostility [opposition] from sinful people, so that you will not ·get tired [grow weary; get discouraged] and ·stop trying [give up].

God Is like a Father

⁴ You are struggling against sin, but your ·struggles [resistance; opposition] have not yet ·caused you to be killed [resulted in bloodshed/^Lblood]. ⁵ ·You have forgotten [or Have you forgotten…?] the ·encouraging words [exhortation] that ·call you his [or address you as] ·children [or sons]:

⁷ ·So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline [^LPersevere in discipline]. God is treating you as ·children [or sons]. ·All children are [^LFor what child/son is not…?] disciplined by their fathers. ⁸ If you are never disciplined (and every ·child [or son] must be disciplined), you are ·not true children [^Lillegitimate and not (true) children/sons]. ⁹ [Furthermore; Moreover] We have all had ·fathers [or parents] here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from ·the Father of our spirits [or our spiritual Father; or the Father of all spirit beings; 12:23; Num. 16:22] so we will have [^Ceternal or true spiritual] life. ¹⁰ ·Our fathers on earth [^LThey] disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us ·to help us [for our good/benefit], so we can ·become holy as he is [^Lshare in his holiness]. ¹¹ We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have ·learned from [been trained by] it, ·we have peace [^Lit produces/bears the fruit of peace], ·because we start living in the right way [or …and righteousness].

Be Careful How You Live

¹² ·You have become weak, so make yourselves strong again [^LTherefore, strengthen your drooping arms/hands and your weak/disabled knees; Is. 35:3]. ¹³ ·Keep on the right path [^LMake straight/clear paths for your feet; Prov. 4:27], so the ·weak [lame] will not ·stumble [be disabled; put out of joint] but rather be ·strengthened [healed].

¹⁴ ·Try to live in [^LPursue] peace with all people, and ·try to live free from sin [^Lpursue holiness/sanctification]. [^LFor] Anyone whose life is not ·holy [sanctified] will never see the Lord. ¹⁵ ·Be careful [See to it; Take heed] that no one ·fails to receive [falls short of] God’s grace and ·begins to cause trouble among you [^Lthat no bitter root/plant grows up to cause trouble]. ·A person like that [Such a root/plant] can ·ruin [defile; pollute; corrupt] many of you. ¹⁶ ·Be careful [See to it; Take heed] that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and ·never thinks about God [is godless/profane/worldly-minded]. ·As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal [^L…who sold his own birthright for one meal; Gen. 25:29–34]. ¹⁷ You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to ·get [^Linherit] his father’s blessing, but ·his father refused [^Lhe was rejected]. Esau could find no way to ·change [or repent of] what he had done, even though he ·wanted [pleaded for; sought] the blessing so much that he cried [Gen. 27:34–41].

¹⁸ You have not come to ·a mountain [^Lsomething] that can be touched and that is burning with fire [^Ca description of Mount Sinai when Israel received the Law; Ex. 19:18; Deut. 4:11]. You have not come to darkness, gloom, and ·storms [a whirlwind]. ¹⁹ You have not come to the noise of a trumpet [Ex. 19:16, 19] or to the sound of ·a voice [^Lwords] like the one the people of Israel heard and begged not to hear another word [^Cfearing God’s wrath, Israel asked Moses to mediate God’s message; Ex. 20:19; Deut. 5:5; 18:16]. ²⁰ [^L For] They ·did not want to hear [could not bear/endure] the command: “If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be put to death with stones [Ex. 19:12–13].” ²¹ [Indeed,] What they saw was so ·terrible [terrifying] that Moses said, “I am ·shaking [trembling] with fear [Deut. 9:19].”

²² But you have come to Mount Zion [^Canother name for Jerusalem, here meaning the spiritual city of God’s people; Gal. 4:26; Rev. 21:2], to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem [11:10]. You have come to ·thousands of [tens of thousands/myriads of; countless] angels ·gathered together with joy [in joyful assembly; Deut. 33:2]. ²³ You have come to the ·meeting [assembly; congregation; or church] of God’s firstborn [^Cthe first son in a Jewish family received special privileges and a greater share of the inheritance; all God’s people are “firstborn”] children ·whose names are written [who are registered as citizens; Luke 10:20; Rev. 21:27] in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of ·all people [everything; all], and to the spirits of ·good [righteous] people who have been made perfect. ²⁴ You have come to Jesus, the ·One who brought [mediator of] the new ·agreement from God to his people [covenant; contract; 8:1–13; Jer. 31:31–34], and you have come to the sprinkled blood [^CJesus’ blood shed on the cross; Heb. 9:19–22] that ·has a better message [speaks of something better; or pleads more insistently] than the blood of Abel [^Cmurdered by his brother Cain; Abel’s “blood cried out” to God for vengeance (Gen. 4:10), but Jesus’ blood cries out with a message of forgiveness and reconciliation].

²⁵ So ·be careful and [see that you] do not refuse to listen when God speaks. If those who refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth did not escape, how much worse will it be for us if we refuse to listen to God who warns us from heaven? ²⁶ When he spoke ·before [then], his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens [Hag. 2:6, 21].” ²⁷ The words “once again” clearly show us that everything that was made—things that can be shaken—will be ·destroyed [removed]. [So that] Only the things that cannot be shaken will remain.

²⁸ So let us be thankful, because we ·have [are receiving] a kingdom that cannot be shaken. [As a result; or In this way] We should worship God in a way that pleases him with ·respect [reverence; devotion] and ·fear [awe], ²⁹ because our God is ·like a fire that burns things up [^La consuming/devouring fire; Deut. 4:24; 9:3].

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. ² ·Remember [Do not forget/neglect] to ·welcome [show hospitality to] strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it [Gen. 18:1–16; 19:1–22]. ³ Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are ·suffering [mistreated] ·as if you were suffering with them [or since you are vulnerable to the same treatment; ^Lbeing in a/the body yourselves].

⁴ Marriage should be honored by everyone, and ·husband and wife should keep their marriage [^Lthe marriage bed should be kept] ·pure [undefiled]. God will ·judge as guilty [^Ljudge] ·those who take part in sexual sins [^Lthe sexually immoral and adulterers]. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be ·satisfied [content] with what you have. [^LFor] God has said,

  ⁶ So we can be ·sure [confident; bold] when we say,

⁷ Remember your leaders who ·taught [proclaimed; spoke] God’s ·message [word] to you. ·Remember [Consider; Reflect on] ·how they lived and died [or the outcome/result of their way of life], and ·copy [imitate] their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

⁹ Do not let all kinds of strange teachings ·lead you into the wrong way [take you off course; lead you astray]. ·Your hearts should be strengthened by [or Inner strength comes from] God’s grace, not by obeying rules about foods [^Creferring to Jewish dietary laws; Lev. 11; Mark 7:19; Acts 10; Col. 2:16], which ·do not help [or have never benefited] those who ·obey [observe; live by] them.

¹⁰ We have a ·sacrifice [^Laltar], but the priests who serve in the ·Holy Tent [^TTabernacle] ·cannot [^Lhave no authority/right to] eat from it. ¹¹ The high priest carries the blood of animals into the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; ^Lholy things; ^THoly of Holies] where he offers this blood for sins. But the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp [Lev. 6:11]. ¹² So Jesus also suffered outside the ·city [^Lgate] to ·make his people holy [sanctify the people] ·with [through] his own blood. ¹³ So let us go to Jesus outside the camp, ·holding on as he did when we are abused [^Lbearing the abuse/humiliation he bore].

¹⁴ [^LFor] Here on earth we do not have a city that ·lasts forever [endures], but we are ·looking for [seeking] the city that ·we will have in the future [is to come]. ¹⁵ So through Jesus let us ·always [continuously] offer to God our sacrifice of praise, ·coming from [^Lwhich is the fruit of] lips that ·speak [profess; acknowledge] his name. ¹⁶ Do not ·forget [neglect] to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God.

¹⁷ ·Obey [or Have confidence in] your leaders and ·act under [or submit to] their authority. [^LFor; Because] They are watching over you, because they ·are responsible [will give an account (to God)] for ·your souls [or you]. ·Obey them [Do this; Act this way] so that they will do this work with joy, not ·sadness [or complaint; groaning], for that would be of no ·benefit [advantage; help] to you.

¹⁸ Pray for us. We are ·sure [convinced] that we have a clear conscience, ·because [or and] we always want to ·do the right thing [act honorably]. ¹⁹ I especially ·beg [urge; exhort] you to pray so that ·God will send me back [^LI may be restored] to you soon.

·I pray that the God of peace will [or May the God of peace] ·give you [equip/prepare you with] every good thing you need so you can do ·what he wants [his will]. This God of peace raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep [Ps. 23; John 10:11–18], ·because of [or through; by] the ·blood of his death [^Lblood] ·that began the eternal agreement that God made with his people [^Lof the eternal covenant/contract; 8:1–13]. I pray that God will do in us what ·pleases [is acceptable to] him, through Jesus Christ, and to him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² My brothers and sisters, I ·beg [urge; exhort] you to ·listen patiently to [bear with] this message I have written to ·encourage [exhort] you, because ·it is not very long [^LI have written to you briefly]. ²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy [Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Phil. 2:19–24; 1 and 2 Timothy] has been ·let out of prison [^Lreleased]. If he arrives soon, ·we will both come [he will come with me] to see you.

²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all ·of God’s people [^Tthe saints]. Those from Italy send greetings to you.

²⁵ Grace be with you all.

1 From James [^Cone of Jesus’ brothers and a leader in the early church; Gal. 1:19; Acts 12:17; 15:13–21; 21:17], a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To ·all of God’s people [^Lthe twelve tribes; ^Can allusion to the twelve tribes of Israel; referring either to Jewish Christians or all believers as the new covenant people of God] ·who are scattered everywhere in the world [^Lin the Diaspora/Dispersion; ^Ca reference to the scattering of the Jews during the Babylonian captivity, now applied to the church]: Greetings.

Faith and Wisdom

² My brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], when you have many kinds of ·troubles [trials; testing], ·you should be full of joy [^Lconsider it all/pure joy], ³ because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you ·patience [perserverance; endurance]. ⁴ [^LAnd] Let your ·patience [perserverance; endurance] ·show itself perfectly in what you do [have its full effect; finish its work]. Then you will be ·perfect and complete [mature and whole; or completely mature] and will ·have everything you need [^Llack nothing]. ⁵ But if any of you ·needs [lacks] wisdom, you should ask God for it [Prov. 2:6]. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom ·without criticizing you [without finding fault; ungrudgingly; Matt. 7:7]. ⁶ But when you ask God, you must ·believe [ask with faith] and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, ·blown up and down [driven and tossed] by the wind. [^LFor] Such doubters are ·thinking two different things at the same time [^Ldouble-minded], and they ·cannot decide about anything they do [^Lare unstable in all they do]. They should not ·think [expect] they will receive anything from the Lord.

True Riches

⁹ ·Believers [Brothers or sisters] who are ·poor [in lowly/humble circumstances] should ·take pride [boast] ·that God has made them spiritually rich [in being raised up; in their exaltation; in their high position]. ¹⁰ [^LBut] Those who are ·rich [wealthy] should ·take pride [boast] ·that God has shown them that they are spiritually poor [in their humiliation; in their lowly state; Jer. 9:23–24]. [^LBecause] The rich will ·die [pass away; wither] like a ·wild flower in the grass [or flower in the field]. ¹¹ [^LFor] The sun rises with ·burning [scorching] heat and ·dries up [withers] the ·plants [or grass]. The flower falls off, and its beauty is ·gone [destroyed]. In the same way the rich will ·die [^Lwither away] ·while they are still taking care of business [in the midst of their pursuits; ^Lin his journeys; Ps. 49:16–17; 103:15–16; Is. 40:6–8].

Temptation Is Not from God

¹² ·When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy [^LBlessed is the one who perserveres/endures trials/temptations]. After they have ·proved their faith [stood/endured/passed the test], ·God will reward them with life forever [^Lthey will receive the crown of life; ^Calludes to the laurel crown given for a victory]. ·God [^LHe] promised this to all those who love him. ¹³ When people are ·tempted [undergoing a trial], they should not say, “God is tempting me.” [^LFor] God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But ·people are [^Leach person is] tempted when their own evil desire ·leads [lures; drags] them away and ·traps [entices; lures] them. ¹⁵ ·This desire leads to sin [^LThen, after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin], and then the sin ·grows [or becomes full-grown] and ·brings [gives birth to] death.

¹⁶ My ·dear [beloved] brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], do not be ·fooled [deceived] about this. ¹⁷ Every good ·action [or act of giving] and every perfect gift ·is from God [^Lcomes from above]. These good gifts come down from the ·Creator of the sun, moon, and stars [^Lthe father of lights; ^Creferring to God’s creation of the heavenly bodies (Gen. 1:14–19; Ps. 136:7–9; Jer. 31:35)], who does not change like their shifting shadows. ¹⁸ God ·decided [chose; willed] to give us ·life [birth] through the ·word of truth [true message] so we might be ·the most important [or the first of many; ^La kind of firstfruits; ^Cfirstfruits were the first crops to be harvested and guaranteed the coming harvest; Ex. 34:22; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rev. 14:4] of all ·the things he made [or his creatures].

Listening and Obeying

¹⁹ My ·dear [^Lbeloved] brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], [^Lunder-stand/know this:] ·always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily [^Lbe quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; Prov. 17:28], ²⁰ ·because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants [^Lbecause human anger does not produce God’s righteousness]. ²¹ So ·put out of your life [get rid of; lay aside] every ·evil thing [moral filth/defilement] and every ·kind of wrong [excessive evil]. Then in ·gentleness [humility] ·accept [welcome] God’s ·teaching [word] that is planted in your hearts, which can save ·you [^Lyour souls; ^Creferring to the whole person].

²² ·Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves [^LBe doers of the word, and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves; Luke 11:28; Rom. 2:13]. ²³ Those who hear God’s ·teaching [word] and do nothing are like people who look at ·themselves [their natural face; ^Lthe face of their birth] in a mirror. ²⁴ [^LFor] They ·see their faces [gaze at themselves] and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. ²⁵ But ·the truly happy people are [^Lblessed are] those who ·carefully study [look intently into; ^Lstoop down to look at] God’s perfect law that makes people free [^Cprobably refers to the law of Moses as it is fulfilled in Christ; 2:8, 12], and they ·continue to study it [persevere in it]. ·They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says [^Lnot being a forgetful hearer but an active doer]. Those who do this will be ·made happy [blessed].

The True Way to Worship God

²⁶ People who think they are religious but ·say things they should not say [^Ldo not bridle their tongues; 3:1–12; 4:11–12] are just ·fooling [deceiving] themselves. Their “religion” is ·worth nothing [empty; meaningless]. ²⁷ Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and ·without fault [undefiled] is this: caring for orphans and widows [2:1–13, 15–16; Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29] ·who need help [^Lin their trouble/distress/persecution], and keeping yourself ·free from the world’s evil influence [^Lunstained/unpolluted by the world; 4:4–10].

Love All People

2 My dear brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, never ·think some people are more important than others [show favoritism/partiality; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 10:17–18]. ² Suppose someone comes into your ·church meeting [gathering; assembly; ^Cthe word can mean “synagogue,” but here refers to a house church gathering] wearing nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing ·old, dirty [shabby; filthy] clothes. ³ You ·show special attention to [take notice of; look favorably on] the one wearing nice clothes and say, “Please, sit here in this good seat.” But you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit on the floor ·by my feet [or beside my footstool].” ⁴ ·What are you doing? You are making some people more important than others [^LAre you not discriminating among yourselves…?], and ·with evil thoughts you are deciding that one person is better [or you are judging with evil thoughts; or you are acting like judges with evil motives].

⁵ Listen, my ·dear [^Lbeloved] brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers]! ·God chose [^LDid not God choose…?] the poor in the world [1 Cor. 1:26–29] to be rich with faith and to ·receive [^Lbe heirs of] the kingdom God promised to those who love him [Luke 6:20]. ⁶ But you ·show no respect to [dishonor; have insulted] the poor. ·The rich are always trying to control your lives. They are the ones who take you to court [^LDon’t the rich exploit/oppress you and drag you into court?]. ⁷ ·And they are the ones who speak against Jesus, who owns you [or Don’t they slander the noble/good name by which you were called? ^LDon’t they blaspheme the noble/good name that was invoked over you? ^CThe “name” may be the person’s name or the name of Jesus, to whom they belong].

⁸ This royal law [^Cbecause God the king decreed it, or because it is the supreme law] is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37–40].” ·If you [or If you really; or If you, however,] ·obey [fulfill; carry out] this law, you are doing ·right [well]. ⁹ But if you ·treat one person as being more important than another [show favoritism/partiality; 2:1], you are sinning. You are ·guilty of breaking God’s law [^Lconvicted by the law as lawbreakers/ transgressors]. ¹⁰ [^LFor] A person who ·follows [keeps; obeys] all of God’s law but ·fails to obey even one command [^Lstumbles/falls in one point] is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law. ¹¹ [^LFor] The same God who said, “You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery [Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18],” also said, “You must not murder anyone [Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17].” So if you do not ·take part in [commit] adultery but you murder someone, ·you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law [^Lyou have become a breaker/transgressor of the law; Matt. 5:18–19; Gal. 5:3]. ¹² ·In everything you say and do, remember that you [^LSo speak and so act as those who] will be judged by the law ·that makes people free [^Lof freedom/liberty]. ¹³ ·So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you [^LFor judgment is without mercy to the one who does not act mercifully]. ·But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment [^LBut mercy triumphs over judgment].

Faith and Good Works

¹⁴ My brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], if people ·say [claim] they have faith, but do nothing, ·their faith is worth nothing [what good/profit/gain is it?]. Can faith like that save them? ¹⁵ [^LSuppose; If] A brother or sister in Christ ·might need clothes or food [^Lis naked and lacks daily food]. ¹⁶ If you say to that person, “·God be with you [or I wish you well; ^LGo in peace]! ·I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat, [^TBe warmed and filled]” but you do not ·give what that person needs [provide for the needs of their body], ·your words are worth nothing [^Lwhat good/profit/gain is that?]. ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself—·that does nothing [^Lif it does not have works]—is dead.

¹⁸ [^LBut] Someone might say, “You have faith, but I have ·deeds [works].” ·Show me [Prove; Demonstrate] your faith without ·doing anything [^Lworks], and I will ·show you [prove; demonstrate] my faith by ·what I do [my works]. ¹⁹ You believe ·there is one God [or that God is one; Deut. 6:4]. ·Good [^LYou do well]! But the demons believe that, too, and they ·tremble with fear [shudder].

²⁰ You ·foolish [senseless; emptyheaded] person! ·Must you be shown [Do you want evidence; Can’t you see] that faith ·that does nothing [without works] is ·worth nothing [useless; barren]? ²¹ Abraham, our ·ancestor [father; patriarch; Gen. 12:1–3], was ·made right with God [justified] by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar [Gen. 22]. ²² So you see that Abraham’s faith and ·the things he did [his works] worked together. His faith was made ·perfect [complete] by ·what he did [his works]. ²³ This ·shows the full meaning of [fulfills] the Scripture that says: “Abraham believed God, and ·God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [^Lit was credited/counted to him as righteousness; Gen. 15:6].” And Abraham was called God’s friend [2 Chr. 20:7; Is. 41:8]. ²⁴ So you see that people are ·made right with God [justified] by ·what they do [their works], not by faith only.

²⁵ ·Another example is Rahab, the prostitute, who was ·made right with God [justified] by ·something she did [works]. She welcomed the ·spies [^Lmessengers; envoys] into her home and ·helped them escape [^Lsent them out] by a different road [Josh. 2; ^Cshe is named in Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:5), and in Heb. 11:31 as a hero of the faith].

²⁶ Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit [^Cthe force of life that animates the body; Gen. 2:7] is dead, so faith ·that does nothing [^Twithout works] is dead!

Controlling the Things We Say

3 My ·brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], not many of you should become teachers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly [Luke 12:48]. ² We all ·make many mistakes [^Lstumble in many ways]. If people ·never said anything wrong [^Ldid not stumble in speech/teaching/word], they would be perfect and able to ·control their entire selves, too [^Lbridle their whole body also]. ³ When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we ·can control [guide; direct] their whole bodies. ⁴ Also a ship is very big, and it is pushed by ·strong [fierce] winds. But a very small rudder ·controls [guides; steers] that big ship, making it go wherever the pilot wants. ⁵ It is the same with the tongue. It is a small ·part [member] of the body, but it ·brags [boasts] about great things.

A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. ⁶ And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of ·evil [iniquity; unrighteousness] among ·the parts of our bodies [^Lour members]. The tongue ·spreads its evil through [pollutes; stains; corrupts] the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell [^LGehenna; ^Ca valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell], and it starts a fire that influences ·all of life [^Lthe wheel of birth/life]. ⁷ [^LFor] People can tame every ·kind [species] of wild animal, bird, reptile, and ·fish [^Lsea creature], and they have tamed them, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is ·wild and evil [or a restless evil; or an uncontrollable evil] and full of deadly poison. ⁹ ·We use our tongues to [^LWith it we] ·praise [bless] our Lord and Father, but ·then [^Lwith it] we curse people, whom God made ·like himself [^Lin his likeness; Gen. 1:27]. ¹⁰ Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My ·brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], this should not happen. ¹¹ Do ·good [fresh; ^Lsweet] and ·bad [stale; or salt; ^Lbitter] water flow from the same [^Lopening of a] spring? ¹² My ·brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], can a fig tree make olives, or can a grapevine make figs? No! ·And a well full of salty water cannot give good water [^LNeither can salt water make sweet].