Hebrews 12

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Literal

A Call to Endurance

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.

¹Therefore we also, having such a great cloud of witnesses encompassing us, having put off every weight and the sin easily entangling, should run through perseverance the race lying before us,

²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author^a and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

²looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who in view of the joy lying before Him endured the cross, having despised its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

³For consider fully the One having endured such great contradiction by sinners against Himself, so that you might not grow weary, fainting in your souls.

God Disciplines His Sons

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

⁴Not yet did you resist unto blood, struggling against sin,

⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord,

and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.

⁵and you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as to sons: “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint being reproved by Him.

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,

and He chastises every son He receives.”^a

⁶For the Lord disciplines whom He loves, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”

⁷Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

⁷It is for discipline that you endure; God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

⁸If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

⁸But if you are without discipline, of which they have all become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

⁹Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?

⁹Furthermore indeed, we have had fathers of our flesh, discipliners, and we respected them; and will we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits and will live?

¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.

¹⁰For indeed, for a few days according to that seeming good to them, they were disciplining us—but He for our benefitting, in order to share His holiness.

¹¹No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace^a to those who have been trained by it.

¹¹And all discipline indeed for the present does not seem to be of joy, but of grief; but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those having been trained by it.

¹²Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.^a

¹²Therefore set straight again the drooping hands and the enfeebled knees,

¹³Make straight paths for your feet,^a so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame should not be turned aside, but rather should be healed.

A Call to Holiness

¹⁴Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

¹⁴Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord,

¹⁵See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness^a springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

¹⁵overseeing, lest any be falling short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up should trouble you, and by this the many might be defiled,

¹⁶See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.

¹⁶lest there be any sexually immoral person or profane person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright.

¹⁷For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.

¹⁷For you know that even afterward, wanting to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, although having sought it out with tears.

An Unshakable Kingdom

¹⁸For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that^a is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;

¹⁸For you have not come to that being touched and having been kindled with fire, and to darkness and to gloom and to storm,

¹⁹to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.

¹⁹and to the sound of a trumpet, and to a voice of sayings which those having heard begged that the word not be addressed to them,

²⁰For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”^a

²⁰for they could not bear that being commanded: “If even a beast should touch the mountain, it will be stoned.”

²¹The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”^a

²¹And the thing appearing was so fearful that Moses said, “I am greatly afraid and trembling.”

²²Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels

²²But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

²³in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

²³and to the assembly, to the church of the firstborn having been enrolled in the heavens, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous having been perfected,

²⁴to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁴and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, speaking a better thing than that of Abel.

²⁵See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?

²⁵Watch out, lest you refuse the One speaking. For if they did not escape, having refused the One divinely warning them on earth, much less we, turning away from the One from the heavens,

²⁶At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”^a

²⁶whose voice shook the earth at that time; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

²⁷The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.

²⁷And this, “Yet once more,” makes evident the removing of the things being shaken, as having been made, so that the things not being shaken should remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

²⁸Therefore, receiving an unshakable kingdom, we may have grace, by which we may serve God well pleasingly, with reverence and awe.

²⁹“For our God is a consuming fire.”^a

²⁹“For also, our God is a consuming fire.”