< Hebræerne 12 >

1 Derfor lader ogsaa os, efterdi vi have saa stor en Sky af Vidner omkring os, aflægge enhver Byrde og Synden, som lettelig hilder os, og med Udholdenhed gennemløbe den foran os liggende Bane,
Seeing, therefore, that there is on every side of us such a throng of witnesses, let us also lay aside everything that hinders us, and the sin that clings about us, and run with patient endurance the race that lies before us,
2 idet vi se hen til Troens Begynder og Fuldender, Jesus, som for den foran ham liggende Glædes Skyld udholdt et Kors, idet han ringeagtede Skændselen, og som har taget Sæde paa højre Side af Guds Trone.
our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfect example of our faith, who, for the joy that lay before him, endured the cross, heedless of its shame, and now ‘has taken his seat at the right hand’ of the throne of God.
3 Ja, tænker paa ham, som har udholdt en saadan Modsigelse imod sig af Syndere, for at I ikke skulle blive trætte og forsagte i eders Sjæle.
Weigh well the example of him who had to endure such opposition from ‘people who were sinning against themselves,’ so that you should not grow weary or faint-hearted.
4 Endnu have I ikke staaet imod indtil Blodet i eders Kamp imod Synden,
You have not yet, in your struggle with sin, resisted to the death;
5 og I have glemt Formaningen, der jo dog taler til eder som til Sønner: „Min Søn! agt ikke Herrens Tugtelse ringe, vær heller ikke forsagt, naar du revses af ham;
and you have forgotten the encouraging words which are addressed to you as God’s children – ‘My child, think not lightly of the Lord’s discipline, do not despond when he rebukes you;
6 thi hvem Herren elsker, den tugter han, og han slaar haardelig hver Søn, som han tager sig af.”
For it is him whom he loves that he disciplines, and he chastises every child whom he acknowledges.’
7 Holder ud og lader eder tugte; Gud handler med eder som med Sønner; thi hvem er den Søn, som Faderen ikke tugter?
It is for your discipline that you have to endure all this. God is dealing with you as his children. For where is there a child whom his father does not discipline?
8 Men dersom I ere uden Tugtelse, hvori alle have faaet Del, da ere I jo uægte og ikke Sønner.
If you are left without that discipline, in which all children share, it shows that you are bastards, and not true children.
9 Fremdeles, vore kødelige Fædre havde vi til Optugtere, og vi følte Ærefrygt; skulde vi da ikke meget mere underordne os under Aandernes Fader og leve?
Further, when our earthly fathers disciplined us, we respected them. Should we not, then, much rather yield submission to the Father of souls, and live?
10 Thi hine tugtede os for nogle faa Dage efter deres Tykke, men han gør det til vort Gavn, for at vi skulle faa Del i hans Hellighed.
Our fathers disciplined us for only a short time and as seemed best to them; but God disciplines us for our true good, to enable us to share his holiness.
11 Al Tugtelse synes vel, imedens den er nærværende, ikke at være til Glæde, men til Bedrøvelse; men siden giver den til Gengæld dem, som derved ere øvede, en Fredens Frugt i Retfærdighed.
No discipline is pleasant at the time; on the contrary, it is painful. But afterward its fruit is seen in the peacefulness of a righteous life which is the lot of those who have been trained under it.
12 Derfor, retter de slappede Hænder og de lammede Knæ,
Therefore ‘lift again the down-dropped hands and straighten the weakened knees;
13 og træder lige Spor med eders Fødder, for at ikke det lamme skal vrides af Led, men snarere helbredes.
make straight paths for your feet,’ so that the lame limb may not be put out of joint, but rather be cured.
14 Stræber efter Fred med alle og efter Helliggørelsen, uden hvilken ingen skal se Herren;
Try earnestly to live at peace with everyone, and to attain to that purity without which no one will see the Lord.
15 og ser til, at ikke nogen gaar Glip af Guds Naade, at ikke nogen bitter Rod skyder op og gør Skade, og de mange smittes ved den;
Take care that no one fails to use the loving help of God, ‘that no bitterness is allowed to take root and spring up, and cause trouble,’ and so poison the whole community.
16 at ikke nogen er en utugtig eller en vanhellig som Esau, der for een Ret Mad solgte sin Førstefødselsret.
Take care that no one becomes immoral, or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
17 Thi I vide, at han ogsaa siden, da han ønskede at arve Velsignelsen, blev forkastet (thi han fandt ikke Rum for Omvendelse), omendskønt han begærede den med Taarer.
For you know that even afterward, when he wished to claim his father’s blessing, he was rejected – for he never found an opportunity to repair his error – though he begged for the blessing with tears.
18 I ere jo ikke komne til en haandgribelig og brændende Ild og til Mulm og Mørke og Uvejr,
It is not to tangible ‘flaming fire’ that you have drawn near, nor to ‘gloom, and darkness, and storm,
19 og ikke til Basunens Klang og til en talende Røst, hvorom de, der hørte den, bade, at der ikke mere maatte tales til dem.
and the blast of a trumpet, and an audible voice.’ Those who heard that voice entreated that they might hear no more,
20 Thi de kunde ikke bære det, som blev paabudt: „Endog om et Dyr rører ved Bjerget, skal det stenes.”
for they could not bear to think of the command – ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it is to be stoned to death;’
21 Og — saa frygteligt var Synet — Moses sagde: „Jeg er forfærdet og bæver.”
and so fearful was the sight that Moses said – ‘I tremble with fear.’
22 Men I ere komne til Zions Bjerg og til den levende Guds Stad, til det himmelske Jerusalem og til Englenes Titusinder i Højtidsskare
No, but it is to Mount Zion that you have drawn near, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless hosts of angels,
23 og til de førstefødtes Menighed, som ere indskrevne i Himlene, og til en Dommer, som er alles Gud, og til de fuldkommede retfærdiges Aander
to the festal gathering and assemblage of God’s firstborn whose names are enrolled in heaven, to God the judge of all people, to the spirits of the righteous who have attained perfection,
24 og til den nye Pagts Mellemmand, Jesus, og til Bestænkelsens Blod, som taler bedre end Abel.
to Jesus, the intermediary of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that tells of better things than the blood of Abel.
25 Ser til, at I ikke bede eder fri for den, som taler. Thi naar de, som bade sig fri for ham, der talte sit Guddomsord paa Jorden, ikke undslap, da skulle vi det meget mindre, naar vi vende os bort fra ham, der taler fra Himlene,
Beware how you refuse to hear him who is speaking. For, if the Israelites did not escape punishment, when they refused to listen to him who taught them on earth the divine will, far worse will it be for us, if we turn away from him who is teaching us from heaven.
26 han, hvis Røst dengang rystede Jorden, men som nu har forjættet og sagt: „Endnu een Gang vil jeg ryste, ikke alene Jorden, men ogsaa Himmelen.”
Then his voice shook the earth, but now his declaration is – ‘Still once more I will cause not only the earth to tremble, but also the heavens.’
27 Men dette „endnu een Gang” giver til Kende, at de Ting, der rystes, skulle omskiftes, efterdi de ere skabte, for at de Ting, der ikke rystes, skulle blive.
And those words ‘still once more’ indicate the passing away of all that is shaken – that is, of all created things – in order that only what is unshaken may remain.
28 Derfor, efterdi vi modtage et Rige, som ikke kan rystes, saa lader os være taknemmelige og derved tjene Gud til hans Velbehag, med Ængstelse og Frygt.
Therefore, let us, who have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, be thankful, and so offer acceptable worship to God, with awe and the deepest respect.
29 Thi vor Gud er en fortærende Ild.
For our God is ‘a consuming fire.’

< Hebræerne 12 >