Hebrews 12
12
God our Father
1As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses round us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. 2Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right-hand side of God's throne.
3Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up. 4For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed. 5#Job 5.17; Prov 3.11–12 (LXX)Have you forgotten the encouraging words which God speaks to you as his sons and daughters?
“My child, pay attention when the Lord corrects you,
and do not be discouraged when he rebukes you.
6Because the Lord corrects everyone he loves,
and punishes everyone he accepts as his child.”
7Endure what you suffer as being a father's punishment; your suffering shows that God is treating you as his children. Was there ever a child who was not punished by his father? 8If you are not punished, as all his children are, it means you are not real children, but bastards. 9In the case of our human fathers, they punished us and we respected them. How much more, then, should we submit to our spiritual Father and live! 10Our human fathers punished us for a short time, as it seemed right to them; but God does it for our own good, so that we may share his holiness. 11When we are punished, it seems to us at the time something to make us sad, not glad. Later, however, those who have been disciplined by such punishment reap the peaceful reward of a righteous life.
Instructions and Warnings
12 #
Is 35.3
Lift up your tired hands, then, and strengthen your trembling knees! 13#Prov 4.26 (LXX)Keep walking on straight paths, so that the lame foot may not be disabled, but instead be healed.
14Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it. 15#Deut 29.18 (LXX)Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with its poison. 16#Gen 25.29–34Let no one become immoral or unspiritual like Esau, who for a single meal sold his rights as the elder son. 17#Gen 27.30–40Afterwards, you know, he wanted to receive his father's blessing; but he was turned away, because he could not find any way to change what he had done, even though in tears he looked for it.#12.17 he looked for it; or he tried to get the blessing.
18 #
Ex 19.16–22; 20.18–21; Deut 4.11–12; 5.22–27 You have not come, as the people of Israel came, to what you can feel, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm, 19the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice. When the people heard the voice, they begged not to hear another word, 20#Ex 19.12–13because they could not bear the order which said, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21#Deut 9.19The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling and afraid!”
22Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, with its thousands of angels. 23You have come to the joyful gathering of God's firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, who is the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people made perfect. 24#Gen 4.10You have come to Jesus, who arranged the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that promises much better things than does the blood of Abel.
25 #
Ex 20.22
Be careful, then, and do not refuse to hear him who speaks. Those who refused to hear the one who gave the divine message on earth did not escape. How much less shall we escape, then, if we turn away from the one who speaks from heaven! 26#Hag 2.6 (LXX)His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven as well.” 27The words “once more” plainly show that the created things will be shaken and removed, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain.
28Let us be thankful, then, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe; 29#Deut 4.24because our God is indeed a destroying fire.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Hebrews 12
12
The Call to Endurance
1Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses # Heb 11:2,4-5,39 surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance # 1Co 9:24; Heb 10:36 the race that lies before us, 2keeping our eyes on Jesus, # Or us, looking to Jesus the source and perfecter # Or the founder and completer of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him # Or who instead of the joy lying before Him ; that is, the joy of heaven endured a cross and despised the shame # Lk 24:26; Php 2:8-9; Heb 13:13 and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.
Fatherly Discipline
3For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. # Mt 10:24; Gl 6:9 4In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:
My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly
or faint when you are reproved by Him,
6for the Lord disciplines the one He loves
and punishes every son He receives. # Jb 5:17; Ps 94:12; Pr 3:11-12; Rv 3:16 # Pr 3:11-12
7Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8But if you are without discipline — which all # = Christians receive # Lit discipline, of which all have become participants — then you are illegitimate children and not sons. # Dt 8:5; 1Pt 5:9 9Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? # Nm 16:22; Is 38:16 10For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. # Lv 11:44; 2Pt 1:4 11No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace # Is 32:17; Jms 3:17-18 and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. # 1Pt 1:6
12Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, # Jb 4:3-4; Is 35:3 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated # Or so that the lame will not be turned aside but healed instead. # Pr 4:26; Gl 6:1
Warning against Rejecting God’s Grace
14Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness # Rm 6:22; 14:19 — without it no one will see the Lord. # Mt 5:8; 2Co 7:1 15Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. # 2Co 6:1; Gl 5:4; Heb 3:12; 10:39 16And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent # 1Tm 1:9; 4:7; 6:20; 2Tm 2:16 person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. # Gn 25:33 17For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears. # Gn 27:34-38
18For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20for they could not bear what was commanded: And if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned! # Ex 19:12-13,18; 20:18-21; Dt 4:11; 5:5,25 # Ex 19:12 21The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am terrified and trembling. # Dt 9:19 # Dt 9:19) 22Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, # Gl 4:26; Heb 11:10 23to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written # Or registered in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, # Ps 94:2; Lk 10:20; Php 3:12 24to Jesus (mediator # 1Tm 2:5; Heb 7:22; 8:6; 9:15 of a new covenant # 1Co 11:25; 2Co 3:6; Heb 13:20), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. # Gn 4:10; Heb 11:4
25Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. # Heb 2:2-4; 8:5; 11:7 26His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven. # Ex 19:18; Hg 2:6 # Hg 2:6 27This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken # 1Co 7:31; 2Pt 3:10 — that is, created things — so that what is not shaken might remain. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. # Or let us give thanks, or let us have grace By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, # Dn 2:44; Heb 13:15 29for our God is a consuming fire. # Dt 4:24; 2Th 1:8
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