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Hebrews 1-13
Contemporary English Version
Hebrews 1-13
Contemporary English Version
1 Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. 2 (A) But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. God created the universe by his Son, and everything will someday belong to the Son. 3 (B) God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together.
After the Son had washed away our sins, he sat down at the right side[a] of the glorious God in heaven. 4 He had become much greater than the angels, and the name he was given is far greater than any of theirs.
God's Son Is Greater than Angels
5 (C) God has never said
to any of the angels,
“You are my Son, because today
I have become your Father!”
Neither has God said
to any of them,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son!”
6 (D) When God brings his first-born Son[b] into the world, he commands all of his angels to worship him.
7 (E) And when God speaks about the angels, he says,
“I change my angels into wind
and my servants
into flaming fire.”
8 (F) But God says about his Son,
“You are God,
and you will rule
as King forever!
Your[c] royal power
brings about justice.
9 You loved justice
and hated evil,
and so I, your God,
have chosen you.
I appointed you
and made you happier
than any of your friends.”
10 (G) The Scriptures also say,
“In the beginning, Lord,
you were the one
who laid the foundation
of the earth
and created the heavens.
11 They will all disappear
and wear out like clothes,
but you will last forever.
12 You will roll them up
like a robe
and change them
like a garment.
But you are always the same,
and you will live forever.”
13 (H) God never said to any
of the angels,
“Sit at my right side
until I make your enemies
into a footstool for you!”
14 (I) Angels are merely spirits sent to serve people who are going to be saved.
This Great Way of Being Saved
2 We must give our full attention to what we were told, so we won't drift away. 2 The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved. 3 So if we refuse this great way of being saved, how can we hope to escape? The Lord himself was the first to tell about it, and people who heard the message proved to us that it was true. 4 God himself showed that his message was true by working all kinds of powerful miracles and wonders. He also gave his Holy Spirit to anyone he chose to.
The One Who Leads Us To Be Saved
5 We know that God did not put the future world under the power of angels. 6 (J) Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God,
“What makes you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for weaklings such as we?
7 You made us lower
than the angels
for a while.
Yet you have crowned us
with glory and honor.[d]
8 And you have put everything
under our power!”
God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don't see it all under our control. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels. Because of God's gift of undeserved grace, Jesus died for everyone. And now that Jesus has suffered and died, he is crowned with glory and honor!
10 Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God's children to be saved and to share in his glory. 11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. This is why he isn't ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 (K) He even said to God,
“I will tell them your name
and sing your praises
when they come together
to worship.”
13 (L) He also said,
“I will trust God.”
Then he said,
“Here I am with the children
God has given me.”
14 We are people of flesh and blood. This is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. 15 But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. 16 (M) Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham's descendants. 17 He had to be one of us, so he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.
Jesus Is Greater than Moses
3 My friends, God has chosen you to be his holy people. So think about Jesus, the one we call our apostle and high priest! 2 (N) Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in serving all[e] God's people. 3 But Jesus deserves more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves more honor than the house. 4 Of course, every house is built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything.
5 Moses was a faithful servant and told God's people what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is the Son in charge of God's people. And we are those people, if we keep on being brave and don't lose hope.
A Rest for God's People
7 (O) It is just as the Holy Spirit says,
“If you hear God's voice today,
8 don't be stubborn!
Don't rebel like those people
who were tested
in the desert.
* 9 [f] For forty years your ancestors
tested God and saw
the things he did.
10 “Then God got tired of them
and said,
‘You people never
show good sense,
and you don't understand
what I want you to do.’
11 God became angry
and told the people,
‘You will never enter
my place of rest!’ ”
12 My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. 13 You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 14 We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end. 15 (P) The Scriptures say,
“If you hear his voice today,
don't be stubborn
like those who rebelled.”
16 (Q) Who were those people that heard God's voice and rebelled? Weren't they the same ones that came out of Egypt with Moses? 17 Who were the people that made God angry for 40 years? Weren't they the ones that sinned and died in the desert? 18 And who did God say would never enter his place of rest? Weren't they the ones that disobeyed him? 19 We see that those people did not enter the place of rest because they did not have faith.
4 The promise to enter the place of rest is still good, and we must take care that none of you miss out. 2 We have heard the message, just as they did. But they failed to believe what they heard, and the message did not do them any good. 3 (R) Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say,
“God became angry
and told the people,
‘You will never enter
my place of rest!’ ”
God said this, even though everything has been ready from the time of creation. 4 (S) In fact, somewhere the Scriptures say that by the seventh day, God had finished his work, and so he rested. 5 (T) We also read that he later said, “You people will never enter my place of rest!” 6 This means that the promise to enter is still good, because those who first heard about it disobeyed and did not enter. 7 (U) Much later God told David to make the promise again, just as I have already said,
“If you hear his voice today,
don't be stubborn!”
8 (V) If Joshua had really given the people rest, there would not be any need for God to talk about another day of rest. 9 But God has promised us a Sabbath when we will rest, even though it has not yet come. 10 (W) On that day God's people will rest from their work, just as God rested from his work.
11 We should do our best to enter the place of rest, so none of us will disobey and miss going there, as they did. 12 God's word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. 13 (X) Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.
Jesus Is the Great High Priest
14 We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.
5 Every high priest is appointed to help others by offering gifts and sacrifices to God because of their sins. 2 A high priest has weaknesses of his own, and he feels sorry for foolish and sinful people. 3 (Y) This is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins and for the sins of others. 4 (Z) But no one can have the honor of being a high priest simply by wanting to be one. Only God can choose a priest, and God is the one who chose Aaron.
5 (AA) This is how it was with Christ. He became a high priest, but not just because he wanted the honor of being one. It was God who told him,
“You are my Son, because today
I have become your Father!”
6 (AB) In another place, God says,
“You are a priest forever
just like Melchizedek.”[g]
7 (AC) God had the power to save Jesus from death. And while Jesus was on earth, he begged God with loud crying and tears to save him. He truly worshiped God, and God listened to his prayers. 8 Jesus is God's own Son, but still he had to suffer before he could learn what it really means to obey God. 9 Suffering made Jesus perfect, and now he can save forever all who obey him. 10 This is because God chose him to be a high priest like Melchizedek.
Warning against Turning Away
11 Much more could be said about this subject. But it is hard to explain, and all of you are slow to understand. 12 (AD) By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. 13 People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right. 14 Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.
6 We must try to become mature and start thinking about more than just the basic things we were taught about Christ. We shouldn't need to keep talking about why we ought to turn from deeds that bring death and why we ought to have faith in God. 2 And we shouldn't need to keep teaching about baptisms[h] or about the laying on of hands[i] or about people being raised from death and the future judgment. 3 Let's grow up, if God is willing.
4-6 But what about people who turn away after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they have received the good message of God and the powers of the future world? There is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son of God to a cross and insulting him in public!
7 A field is useful to farmers, if there is enough rain to make good crops grow. In fact, God will bless such a field. 8 (AE) But land that produces only thornbushes is worthless. It is likely to fall under God's curse, and in the end it will be set on fire.
9 My friends, we are talking this way. But we are sure that you are doing those really good things people do when they are being saved. 10 God is always fair. He will remember how you helped his people in the past and how you are still helping them. You belong to God, and he won't forget the love you have shown his people. 11 We wish each of you would always be eager to show how strong and lasting your hope really is. 12 Then you would never be lazy. You would be following the example of those who had faith and were patient until God kept his promise to them.
God's Promise Is Sure
13 No one is greater than God. So he made a promise in his own name when he said to Abraham, 14 (AF) “I, the Lord, will bless you with many descendants!” 15 Then after Abraham had been very patient, he was given what God had promised. 16 When anyone wants to settle an argument, they make a vow by using the name of someone or something greater than themselves. 17 So when God wanted to prove for certain his promise to his people could not be broken, he made a vow. 18 God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed.
We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 (AG) This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain[j] and into the most holy place. 20 (AH) Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.[k]
The Priestly Family of Melchizedek
7 (AI) Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He was the one who went out and gave Abraham his blessing, when Abraham returned from killing the kings. 2 Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had.
The meaning of the name Melchizedek is “King of Justice.” But since Salem means “peace,” he is also “King of Peace.” 3 We are not told he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is like the Son of God and will be a priest forever.[l]
4 Notice how great Melchizedek was! Our famous ancestor Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had taken from his enemies. 5 (AJ) The Law teaches that even Abraham's descendants must give a tenth of what they possess. And they are to give this to their own relatives, who are the descendants of Levi and are priests. 6 Although Melchizedek wasn't a descendant of Levi, Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had been given God's promise. 7 Everyone agrees a person who gives a blessing is greater than the one who receives the blessing.
8 Priests are given a tenth of what people earn. But all priests die, except Melchizedek, and the Scriptures teach that he is alive. 9 Levi's descendants are now the ones who receive a tenth from people. We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth, Levi also gave him a tenth. 10 This is because Levi was born later into the family of Abraham, who gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
11 Even though the Law of Moses says the priests must be descendants of Levi, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a priest like Melchizedek, rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron.[m] 12 And when the rules for selecting a priest are changed, the Law must also be changed.
13 The person we are talking about is our Lord, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. 14 Everyone knows he came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said priests would come from that tribe.
15 All of this becomes clearer, when someone who is like Melchizedek is appointed to be a priest. 16 That person wasn't appointed because of his ancestors, but because his life can never end. 17 (AK) The Scriptures say about him,
“You are a priest forever,
just like Melchizedek.”
18 In this way a weak and useless command was put aside, 19 because the Law cannot make anything perfect. At the same time, we are given a much better hope, and it can bring us close to God.
20-21 (AL) God himself made a promise when this priest was appointed. But he did not make a promise like this when the other priests were appointed. The promise he made is,
“I, the Lord, promise that you
will be a priest forever!
And I will never
change my mind!”
22 This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God. 23 There have been a lot of other priests, and all of them have died. 24 But Jesus will never die, and so he will be a priest forever! 25 He is forever able to save[n] the people he leads to God, because he always lives to speak to God for them.
26 Jesus is the high priest we need. He is holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. Jesus is honored above all beings in heaven, 27 (AM) and he is better than any other high priest. Jesus doesn't need to offer sacrifices each day for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. He offered a sacrifice once for all, when he gave himself. 28 The Law appoints priests who have weaknesses. But God's promise, which came later than the Law, appoints his Son. And he is the perfect high priest forever.
A Better Promise
8 (AN) What I mean is we have a high priest who sits at the right side[o] of God's great throne in heaven. 2 He also serves as the priest in the most holy place[p] inside the real tent there in heaven. This tent of worship was set up by the Lord, not by humans.
3 Since all priests must offer gifts and sacrifices, Christ also needed to have something to offer. 4 If he were here on earth, he would not be a priest at all, because here the Law appoints other priests to offer sacrifices. 5 (AO) But the tent where they serve is just a copy and a shadow of the real one in heaven. Before Moses made the tent, he was told, “Be sure to make it exactly like the pattern you were shown on the mountain!” 6 Now Christ has been appointed to serve as a priest in a much better way, and he has given us much assurance of a better agreement.
7 If the first agreement with God had been all right, there would not have been any need for another one. 8 (AP) But the Lord found fault with it and said,
“I tell you the time will come,
when I will make
a new agreement
with the people of Israel
and the people of Judah.
9 It won't be like the agreement
that I made
with their ancestors,
when I took them by the hand
and led them out of Egypt.
They broke their agreement
with me,
and I stopped caring
about them!
10 “But now I tell the people
of Israel
this is my new agreement:
‘The time will come
when I, the Lord,
will write my laws
on their minds and hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be
my people.
11 Not one of them
will have to teach another
to know me, their Lord.’
“All of them will know me,
no matter who they are.
12 I will treat them with kindness,
even though they are wicked.
I will forget their sins.”
13 When the Lord talks about a new agreement, he means that the first one is out of date. And anything that is old and useless will soon disappear.
The Tent in Heaven
9 The first promise included rules for worship and a tent for worship here on earth. 2 (AQ) The first part of the tent was called the holy place, and a lampstand, a table, and the sacred loaves of bread were kept there.
3 (AR) Behind the curtain was the most holy place. 4 (AS) The gold altar for burning incense was in this holy place. The gold-covered sacred chest was also there, and inside it were three things. First, there was a gold jar filled with manna.[q] Then there was Aaron's walking stick that sprouted.[r] Finally, there were the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them. 5 (AT) On top of the chest were the glorious creatures with wings[s] opened out above the place of mercy.[t]
Now isn't the time to go into detail about these things. 6 (AU) But this is how everything was when the priests went each day into the first part of the tent to do their duties. 7 (AV) However, only the high priest could go into the second part of the tent, and he went in only once a year. Each time he carried blood to offer for his sins and for any sins that the people had committed without meaning to.
8 All of this is the Holy Spirit's way of saying no one could enter the most holy place while the tent was still the place of worship. 9 This also has a meaning for today. It shows we cannot make our consciences clear by offering gifts and sacrifices. 10 These rules are merely about such things as eating and drinking and ceremonies for washing ourselves. And rules about physical things will last only until the time comes to change them for something better.
11 (AW) Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here.[u] He also went into a much better tent that wasn't made by humans and that doesn't belong to this world. 12 Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.
13 (AX) According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. 14 But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. This is why his blood is much more powerful and makes our[v] consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.
15 Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal blessings! 16 In fact, making an agreement of this kind is like writing a will. This is because the one who makes the will must die before it is of any use. 17 In other words, a will doesn't go into effect as long as the one who made it is still alive.
18 Blood was also used[w] to put the first agreement into effect. 19 (AY) Moses told the people all the Law said they must do. Then he used red wool and a hyssop plant to sprinkle the people and the book of the Law with the blood of bulls and goats[x] and with water. 20 He told the people, “With this blood God makes his agreement with you.” 21 (AZ) Moses also sprinkled blood on the tent and on everything else used in worship. 22 (BA) The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered.
Christ's Great Sacrifice
23 These things are only copies of what is in heaven, and so they had to be made holy by these ceremonies. But the real things in heaven must be made holy by something better. 24 This is why Christ did not go into a tent made by humans and was only a copy of the real one. Instead, he went into heaven and is now there with God to help us.
25 Christ did not have to offer himself many times. He wasn't like a high priest who goes into the most holy place each year to offer the blood of an animal. 26 If he had offered himself every year, he would have suffered many times since the creation of the world. But instead, near the end of time he offered himself once and for all, so he could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.
27 We die only once, and then we are judged. 28 (BB) So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. But when he comes again, it will not be to take away sin. He will come to save everyone who is waiting for him.
10 The Law of Moses is like a shadow of the good things to come. This shadow isn't the good things themselves, because it cannot free people from sin by the sacrifices offered year after year. 2 If there were worshipers who already have their sins washed away and their consciences made clear, there would not be any need to go on offering sacrifices. 3-4 But the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. It only reminds people of their sins from one year to the next.
5 (BC) When Christ came into the world, he said to God,
“Sacrifices and offerings
are not what you want,
but you have given me
my body.
6 No, you are not pleased
with animal sacrifices
and offerings for sin.”
7 Then Christ said,
“And so, my God,
I have come to do
what you want,
as the Scriptures say.”
8 The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them? 9 Well, it was to do away with offerings and sacrifices and to replace them. This is what he meant by saying to God, “I have come to do what you want.” 10 So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all.
11 (BD) The priests do their work each day, and they keep on offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 (BE) But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God's right side,[y] 13 and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. 14 By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.
15 The Holy Spirit also speaks of this by telling us that the Lord said,
16 (BF) “When the time comes,
I will make an agreement
with them.
I will write my laws
on their minds and hearts.
17 (BG) Then I will forget
about their sins
and no longer remember
their evil deeds.”
18 When sins are forgiven, there is no more need to offer sacrifices.
Encouragement and Warning
19 My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place 20 by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself.
21 We have a great high priest who is in charge of God's house. 22 (BH) So let's come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let's keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water. 23 We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. 24 We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. 25 Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.
26 No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth. 27 (BI) They are God's enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire. 28 (BJ) If two or more witnesses accused someone of breaking the Law of Moses, that person could be put to death. 29 (BK) But it is much worse to dishonor God's Son and to disgrace the blood of the promise that made us holy. And it is just as bad to insult the Holy Spirit, who shows us mercy. 30 (BL) We know that God has said he will punish and take revenge. We also know that the Scriptures say the Lord will judge his people. 31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
32 Don't forget all the hard times you went through when you first received the light. 33 Sometimes you were abused and mistreated in public, and at other times you shared in the sufferings of others. 34 You were kind to people in jail. And you gladly let your possessions be taken away, because you knew you had something better, something that would last forever.
35 Keep on being brave! It will bring you great rewards. 36 Learn to be patient, so you will please God and be given what he has promised. 37 (BM) As the Scriptures say,
“God is coming soon!
It won't be very long.
38 The people God accepts
will live because
of their faith.[z]
But he isn't pleased
with anyone
who turns back.”
39 We are not like those people who turn back and get destroyed. We will keep on having faith until we are saved.
The Great Faith of God's People
11 Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. 2 (BN) It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God.
3 (BO) Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God's command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.
4 (BP) Because Abel had faith, he offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God was pleased with him and his gift, and even though Abel is now dead, his faith still speaks for him.
5 (BQ) Enoch had faith and did not die. He pleased God, and God took him up to heaven. This is why his body was never found. 6 But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him.
7 (BR) Because Noah had faith, he was warned about something that had not yet happened. He obeyed and built a boat that saved him and his family. In this way the people of the world were judged, and Noah was given the blessings that come to everyone who pleases God.
8 (BS) Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen. 9 (BT) Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise. 10 Abraham did this, because he was waiting for the eternal city God had planned and built.
11 (BU) Even when Sarah was too old to have children, she had faith that God would do what he had promised, and she had a son. 12 (BV) Her husband Abraham was almost dead, but he became the ancestor of many people. In fact, there are as many of them as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand along the seashore.
13 (BW) Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth. 14 When people talk this way, it is clear they are looking for a place to call their own. 15 If they had been talking about the land where they had once lived, they could have gone back at any time. 16 But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven. This is why God wasn't ashamed for them to call him their God. He even built a city for them.
17-18 (BX)(BY) Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son,[aa] would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, 19 because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.
20 (BZ) Isaac had faith, and he promised blessings to Jacob and Esau. 21 (CA) Later, when Jacob was about to die, he leaned on his walking stick and worshiped. Then because of his faith he blessed each of Joseph's sons. 22 (CB) And right before Joseph died, he had faith that God would lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. So he told them to take his bones with them.
23 (CC) Because Moses' parents had faith, they kept him hidden until he was three months old. They saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's orders.[ab] 24 (CD) Then after Moses grew up, his faith made him refuse to be called the king's grandson. 25 (CE) He chose to be mistreated with God's people instead of having the good time that sin could bring for a little while. 26 Moses knew that the treasures of Egypt were not as wonderful as what he would receive from suffering for the Messiah,[ac] and he looked forward to his reward.
27 Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. Moses had seen the invisible God and wasn't afraid of the king's anger. 28 (CF) His faith also made him celebrate Passover. He sprinkled the blood of animals on the doorposts, so that the first-born sons of the people of Israel would not be killed by the destroying angel.
29 (CG) Because of their faith, the people walked through the Red Sea[ad] on dry land. But when the Egyptians tried to do it, they were drowned.
30 (CH) God's people had faith, and when they had walked around the city of Jericho for seven days, its walls fell down.
31 (CI) Rahab had been a prostitute, but she had faith and welcomed the spies. So she wasn't killed with the people who disobeyed.
32 (CJ) What else can I say? There isn't enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 (CK) Their faith helped them conquer kingdoms, and because they did right, God made promises to them. They closed the jaws of lions 34 (CL) and put out raging fires and escaped from the swords of their enemies. Although they were weak, they were given the strength and power to chase foreign armies away.
35 (CM) Some women received their loved ones back from death. Many of these people were tortured, but they refused to be released. They were sure they would get a better reward when the dead are raised to life. 36 (CN) Others were made fun of and beaten with whips, and some were chained in jail. 37 (CO) Still others were stoned to death or sawed in two[ae] or killed with swords. Some had nothing but sheep skins or goat skins to wear. They were poor, mistreated, and tortured. 38 The world did not deserve these good people, who had to wander in deserts and on mountains and had to live in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All of them pleased God because of their faith! But still they died without being given what had been promised. 40 This was because God had something better in store for us. And he did not want them to reach the goal of their faith without us.
A Large Crowd of Witnesses
12 (CP) Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. 2 (CQ) We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side[af] of God's throne! 3 So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up.
4 None of you have yet been hurt[ag] in your battle against sin. 5 (CR) But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God's children,
“When the Lord punishes you,
don't make light of it,
and when he corrects you,
don't be discouraged.
6 The Lord corrects the people
he loves
and disciplines those
he calls his own.”
7 Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don't all parents correct their children? 8 God corrects all his children, and if he doesn't correct you, then you don't really belong to him. 9 Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn't it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us?
10 Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. 11 It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.
12 (CS) Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shaking 13 (CT) and walk a straight path. Then lame people will be healed, instead of getting worse.
Warning against Turning from God
14 Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord. 15 (CU) Make sure no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you. 16 (CV) Watch out for immoral and ungodly people like Esau, who sold his future blessing[ah] for only one meal. 17 (CW) You know how he later wanted it back. But there was nothing he could do to change things, even though he begged his father and cried.
18 (CX) You have not come to a place like Mount Sinai[ai] that can be seen and touched. There is no flaming fire or dark cloud or storm 19 or trumpet sound. The people of Israel heard a voice speak. But they begged it to stop, 20 (CY) because they could not obey its commands. They were even told to kill any animal that touched the mountain. 21 The sight was so frightening that Moses said he shook with fear.
22 You have now come to Mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the city of the living God, where thousands and thousands of angels have come to celebrate. 23 Here you will find all of God's dearest children,[aj] whose names are written in heaven. And you will find God himself, who judges everyone. Here also are the spirits of those good people who have been made perfect. 24 (CZ) And Jesus is here! He is the one who makes God's new agreement with us, and his sprinkled blood says much better things than the blood of Abel.[ak]
25 (DA) Make sure you obey the one who speaks to you. The people did not escape, when they refused to obey the one who spoke to them at Mount Sinai. Do you think you can possibly escape, if you refuse to obey the one who speaks to you from heaven? 26 (DB) When God spoke the first time, his voice shook only the earth. This time he has promised to shake the earth once again, and heaven too.
27 The words “once again” mean that these created things will someday be shaken and removed. Then what cannot be shaken will last. 28 We should be grateful we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshiping him and by showing him great honor and respect. 29 (DC) Our God is like a destructive fire!
Service That Pleases God
13 Keep being concerned about each other as the Lord's followers should.
2 (DD) Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it.
3 Remember the Lord's people who are in jail and be concerned for them. Don't forget those who are suffering, but imagine you are there with them.
4 (DE) Have respect for marriage. Always be faithful to your partner, because God will punish anyone who is immoral or unfaithful in marriage.
5 (DF) Don't fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us. 6 (DG) This should make you feel like saying,
“The Lord helps me!
Why should I be afraid
of what people
can do to me?”
7 Don't forget about your leaders who taught you God's message. Remember what kind of lives they lived and try to have faith like theirs.
8 Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Don't be fooled by any kind of strange teachings. It is better to receive strength from God's gift of undeserved grace than to depend on certain foods. After all, these foods don't really help the people who eat them. 10 But we have an altar where even the priests who serve in the place of worship have no right to eat.
11 (DH) After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp. 12 Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so his blood would make people holy. 13 This is why we should go outside the camp to Jesus and share in his disgrace. 14 On this earth we don't have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city.
15 Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus. 16 But don't forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God.
17 Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don't make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all.
18 Pray for us. Our consciences are clear, and we always try to live right. 19 I especially want you to pray that I can visit you again soon.
Final Prayers and Greetings
20 God gives peace, and he raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death. Now Jesus is like a Great Shepherd whose blood was used to make God's eternal agreement with his flock.[al] 21 (DI) I pray God will make you ready to obey him and that you will always be eager to do right. May Jesus help you do what pleases God. To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen.
22 My friends, I have written only a short letter to encourage you, and I beg you to pay close attention to what I have said.
23 By now you surely must know that our friend Timothy is out of jail. If he gets here in time, I will bring him with me when I come to visit you.
24 Please give my greetings to your leaders and to the rest of the Lord's people.
His followers from Italy send you their greetings.
25 I pray that God will be kind to all of you![am]
Footnotes
- 1.3 right side: The place of honor and power.
- 1.6 first-born Son: The first son born into a family had certain privileges that the other children did not have. In 12.23 (see note) “first-born” refers to God's special people.
- 1.8 Your: Some manuscripts have “His.”
- 2.7 and honor: Some manuscripts add “and you have placed us in charge of all you created.”
- 3.2 all: Some manuscripts do not have “all.”
- 3.9 When an asterisk (*) occurs before a verse number, it indicates that this verse and the following have been combined.
- 5.6 Melchizedek: When Melchizedek is mentioned in the Old Testament, he is described as a priest who lived before Aaron. Nothing is said about his ancestors or his death (see 7.3 and Genesis 14.17-20).
- 6.2 baptisms: Or “ceremonies of washing.”
- 6.2 laying on of hands: This was a ceremony in which church leaders and others put their hands on people to show that those people were chosen to do some special kind of work.
- 6.19 behind the curtain: In the tent that was used for worship, a curtain separated the “holy place” from the “most holy place,” which only the high priest could enter.
- 6.20 Melchizedek: See the note at 5.6.
- 7.3 will be a priest forever: See the note at 5.6.
- 7.11 descendants of Levi … from the priestly family of Aaron: Levi was the ancestor of the tribe from which priests and their helpers (called “Levites”) were chosen. Aaron was the first high priest.
- 7.25 forever able to save: Or “able to save forever.”
- 8.1 right side: See the note at 1.3.
- 8.2 most holy place: See the note at 6.19.
- 9.4 manna: When the people of Israel were wandering through the desert, the Lord provided them with food that could be made into thin wafers. This food was called manna, which in Hebrew means “What is it?”
- 9.4 Aaron's walking stick that sprouted: According to Numbers 17.1-11, Aaron's walking stick sprouted and produced almonds to show that the Lord was pleased with him and Moses.
- 9.5 glorious creatures with wings: Two of these creatures (called “cherubim” in Hebrew and Greek) with outspread wings were on top of the sacred chest and were symbols of God's throne.
- 9.5 place of mercy: The lid of the sacred chest, which was thought to be God's throne on earth.
- 9.11 that are now here: Some manuscripts have “that were coming.”
- 9.14 our: Some manuscripts have “your,” and others have “their.”
- 9.18 Blood was also used: Or “There also had to be a death.”
- 9.19 blood of bulls and goats: Some manuscripts do not have “and goats.”
- 10.12 right side: See the note at 1.3.
- 10.38 The people God accepts will live because of their faith: Or “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”
- 11.17,18 his only son: Although Abraham had a son by a slave woman, his son Isaac was considered his only son, because he was born as a result of God's promise to Abraham.
- 11.23 the king's orders: The king of Egypt ordered all Israelite baby boys to be left outside of their homes, so they would die or be killed.
- 11.26 the Messiah: Or “Christ.”
- 11.29 Red Sea: This name comes from the Bible of the early Christians, a translation made into Greek about 200 b.c. It refers to the body of water that the Israelites crossed and was one of the marshes or fresh water lakes near the eastern part of the Nile Delta, where they lived and where the towns of Exodus 13.17—14.9 were located.
- 11.37 sawed in two: Some manuscripts have “tested” or “tempted.”
- 12.2 right side: See the note at 1.3.
- 12.4 hurt: Or “killed.”
- 12.16 sold his future blessing: As the first-born son, Esau had certain privileges that were known as a “birthright.”
- 12.18 a place like Mount Sinai: The Greek text has “a place,” but the writer is referring to the time that the Lord spoke to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19.16-25).
- 12.23 all of God's dearest children: The Greek text has “the gathering of the first-born children” (see the note at 1.6).
- 12.24 blood of Abel: Cain and Abel were the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain murdered Abel (see Genesis 4.1-16).
- 13.20 whose blood was used to make God's eternal agreement with his flock: See 9.18-22.
- 13.25 to all of you: Some manuscripts add “Amen.”
Hebrews 1-12
New International Version
Hebrews 1-12
New International Version
God’s Final Word: His Son
1 In the past God spoke(A) to our ancestors through the prophets(B) at many times and in various ways,(C) 2 but in these last days(D) he has spoken to us by his Son,(E) whom he appointed heir(F) of all things, and through whom(G) also he made the universe.(H) 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory(I) and the exact representation of his being,(J) sustaining all things(K) by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,(L) he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.(M) 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.(N)
The Son Superior to Angels
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
Or again,
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn(Q) into the world,(R) he says,
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;(U)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions(V)
by anointing you with the oil(W) of joy.”[e](X)
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.(Y)
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.(Z)
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,(AA)
and your years will never end.”[f](AB)
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits(AF) sent to serve those who will inherit(AG) salvation?(AH)
Warning to Pay Attention
2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.(AI) 2 For since the message spoken(AJ) through angels(AK) was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,(AL) 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?(AM) This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,(AN) was confirmed to us by those who heard him.(AO) 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,(AP) and by gifts of the Holy Spirit(AQ) distributed according to his will.(AR)
Jesus Made Fully Human
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone(AS) has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?(AT)
7 You made them a little[h] lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8 and put everything under their feet.”[i][j](AU)
In putting everything under them,[k] God left nothing that is not subject to them.[l] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.[m] 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor(AV) because he suffered death,(AW) so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.(AX)
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,(AY) should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.(AZ) 11 Both the one who makes people holy(BA) and those who are made holy(BB) are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[n](BC) 12 He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”[o](BD)
13 And again,
And again he says,
14 Since the children have flesh and blood,(BG) he too shared in their humanity(BH) so that by his death he might break the power(BI) of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil(BJ)— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear(BK) of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.(BL) 17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[r](BM) fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful(BN) and faithful high priest(BO) in service to God,(BP) and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.(BQ) 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.(BR)
Jesus Greater Than Moses
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,(BS) who share in the heavenly calling,(BT) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge(BU) as our apostle and high priest.(BV) 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(BW) 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,(BX) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(BY) 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant(BZ) in all God’s house,”[s](CA) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son(CB) over God’s house. And we are his house,(CC) if indeed we hold firmly(CD) to our confidence and the hope(CE) in which we glory.
Warning Against Unbelief
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:(CF)
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts(CG)
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.(CH)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(CI)
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (CJ)”[t](CK)
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(CL) 13 But encourage one another daily,(CM) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(CN) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(CO) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(CP) 15 As has just been said:
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(CR) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(CS) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(CT) if not to those who disobeyed?(CU) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(CV)
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.(CW) 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.[v](CX) 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”[x](CZ) 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”(DA)
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,(DB) 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
8 For if Joshua had given them rest,(DD) God would not have spoken(DE) later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[z](DF) just as God did from his.(DG) 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.(DH)
12 For the word of God(DI) is alive(DJ) and active.(DK) Sharper than any double-edged sword,(DL) it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.(DM) 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.(DN) Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest(DO) who has ascended into heaven,[aa](DP) Jesus the Son of God,(DQ) let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.(DR) 15 For we do not have a high priest(DS) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are(DT)—yet he did not sin.(DU) 16 Let us then approach(DV) God’s throne of grace with confidence,(DW) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God,(DX) to offer gifts and sacrifices(DY) for sins.(DZ) 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray,(EA) since he himself is subject to weakness.(EB) 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.(EC) 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.(ED)
5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory(EE) of becoming a high priest.(EF) But God said(EG) to him,
6 And he says in another place,
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions(EK) with fervent cries and tears(EL) to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard(EM) because of his reverent submission.(EN) 8 Son(EO) though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered(EP) 9 and, once made perfect,(EQ) he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest(ER) in the order of Melchizedek.(ES)
Warning Against Falling Away(ET)
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths(EU) of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!(EV) 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,(EW) is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature,(EX) who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.(EY)
6 Therefore let us move beyond(EZ) the elementary teachings(FA) about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[ad](FB) and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites,[ae](FC) the laying on of hands,(FD) the resurrection of the dead,(FE) and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting,(FF) we will do so.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,(FG) who have tasted the heavenly gift,(FH) who have shared in the Holy Spirit,(FI) 5 who have tasted the goodness(FJ) of the word of God(FK) and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[af] away, to be brought back to repentance.(FL) To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God(FM) all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.(FN) In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends,(FO) we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.(FP) 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope(FQ) for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate(FR) those who through faith and patience(FS) inherit what has been promised.(FT)
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,(FU) 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[ag](FV) 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.(FW)
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.(FX) 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging(FY) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,(FZ) he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,(GA) we who have fled to take hold of the hope(GB) set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,(GC) 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.(GD) He has become a high priest(GE) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.(GF)
Melchizedek the Priest
7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem(GG) and priest of God Most High.(GH) He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,(GI) 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy,(GJ) without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,(GK) he remains a priest forever.
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch(GL) Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!(GM) 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people(GN)—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed(GO) him who had the promises.(GP) 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.(GQ) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Jesus Like Melchizedek
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people(GR) established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,(GS) one in the order of Melchizedek,(GT) not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,(GU) and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.(GV) 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,(GW) and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless(GY) 19 (for the law made nothing perfect),(GZ) and a better hope(HA) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.(HB)
20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.(HE)
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.(HF) 25 Therefore he is able to save(HG) completely[aj] those who come to God(HH) through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.(HI)
26 Such a high priest(HJ) truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,(HK) exalted above the heavens.(HL) 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices(HM) day after day, first for his own sins,(HN) and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all(HO) when he offered himself.(HP) 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;(HQ) but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,(HR) who has been made perfect(HS) forever.
The High Priest of a New Covenant
8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest,(HT) who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,(HU) 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle(HV) set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest(HW) is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices,(HX) and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.(HY) 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.(HZ) 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy(IA) and shadow(IB) of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned(IC) when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[ak](ID) 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant(IE) of which he is mediator(IF) is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.(IG) 8 But God found fault with the people and said[al]:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant(IH)
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors(II)
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant(IJ) I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.(IK)
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.(IL)
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,(IM)
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.(IN)”[am](IO)
13 By calling this covenant “new,”(IP) he has made the first one obsolete;(IQ) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.(IR) 2 A tabernacle(IS) was set up. In its first room were the lampstand(IT) and the table(IU) with its consecrated bread;(IV) this was called the Holy Place.(IW) 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,(IX) 4 which had the golden altar of incense(IY) and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.(IZ) This ark contained the gold jar of manna,(JA) Aaron’s staff that had budded,(JB) and the stone tablets of the covenant.(JC) 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,(JD) overshadowing the atonement cover.(JE) But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly(JF) into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered(JG) the inner room,(JH) and that only once a year,(JI) and never without blood,(JJ) which he offered for himself(JK) and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.(JL) 8 The Holy Spirit was showing(JM) by this that the way(JN) into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration(JO) for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered(JP) were not able to clear the conscience(JQ) of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food(JR) and drink(JS) and various ceremonial washings(JT)—external regulations(JU) applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest(JV) of the good things that are now already here,[an](JW) he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle(JX) that is not made with human hands,(JY) that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;(JZ) but he entered the Most Holy Place(KA) once for all(KB) by his own blood,(KC) thus obtaining[ao] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls(KD) and the ashes of a heifer(KE) sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit(KF) offered himself(KG) unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences(KH) from acts that lead to death,[ap](KI) so that we may serve the living God!(KJ)
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator(KK) of a new covenant,(KL) that those who are called(KM) may receive the promised(KN) eternal inheritance(KO)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.(KP)
16 In the case of a will,[aq] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.(KQ) 19 When Moses had proclaimed(KR) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,(KS) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.(KT) 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[ar](KU) 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,(KV) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.(KW)
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies(KX) of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;(KY) he entered heaven itself,(KZ) now to appear for us in God’s presence.(LA) 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place(LB) every year with blood that is not his own.(LC) 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.(LD) But he has appeared(LE) once for all(LF) at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.(LG) 27 Just as people are destined to die once,(LH) and after that to face judgment,(LI) 28 so Christ was sacrificed once(LJ) to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,(LK) not to bear sin,(LL) but to bring salvation(LM) to those who are waiting for him.(LN)
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
10 The law is only a shadow(LO) of the good things(LP) that are coming—not the realities themselves.(LQ) For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect(LR) those who draw near to worship.(LS) 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.(LT) 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.(LU) 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats(LV) to take away sins.(LW)
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world,(LX) he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;(LY)
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll(LZ)—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[as](MA)
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”(MB)—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.”(MC) He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy(MD) through the sacrifice of the body(ME) of Jesus Christ once for all.(MF)
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices,(MG) which can never take away sins.(MH) 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,(MI) he sat down at the right hand of God,(MJ) 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.(MK) 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect(ML) forever those who are being made holy.(MM)
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies(MN) to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”[at](MO)
17 Then he adds:
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence(MQ) to enter the Most Holy Place(MR) by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way(MS) opened for us through the curtain,(MT) that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest(MU) over the house of God,(MV) 22 let us draw near to God(MW) with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,(MX) having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience(MY) and having our bodies washed with pure water.(MZ) 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope(NA) we profess,(NB) for he who promised is faithful.(NC) 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,(ND) 25 not giving up meeting together,(NE) as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another(NF)—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.(NG)
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning(NH) after we have received the knowledge of the truth,(NI) no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire(NJ) that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.(NK) 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God(NL) underfoot,(NM) who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant(NN) that sanctified them,(NO) and who has insulted the Spirit(NP) of grace?(NQ) 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[av](NR) and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[aw](NS) 31 It is a dreadful thing(NT) to fall into the hands(NU) of the living God.(NV)
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light,(NW) when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.(NX) 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution;(NY) at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.(NZ) 34 You suffered along with those in prison(OA) and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.(OB) 35 So do not throw away your confidence;(OC) it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere(OD) so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.(OE) 37 For,
38 And,
“But my righteous[ay] one will live by faith.(OH)
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”[az](OI)
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
Faith in Action
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for(OJ) and assurance about what we do not see.(OK) 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.(OL)
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,(OM) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended(ON) as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.(OO) And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.(OP)
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[ba](OQ) For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him(OR) must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen,(OS) in holy fear built an ark(OT) to save his family.(OU) By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.(OV)
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,(OW) obeyed and went,(OX) even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land(OY) like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents,(OZ) as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.(PA) 10 For he was looking forward to the city(PB) with foundations,(PC) whose architect and builder is God.(PD) 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,(PE) was enabled to bear children(PF) because she[bb] considered him faithful(PG) who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,(PH) came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.(PI)
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;(PJ) they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,(PK) admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.(PL) 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.(PM) 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.(PN) Therefore God is not ashamed(PO) to be called their God,(PP) for he has prepared a city(PQ) for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.(PR) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[bc](PS) 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,(PT) and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.(PU)
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,(PV) and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.(PW)
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born,(PX) because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.(PY)
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.(PZ) 25 He chose to be mistreated(QA) along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace(QB) for the sake of Christ(QC) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.(QD) 27 By faith he left Egypt,(QE) not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer(QF) of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.(QG)
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.(QH)
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.(QI)
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[bd](QJ)
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,(QK) Barak,(QL) Samson(QM) and Jephthah,(QN) about David(QO) and Samuel(QP) and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,(QQ) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,(QR) 34 quenched the fury of the flames,(QS) and escaped the edge of the sword;(QT) whose weakness was turned to strength;(QU) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.(QV) 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.(QW) There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging,(QX) and even chains and imprisonment.(QY) 37 They were put to death by stoning;[be](QZ) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.(RA) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,(RB) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves(RC) and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended(RD) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,(RE) 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us(RF) would they be made perfect.(RG)
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run(RH) with perseverance(RI) the race marked out for us,
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
- Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
- Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
- Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
- Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
- Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1
- Hebrews 2:7 Or them for a little while
- Hebrews 2:8 Psalm 8:4-6
- Hebrews 2:8 Or 7 You made him a little lower than the angels;/ you crowned him with glory and honor/ 8 and put everything under his feet.”
- Hebrews 2:8 Or him
- Hebrews 2:8 Or him
- Hebrews 2:8 Or him
- Hebrews 2:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 12; and in 3:1, 12; 10:19; 13:22.
- Hebrews 2:12 Psalm 22:22
- Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:17
- Hebrews 2:13 Isaiah 8:18
- Hebrews 2:17 Or like his brothers
- Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
- Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
- Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
- Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith
- Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
- Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
- Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
- Hebrews 4:10 Or labor
- Hebrews 4:14 Greek has gone through the heavens
- Hebrews 5:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 5:6 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 6:1 Or from useless rituals
- Hebrews 6:2 Or about baptisms
- Hebrews 6:6 Or age, 6 if they fall
- Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17
- Hebrews 7:17 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 7:21 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 7:25 Or forever
- Hebrews 8:5 Exodus 25:40
- Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.
- Hebrews 8:12 Jer. 31:31-34
- Hebrews 9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come
- Hebrews 9:12 Or blood, having obtained
- Hebrews 9:14 Or from useless rituals
- Hebrews 9:16 Same Greek word as covenant; also in verse 17
- Hebrews 9:20 Exodus 24:8
- Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
- Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33
- Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34
- Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35
- Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14
- Hebrews 10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3
- Hebrews 10:38 Some early manuscripts But the righteous
- Hebrews 10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)
- Hebrews 11:5 Gen. 5:24
- Hebrews 11:11 Or By faith Abraham, even though he was too old to have children—and Sarah herself was not able to conceive—was enabled to become a father because he
- Hebrews 11:18 Gen. 21:12
- Hebrews 11:31 Or unbelieving
- Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;
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