Hebrews 12
1 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,
Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us,
2 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.
looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured [the] cross, having despised [the] shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 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.
For consider well him who endured so great contradiction from sinners against himself, that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds.
4 You have not yet, in your struggle with sin, resisted to the death;
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, wrestling against sin.
5 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;
And ye have quite forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, despise not [the] chastening of [the] Lord, nor faint [when] reproved by him;
6 For it is him whom he loves that he disciplines, and he chastises every child whom he acknowledges.”
for whom [the] Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.
7 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?
Ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself towards you as towards sons; for who is the son that the father chastens not?
8 If you are left without that discipline, in which all children share, it shows that you are bastards, and not true children.
But if ye are without chastening, of which all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 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?
Moreover we have had the fathers of our flesh as chasteners, and we reverenced [them]; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 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.
For they indeed chastened for a few days, as seemed good to them; but he for profit, in order to the partaking of his holiness.
11 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.
But no chastening at the time seems to be [matter] of joy, but of grief; but afterwards yields [the] peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it.
12 Therefore “lift again the down-dropped hands and straighten the weakened knees;
Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the failing knees;
13 make straight paths for your feet,” so that the lame limb may not be put out of joint, but rather be cured.
and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned aside; but that rather it may be healed.
14 Try earnestly to live at peace with everyone, and to attain to that purity without which no one will see the Lord.
Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord:
15 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.
watching lest [there be] any one who lacks the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and many be defiled by it;
16 Take care that no one becomes immoral, or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright;
17 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.
for ye know that also afterwards, desiring to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, (for he found no place for repentance) although he sought it earnestly with tears.
18 It is not to tangible “flaming fire” that you have drawn near, nor to “gloom, and darkness, and storm,
For ye have not come to [the mount] that might be touched and was all on fire, and to obscurity, and darkness, and tempest,
19 and the blast of a trumpet, and an audible voice.” Those who heard that voice entreated that they might hear no more,
and trumpet's sound, and voice of words; which they that heard, excusing themselves, declined [the] word being addressed to them any more:
20 for they could not bear to think of the command – “If even an animal touches the mountain, it is to be stoned to death;”
(for they were not able to bear what was enjoined: And if a beast should touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;
21 and so fearful was the sight that Moses said – “I tremble with fear.”
and, so fearful was the sight, Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and full of trembling; )
22 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,
but ye have come to mount Zion; and to [the] city of [the] living God, heavenly Jerusalem; and to myriads of angels,
23 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,
the universal gathering; and to [the] assembly of the firstborn [who are] registered in heaven; and to God, judge of all; and to [the] spirits of just [men] made perfect;
24 to Jesus, the intermediary of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that tells of better things than the blood of Abel.
and to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant; and to [the] blood of sprinkling, speaking better than Abel.
25 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.
See that ye refuse not him that speaks. For if those did not escape who had refused him who uttered the oracles on earth, much more we who turn away from him [who does so] from heaven:
26 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.”
whose voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, saying, Yet once will I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.
27 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.
But this Yet once, signifies the removing of what is shaken, as being made, that what is not shaken may remain.
28 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.
Wherefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to be shaken, have grace, by which let us serve God acceptably with reverence and fear.
29 For our God is “a consuming fire.”
For also our God [is] a consuming fire.
