Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

³ Think about him. He did not give up when bad people said wrong things about him. When you think about him, you will not become tired and your hearts will not give up.

⁴ You have been fighting against bad people. But you have not been hurt very much.

⁵ You have forgotten the words spoken to you as sons. `My son, when the Lord punishes you, do not think it is a little thing. Do not give up when he tells you that you do wrong.

⁶ The Lord punishes the person he loves. And he beats every son he takes into his family.'

⁷ Do not give up when you are punished. God is treating you like sons. Is there a son who has never been punished by his father?

⁸ You are punished like the other children in the family. If you are not, you do not belong to the family as the other children do.

⁹ And what is more, our fathers on earth punished us and we respected them. We should obey even more the Father of our spirits. If we do, we will live.

¹⁰ Our fathers on earth punished us for a short time the way they wanted to. But God punishes us the way it is good for us. He is holy and good, so he wants us to become holy also.

¹¹ At the time a person is punished, he is not glad. He is sad. But after it is over, there is peace. Then those who are trained by it do what is right.

¹² So lift up your hands that are hanging down. Make your weak knees strong.

¹³ Walk straight ahead. Then weak feet will not get worse, but will be made well.

¹⁴ Try to be at peace with all people. And try to be holy. If a person is not holy, he will not see the Lord.

¹⁵ Take care that no one loses God's blessing. Take care so that no angry feeling starts to grow in anyone. It will make trouble and many people will become bad.

¹⁶ Take care that no one takes part in wrong ways of using sex. And take care that no one is like Esau and forgets God. He was the older son. But he sold all that he would get from his father. He sold it for a little food.

¹⁷ You know that later he wanted to get the blessing, but he did not get it. He could not turn back. He even cried as he begged for the blessing.