Hebrews 12
1 Since, then, we have so great a cloud of witnesses placed before us, laying aside every incumbrance, and the sin which easily entangles us, let us run, with perseverance, the race set before us;
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 looking to Jesus, the leader and perfecter of the faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
our eyes fixed upon 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 Consider him who, from sinners, endured such opposition against himself, lest, becoming discouraged in your minds, you grow weary;
Weigh well the example of him who had to endure such opposition from ‘men who were sinning against themselves,’ so that you should not grow weary or faint-hearted.
4 you have not yet resisted to blood, struggling against this sin.
You have not yet, in your struggle with sin, resisted to the death;
5 Besides, have you forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, "My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's chastisement, neither faint when you are rebuked by him:
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 for whom the Lord loves he chastises, and scourges every son whom he receives."
For it is him whom he loves that he disciplines, And he chastises every child whom he acknowledges.’
7 If you endure chastisement, God deals with you as his children. For what son is there whom his father does not chastise?
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 But if you be without chastisement, of which all sons are partakers, certainly you are bastards, and not sons.
If you are left without that discipline, in which all children share, it shows that you are bastards, and not true Children.
9 Farther, we have had fathers of our flesh, who chastised us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of our spirits, and live?
Further, when our earthly fathers disciplined us, we respected them. Shall we not, then, much rather yield submission to the Father of souls, and live?
10 For they, indeed, during a very few days, chastised us according to their pleasure; but he, for our advantage, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
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 Now, no chastisement, indeed, for the present, seems to be matter of joy, but of sorrow. Nevertheless, afterward it returns the peaceful fruit of righteousness to them who are trained by it.
No discipline is pleasant at the time; on the contrary, it is painful. But afterwards its fruit is seen in the peacefulness of a righteous life which is the lot of those who have been trained under it.
12 Wherefore, bring to their right position, the arms that hang down, and the weakened knees.
Therefore ‘lift again the down-dropped hands and straighten the weakened knees;
13 And make smooth paths for your feet, that that which is lame, may not be put out of joint, but that it may rather be healed.
make straight paths for your feet,’ so that the lame limb may not be put out of joint, but rather be cured.
14 Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which, no one shall see the Lord:
Try earnestly to live at peace with every one, and to attain to that purity without which no one will see the Lord.
15 carefully observing, lest any one come short of the favor of God; lest some bitter root springing up, trouble you, and by it many be polluted;
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 lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau; who, for one meal, gave away his birthrights.
Take care that no one becomes immoral, or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
17 And you know, that although afterward he wished to inherit the blessing, he was reprobated: for he found no scope for effecting a change, though he earnestly sought it with tears.
For you know that even afterwards, 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 Now you are not come to a tangible mountain, which burned with fire; and to blackness, and to darkness, and to tempest,
It is not to tangible ‘flaming fire’ that you have drawn near, nor to ‘gloom, and darkness, and storm,
19 and to the sound of a trumpet, and to the voice of words, the hearers of which earnestly entreated that a word more might not be addressed to them:
and the blast of a trumpet, and an audible voice.’ Those who heard that voice entreated that they might hear no more,
20 for they could not bear this threat, "Even if a beast touch the mountain, it shall shall be stoned."
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 And so terrible was the appearance, that Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and tremble."
and so fearful was the sight that Moses said — ‘I tremble with fear.’
22 But you are come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of messengers,
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 to the general assembly and congregation of the first-born, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
to the festal gathering and assemblage of God’s Eldest Sons whose names are enrolled in Heaven, to God the Judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous who have attained perfection,
24 and to Jesus the mediator of the new institution, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaks better things than that of 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 Take care that you refuse not him who speaks: for if they did not escape, who refused him who spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape, who turn away from him that speaks from heaven:
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 whose voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once I shake not the earth only, but also the heavens."
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 Now this speech, "YET ONCE," signifies the removing of the things shaken, as of things which were constituted, that the things not shaken may remain.
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 Wherefore, we having received a kingdom not shaken, let us have gratitude, by which we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and religious fear.
Therefore, let us, who have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, be thankful, and so offer acceptable worship to God, with awe and reverence.
29 For truly our God is a consuming fire.
For our God is ‘a consuming fire.’
