Prerogatives of the Divine Son

1 God, after speaking in days of old¹ to the fathers through the prophets in many portions and various ways, ² has spoken to us in these last days by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the worlds. ³ And he²—being the outshining of God’s glory, the exact representation of his nature, and the one who upholds all things by his powerful word—after providing for purification from³ sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, ⁴ and so became⁴ as much superior to the angels as he has inherited a more exalted name than theirs.

The Son is Higher Than the Angels

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, this day I have begotten you”?⁵ Or again, “I will be a Father to him, and he a Son to me”?^{6 6} But when he again brings⁷ the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!”⁸

⁷ Moreover, he says of the angels, “He⁹ makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”^{10 8} But of the Son he says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
and the scepter of your kingdom is uprightness itself.^11
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above all your companions.”¹²

¹⁰ And,

“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
¹¹ They will perish, but you will remain:
They will all grow old like a garment,
¹² and like a robe you will roll them up;
like a garment, they too will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never fail.”¹³

¹³ And to which of the angels did he ever say, “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?^{14 14} Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth into service for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation?

Notes

1. Or long ago
2. Lit. who
3. Lit. of
4. Lit. having become
5. Ps. 2:7
6. 2 Sam. 7:14
7. Or And again, when he brings
8. Deut. 32:43 (Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls); Ps. 97:7
9. Lit. He who
10. Ps. 104:4
11. Lit. the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your (some mss his) kingdom
12. Ps. 45:6-7
13. Ps. 102:25-27
14. Ps. 110:1

We Must Not Drift Away

2 For this reason we must attend all the more carefully to the things we have heard, so as not to drift away from them. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved to be true,¹ and every transgression and act of disobedience received a just recompense, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken through the Lord himself, and later on was confirmed to us by those who heard him, ⁴ God himself bearing witness with them, whether by signs and wonders, various miracles, or gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed² according to his own will?

Christ is Lord of the World to Come

⁵ For he has not subjected the world to come of which we speak to the angels. ⁶ On the contrary, in a certain place someone has testified, saying,

“What is man that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man that you look after him?
⁷ You have made him a little lower³ than the angels,
and have crowned him with glory and honor.^4
8 You have put all things in subjection beneath his feet.”⁵

For when he subjected all things to him, he left nothing outside of his control. But for the moment we do not yet see all things under his control. ⁹ We do, however, see Jesus—who was made a little lower than the angels—crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death,⁶ so that he, by the grace of God, might taste of death on behalf of us all.

The Son Perfected Through Suffering

¹⁰ For it was fitting that God⁷—for whom are all things, and through whom are all things—in bringing many sons to glory, should perfect the pioneer of their salvation through sufferings. ¹¹ For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all come from the same Father,⁸ for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers, ¹² saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing your praise.”^{9 13} And again, “I will put my trust in him.”¹⁰ And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.”¹¹

¹⁴ Inasmuch, then, as the children all share in flesh and blood, he himself partook of flesh and blood just as they did, so that through death he might break the power of¹² him who held the power of death—that is, the devil—¹⁵ and release those who, through the fear of death, were subject to bondage all throughout their lives. ¹⁶ For surely his concern is not for angels,¹³ but rather for the seed of Abraham. ¹⁷ And this is why he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things pertaining to God, in order to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For in that he himself has suffered temptation, he is well able to come to the aid of those who are being tempted.

Notes

1. Lit. certain, trustworthy, reliable
2. Lit. or distributions of the Holy Spirit
3. Or possibly for a little while you have made him lower
4. Many mss add and set him over the works of your hands
5. Ps. 8:4-6
6. Lit. because of the suffering of death
7. Lit. for him
8. Lit. are all from one (Father, source, origin)
9. Ps. 22:22
10. 2 Sam. 22:3, Is. 8:17
11. Is. 8:18
12. Or bring to nothing, destroy
13. Or it is not angels that he helps; lit. does not take hold of angels

Patterns of Faithfulness

3 Therefore, holy brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling, think carefully about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² how he was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses alone, in all God’s¹ house, was faithful. ³ For this Jesus has been counted worthy of far greater glory than Moses, even as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴ For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God. ⁵ Now in all God’s house Moses alone was faithful as a servant, with the result that he testified about things to be spoken later on. ⁶ But Christ was faithful as a Son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold firmly² to our confidence, and to the hope in which we glory.

⁷ Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸ do not harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion,³
as they did on the day of testing in the wilderness,
⁹ where your fathers put me to the test, forcing me to prove myself,⁴
and where they saw my works for forty years.
¹⁰ For this reason I was angry with that generation,
and I said, ‘In their hearts they are always wandering off—
but they have never known⁵ my ways.’
¹¹ As⁶ I swore in my wrath,
‘They will never enter my rest.’”⁷

¹² Therefore see to it, brothers, that none of you displays an evil, unbelieving heart by deserting the living God. ¹³ Instead, you should exhort one another daily, while it is still called “Today,” so that none of you are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become partakers of Christ if indeed we hold our initial confidence firmly until the end, ¹⁵ while we are still being told,⁸ “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion.”

¹⁶ For who was it that heard him and then rebelled? Was it not everyone who came out of Egypt under Moses?^9 17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? ¹⁹ So then: We see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Notes

1. Lit. his
2. Many mss add till the end
3. Or provocation (i.e. to wrath)
4. Lit. fathers tested by a proof
5. Lit. did not know
6. Or possibly So
7. Ps. 95:7-11
8. Lit. while it is (still) being said
9. Lit. through Moses
   

Entering God’s Rest

4 Therefore, while¹ the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us take every precaution,² so that none of you appear to have fallen short of it. ² For good news has been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them; but the message they heard did them no good, for they were not united by faith with those who heard and obeyed it.^{3 3}For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said: “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”⁴ And yet from the founding of the world his works have stood complete. ⁴ For in a certain place he spoke about the seventh day like this: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^{5 5}And he does so again in this passage: “They shall not enter my rest.”⁶

⁶ Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and since those to whom it was first proclaimed failed to enter it because of disobedience, ⁷ he again designates a certain day—calling it “Today”—when, a great while later, he spoke through David in the words just quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”^{7 8} For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken of another day after that. ⁹ So then: There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. ¹⁰ For anyone who has entered his rest has also rested from his own works, just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one falls by following their example⁸ of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing all the way to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow; and it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ Moreover, there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and exposed before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

A Compassionate High Priest

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus, the Son of God—let us hold firmly to our confession.^9 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who at all points was tempted just as we are, yet remained without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Notes

1. Or since
2. Lit. let us fear
3. Some mss since it was not mixed with faith in those who heard
4. Ps. 95:11
5. Gen 2:2
6. Ps. 95:11
7. Ps. 95:7-8
8. Lit. the same example (pattern)
9. Lit. hold firmly the confession.

5 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed to serve¹ men in matters pertaining to God, so that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness; ³ and because of this, just as he does for the people, so too must he do for himself: He must make offerings for sins.

⁴ Moreover, no man takes this honor to himself; rather, he is called by God to receive it, just as Aaron was. ⁵ And like Aaron,² Christ did not glorify himself so as to be made high priest; rather, it was he who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”^{3 6} Elsewhere he again says the same thing:⁴ “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”⁵

⁷ Now Christ,⁶ in the days of his flesh, lifted up pleas and supplications with urgent⁷ cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death; and because of his reverence for God⁸ he was heard. ⁸ Though he was a Son, he learned obedience through the things that he suffered; ⁹ and when he was perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰ having been designated by God “High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.”

Pressing on to Maturity

¹¹ Now on this subject we have much to say, but it is difficult to do so, since you have become hard of hearing. ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you yourselves need someone to teach you the basic principles of the oracles⁹ of God all over again. Thus,¹⁰ you have become like little children, needing milk rather than solid food. ¹³ For everyone who only partakes of milk is unskilled¹¹ in the message about righteousness, for he is still a child. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, whose senses have been trained by constant practice to discern both good and evil.

Notes

1. Lit. on behalf of
2. Lit. So too
3. Ps. 2:7
4. Lit. just as also in another place he says
5. Ps. 110:4
6. Lit. who
7. Lit. strong, forceful, violent
8. Or godly fear
9. Or utterances
10. Lit. and (indeed)
11. Or inexperienced

6 So then: Leaving behind the elementary teachings about the Messiah, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, or of faith in God, ² or of instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do, if God permits. ⁴ For in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted of the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they themselves are again crucifying the Son of God¹ and exposing him to public disgrace. ⁷ For land which drinks in the rain that often falls upon it—and which then brings forth vegetation useful to those who are busy cultivating it²—receives a blessing from God. ⁸ But if it brings forth thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and ends up being burned.

Pressing on to Assurance

⁹ But though we speak in this way, in your case, beloved friends, we are convinced of better things—indeed, of things that accompany salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work, and the love that you have shown towards his name in having ministered—and in still ministering—to the saints. ¹¹ Nevertheless, we desire each one of you to keep on showing this same diligence, so that you will enjoy³ the full assurance of hope all the way to the end; ¹² so that you won’t grow sluggish, but will instead become imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

¹³ For when God made his promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “When I bless you, I will greatly bless; and when I multiply you, I will greatly multiply.”^4 15 And so, by patiently enduring, Abraham obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For men always swear by that which is greater, and for them an oath of confirmation⁵ brings an end to every dispute. ¹⁷ In the same way, God, desiring⁶ still more clearly to show the heirs of the promise the immutability of his purpose, interposed⁷ with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for him⁸ to lie, we might have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge by laying hold of the hope set before us. ¹⁹ We have this hope⁹ as an anchor for the soul, both firm and secure, and which also enters the sacred space behind the veil,^{10 20} where the forerunner—Jesus himself—has entered for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Notes

1. Lit. since they re-crucify to themselves the Son of God
2. Lit. who also cultivate it
3. Or in a pursuit of; lit. to, towards, for
4. Lit. Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you (Gen. 22:16-17)
5. Lit. the oath unto (for) confirmation
6. Or determining
7. Or confirmed it
8. Lit. God
9. Lit. which we have (hold)
10. Lit. enters the inner place of the veil (curtain)

The King of Righteousness

7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him—² and to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all the spoils—was first of all (according to the translation of his name) “king of righteousness,” and then also “king of Salem,” which means “king of peace.” ³ Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

⁴ But consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth part of the choicest spoils. ⁵ Now those of the sons of Levi who receive the priesthood are authorized under the Law¹ to receive tithes from the people—that is, from their brothers, even though their brothers also come from the loins of Abraham. ⁶ But Melchizedek,² whose descent is not traced from them, received tithes from Abraham, and also blessed the one who had the promises of God. ⁷ But beyond all dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸ Moreover, in the one case, mortal men receive tithes; but in the other, someone receives them of whom it is testified that he still lives. ⁹ Indeed, in a manner of speaking, even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Perfection Through Christ, Not Levi

¹¹ So then: If perfection were attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of that priesthood the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise; that is, someone who is said to belong to the order of Melchizedek, rather than the order of Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there is a change of law as well. ¹³ For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no man has ever officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord arose from the tribe of Judah, a tribe of which Moses spoke nothing at all with reference to priests. ¹⁵ And this is still more evident if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶ someone who has become a priest, not based on a law of physical descent,³ but on the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is testified of him: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”⁴

¹⁸ For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside due to its weakness and ineffectiveness ¹⁹ (for the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, a far greater hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. ²⁰ And inasmuch as it did not come⁵ without an oath— ²¹ for it is certain that the Levites⁶ became priests without an oath, whereas Christ⁷ became a priest with an oath from⁸ him who said to him, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever’”⁹— ²² by that much more has Jesus also become the guarantee of a better covenant.

²³ Moreover, those who formerly became priests were numerous indeed, since death prevented them from continuing in office. ²⁴ Christ,¹⁰ on the other hand, because he remains forever, holds an unchangeable priesthood; ²⁵ and for this reason he is also able to save to the uttermost¹¹ those who come to God through him, since he forever lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, one who is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the very heavens; ²⁷ one who doesn’t need, as those priests do, to offer up sacrifices day by day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people, since he did this once and for all when he offered up himself. ²⁸ For the Law appoints as high priests men who are beset with weakness; but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son who has been perfected forever.

Notes

1. Lit. have a commandment according to the Law
2. Lit. the one
3. Lit. a law of a fleshly command
4. Psalm 110:4
5. Lit. as it was not
6. Lit. they
7. Lit. he
8. Lit. through
9. Psalm 110:4
10. Lit. he
11. Or completely, perfectly, forever

A Heavenly High Priest

8 Now here is the main point of the things we are saying: We have this kind of high priest, a priest who is seated¹ at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, ² a minister of the holy places,² and of the true tabernacle that the Lord pitched, and not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, for which reason it was necessary that this priest have something to offer as well. ⁴ Now if he were here on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since here there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the Law. ⁵ Moreover, they serve only a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things. This is why Moses himself received a warning when he was about to set up the tabernacle; for God said, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.”^{3 6} Now, however, Christ⁴ has obtained a better ministry than theirs, by just so much as he also is the mediator of a better covenant, a covenant that is founded⁵ on better promises.

A New and Better Covenant

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, no opportunity for introducing a second would have been sought. ⁸ But⁶ finding fault with it, God says to them,⁷ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ⁹ not like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I turned away from them, says the Lord. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will place my laws in their minds, and will write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be my people. ¹¹ No longer will each one teach his countryman, and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest. ¹² For I will be merciful towards their iniquities, and their sins I will remember no more.”⁸

¹³ In that he says, “A new covenant,” he has made the first obsolete. But whatever is growing old and becoming obsolete is ready to disappear once and for all.

Notes

1. Lit. who sat down
2. Or sanctuaries (i.e. the holy place and the holiest of all)
3. Ex. 25:40
4. Lit. he
5. Or enacted; lit. which has been founded
6. Lit. for
7. Some mss for finding fault with them, God says
8. Jer. 31:31-34

The Earthly Sanctuary

9 Now even the first covenant had regulations for a service of worship and the earthly sanctuary. ² For a sacred tent was built and then furnished: The first part—which contained the lampstand, the table, and the loaves of presentation—was called the Holy Place. ³ And behind the second curtain there was a second room of the tent called the Holy of Holies. ⁴ It contained a golden altar of incense, and the Ark of the Covenant, which was overlaid with gold on all sides. In it were stored a golden jar containing the manna, the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. ⁵ And above the Ark¹ were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. But now is not the time to speak of these things in detail.

⁶ Now once such preparations had been made, the priests would regularly enter into the first part of the tent, performing their sacred duties. ⁷ But into the second part the high priest alone would enter, once a year, and not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. ⁸ By this the Holy Spirit was signifying that as long as the first tabernacle was still standing, the way into the holy places had not yet been disclosed. ⁹ This also serves to symbolize the present time, in which gifts and sacrifices that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper are still being offered up, ¹⁰ related as they are only to food and drink and various washings: mere physical regulations imposed until the time of reformation.

The Heavenly Sanctuary

¹¹ But when Christ appeared as the high priest of the good things that now have come,² he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, a tabernacle not made with human hands (that is, not belonging to this creation). ¹² Nor was it through the blood of goats and calves, but rather through his own blood that he entered the holy places once and for all, having obtained for us eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on the ceremonially unclean, sanctify people in such a way as to purify the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ—who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without blemish to God—cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ And this is why he is the mediator of a new testament,³ since now a death has occurred to pay for the transgressions committed under the first testament, so that those who are called may receive the promise of an⁴ eternal inheritance.

A New Testament

¹⁶ For where there is a testament, there must of necessity be the death of the testator.^5 17 For a testament takes effect only at the moment of death, since it carries no force at all so long as the testator is still alive. ¹⁸ This is why not even the first testament was inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹ For when Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the Law to the people, he took the blood of calves and goats—along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop—and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.”^{6 21}And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels for ministry with blood. ²² Indeed, according to the Law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

The Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice

²³ For this reason it was necessary that the representation of the things in the heavens be purified with such sacrifices,⁷ but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter holy places made with human hands—mere representations of the true—but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. ²⁵ Nor did he do so in order to offer himself over and again—much as the high priest does when he enters into the holy places year by year with the blood of another— ²⁶ for then Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the founding of the world. But now—once and for all at the end of the ages—he has appeared to put away sin through the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ And just as it is appointed for men to die once and then face judgment,^8 28 so too Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to bring full salvation to those who eagerly wait for him.

Notes

1. Lit. it
2. Some mss the good things to come
3. Or covenant
4. Lit. the
5. Or it is necessary to prove the death of the testator
6. Exodus 24:8
7. Lit. things
8. Lit. and after this a judgment

The One Sacrifice for Sin

10 For since the Law holds only a shadow of the good things that were yet to come, and not the very form of the things themselves, it can never perfect those who draw near to God by offering the same sacrifices year after year. ² Otherwise, would not those sacrifices¹ have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, being cleansed once and for all, would no longer be aware of their sins? ³ But in those sacrifices there is actually a reminder of sins year after year, ⁴ for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵ This is why, when he came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but instead you prepared a body for me;
⁶ in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
you took no delight.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
in the scroll of the book it is written of me—
to do your will, O God.”²

⁸ After first saying, “Sacrifices, offerings, whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices for sin you did not desire, nor did you delight in them” (all of which are offered according to the Law), ⁹ he then says, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” Thus, he does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.

¹¹ Moreover, every priest stands day after day, repeatedly offering the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. ¹² But Christ,³ after offering for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from then on waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And on this matter the Holy Spirit also testifies to us. For after saying, ¹⁶ “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” ¹⁷ he then adds, “and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’^4 18 Now where there is forgiveness of such⁵ things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence!

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus— ²⁰ by a new and living way which he opened for us through the veil (that is, his flesh)— ²¹ and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with an honest heart, in the full assurance that comes from faith,⁶ having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed in pure water. ²³ With no wavering at all, let us hold firmly to the confession we made about the hope we hold dear,⁷ for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the habit of some, but instead exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ only⁸ a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and of a fierce indignation⁹ that will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much greater punishment do you think a person will deserve if he¹⁰ has trampled the Son of God under foot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”^11 31 It is a fearsome thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But call to mind the former days when, after being enlightened, you endured a severe trial of great suffering,^{12 33} partly by being publicly exposed to insults and persecutions, and partly by being the companions of those who were so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on the prisoners; moreover, you joyfully accepted the seizure of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and more lasting possession. ³⁵ So then: Don’t throw away your confidence, which is sure to receive¹³ a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive the promise. ³⁷ “For in just a little while, he who is coming will come; and he will not delay. ³⁸ Now my righteous one will live by faith; but if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”^{14 39} But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction; we are of those who keep the faith to the preservation of our souls.¹⁵

Notes

1. Lit. would they not
2. Ps. 40:6-8
3. Lit. he
4. Jer. 31:33-34
5. Lit. these
6. Lit. full assurance of faith
7. Lit. the confession of the hope
8. Lit. but
9. Lit. zeal (jealousy) of fire; Is. 26:11
10. Lit. who
11. Deut. 32:35-36
12. Lit. a great trial (conflict, struggle) of sufferings
13. Lit. which has
14. Hab. 2:3-4
15. Lit. But we are not of shrinking back to destruction, but of faith to preservation of soul

The Faith that Pleases God

11 Now faith is certainty about things hoped for, and conviction about things unseen. ² For by it the heroes of old¹ won a favorable testimony from God.

Faith in Days of Old

³ By faith we understand that the worlds were put in place² by the word of God, so that what is seen did not spring forth from things that lie in view.

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than that of Cain, through which he won a testimony that he was righteous, God himself bearing witness about his gifts; and though he is dead, through his faith he still speaks.

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so as not to see death; and he could not be found, because God himself had taken him up.³ For before he was taken up, he gained this testimony: He was pleasing to God. ⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

⁷ By faith Noah, being warned of things as yet unseen, and moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household; and in so doing he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes through faith.

The Faith of Abraham

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place he would later receive as an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived in the land of promise as if in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he was looking for the city with lasting foundations,⁴ whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹ By faith Abraham received strength to beget children⁵—though Sara herself was barren, and he past the time of life—since he regarded⁶ him who had promised as faithful. ¹² Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, children were born: as abundant as the stars in the sky, and as innumerable as the sands on the seashore.⁷

Faith, Vision, and Hope

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but seeing and welcoming them from afar, and confessing that they were foreigners and sojourners on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things are plainly stating that they seek a homeland. ¹⁵ And if in fact they had been thinking of the country they left, they would have had every opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, which is to say a heavenly. And for this reason God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

The Faith of the Patriarchs

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. Indeed, he who had received the promises was offering up his uniquely begotten⁸ son— ¹⁸ even though God had said to him,⁹ “Through Isaac a seed will carry on your name”¹⁰ — ¹⁹ for he had concluded that God was even able to raise him from the dead, from which he did indeed receive him back, in a figurative sense. ²⁰ By faith¹¹ Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. ²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and he worshiped God, leaning on the top of his staff. ²² By faith Joseph, when he lay dying, made mention of the exodus of the children of Israel; and he gave instructions concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses

²³ By faith Moses, after being born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he came of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to suffer affliction with God’s people than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered the reproach that fell on Christ¹² more to be valued¹³ than all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt behind, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he held his course as one who sees what¹⁴ is unseen. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would do them no harm.¹⁵

Faith that Overcomes

²⁹ By faith the people¹⁶ passed through the Red Sea as if on dry ground, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do the same, were swallowed up. ³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled for seven days. ³¹ By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who disobeyed,¹⁷ for she welcomed the spies in peace. ³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, and of David and Samuel and all the prophets, ³³ who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness,¹⁸ obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, received strength in weakness, grew mighty in battle, and put to flight the armies of the invaders. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised again to life. Others, however, were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might obtain a far better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others were tried by way of¹⁹ mockeries and floggings; yes, even to chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, sawn in two,²⁰ and slain with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were destitute, afflicted, and mistreated— ³⁸ men of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and hiding in caves and openings in the earth.

³⁹ Now all of these—though winning a favorable testimony because of their faith—did not receive the promise, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they could not be made complete.

Notes

1. Lit. elders, ancients (i.e. men and women of stature)
2. Or set in order
3. Gen. 5:24
4. Lit. the city having foundations
5. Lit. for the laying down of seed
6. Or possibly By faith even Sara herself, though past the time of life, received the ability to conceive, since she regarded
7. Gen. 15:5; 22:17
8. Some interpreters: unique, one and only
   
9. Lit. to (of) whom it was said
10. Lit. in Isaac a seed will be named for you (Gen. 21:12)
11. Lit. By faith also
12. Lit. the reproach of Christ
13. Lit. greater wealth, riches
14. Or him who
15. Or would not touch them
16. Lit. they
17. Or disbelieved
18. Or enforced justice
19. Lit. received a trial of
20. Some mss add were tempted

Endurance in the Race of Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily entangles us; and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² constantly looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning the shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Discipline, a Mark of Sonship

³ For consider him who endured such hostility of sinners against himself, so that you yourselves will not grow weary in your souls and give up the race:^1 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the shedding of your blood. ⁵ What’s more, you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when he corrects you; ⁶ for those² whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he chastens³ every son whom he receives to himself.”⁴

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline:⁵ God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ But if you are without discipline—of which all have become partakers—then you are illegitimate, and not sons at all. ⁹ Furthermore, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we showed them respect; should we not all the more submit to the Father of our spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a few days as seemed best to them, but he for our benefit, so that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ Now at the time all discipline seems painful rather than joyful; but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.

Guidelines for the Faithful

¹² So then: Strengthen the hands that droop down, and the knees that grow weak; ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that the injured limb will not be thrown out of joint,⁶ but rather healed. ¹⁴ Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ Watch over one another so that none of you falls short of the grace of God; so that no poisonous root, springing up among you, causes trouble and defiles many;^7 16 so that there is no sexually immoral or profane person like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no room for a change of heart in his father,⁸ though he begged for it with tears.⁹

Joy on the Heavenly Zion

¹⁸ For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, or to a consuming fire, or to blackness and gloom and tempest, ¹⁹ or to the blast of a trumpet, or to the sound¹⁰ of words such that those who heard them begged that no further word should be spoken to them. ²⁰ For they could not endure what was commanded: “If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”^{11 21} Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that even Moses said, “I am beside myself with fear, and trembling.”¹²

²² But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God: the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to the assembly of the firstborn whose names are recorded in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect. ²⁴ And you have come to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks a better word than that of Abel.

Hope, Fear, and the Unshakeable Kingdom

²⁵ See to it that you do not reject him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has forewarned us all,¹³ saying, “Yet once more will I shake, not only the earth, but heaven as well.”^{14 27} Now this expression—“yet once more”—indicates the complete removal of the things that are shaken (that is, of created things), so that only the things which cannot be shaken will remain. ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can never be shaken, let us have grace,¹⁵ through which we may offer to God an acceptable service of worship, with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire.

Notes

1. Lit. giving up (fainting)
2. Lit. for he
3. Lit. scourges, flogs
4. Prov. 3:11-12
5. Or It is for discipline that you endure (hardship)
6. Or possibly the lame may not be turned aside; lit. what is lame may not be dislocated (turned aside)
7. Lit. trouble, through which many are defiled
8. Lit. he did not find a place of (for) repentance (a change of heart)
9. Gen. 27:28
10. Or voice
11. Ex. 19:12-13
12. Deut. 9:19
13. Or promised, announced
14. Hag. 2:6
15. Or gratitude

Concluding Directives

13 Let brotherly love continue. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in so doing some have entertained angels without knowing it! ³ Remember the prisoners as if you were in jail with them; and remember those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are also in the body. ⁴ Let marriage be held in honor by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. ⁵ Keep your life free from the love of money; be content with what you have, for he himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”^{1 6} Therefore we can boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”²                        

⁷ Remember those who led you and spoke the word of God to you. And keeping in mind the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith: ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

⁹ Don’t be carried away by all sorts of exotic³ teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace, and not by regulations concerning food,⁴ which are of no benefit at all to those who observe them.^{5 10} We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of the animals whose blood the high priest brings into the sanctuary as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. ¹² And for this reason Jesus himself⁶ suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood. ¹³ Therefore, let us go out to him—beyond the camp—bearing the reproach that he bore.^7 14 For here we have no enduring city, but are seeking the one that is soon to come. ¹⁵ Therefore, through him let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God: the fruit of our lips confessing his name. ¹⁶ But do not neglect to do good and to share with those in need; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as men who will give an account. Let them do so with joy, and not with groaning, for that would be harmful⁸ to you.

¹⁸ Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a clear conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all our affairs. ¹⁹ And I especially urge you to pray that I may ⁹ swiftly be restored to you.

Benediction, Exhortation, and Farewell

²⁰ Now may the God of peace who, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, brought up from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep—Jesus our Lord— ²¹ equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² Now I appeal to you, brothers: Bear with this word of exhortation, for in fact I have only written to you in brief.

²³ You should know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he comes to me soon, he will be with me when I see you again.

²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you their greetings.

²⁵ Grace be with you all. Amen.

Notes

1. Deut. 31:6,8; Josh. 1:5
2. Psalm 118:6
3. Lit. new, unheard of, foreign
4. Lit. not by foods
5. Or who are preoccupied with them; lit. which do not benefit those who walk in them
6. Lit also
7. Lit. his reproach, abuse
8. Or injurious; lit. disadvantageous
9. Lit. to do this so that I may
   
10. Lit. that which