Hebrews 12:5–29

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

^f“My son, ^gdo not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

⁶For ^hthe Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

⁷It is for discipline that you have to endure. ⁱGod is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸If you are left without discipline, ^jin which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to ^kthe Father of spirits ^land live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, ^mthat we may share his holiness. ¹¹ⁿFor the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields ^othe peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore ^plift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, ¹³and ^qmake straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint ^rbut rather be healed. ^14sStrive for peace with everyone, and for the ^tholiness ^uwithout which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one ^vfails to obtain the grace of God; that no ^w“root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶that no one is ^xsexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that ^yafterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

¹⁸For you have not come to ^zwhat may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest ¹⁹and ^athe sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words ^bmade the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. ²⁰For they could not endure the order that was given, ^c“If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹Indeed, ^dso terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” ²²But you have come to ^eMount Zion and to the city of the living God, ^fthe heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^ginnumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³and to ^hthe assembly¹ of the firstborn who are ⁱenrolled in heaven, and to ^jGod, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, ^kthe mediator of a new covenant, and to ^lthe sprinkled blood ^mthat speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For ⁿif they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. ²⁶At that time ^ohis voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ^p“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” ²⁷This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates ^qthe removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore let us be grateful for receiving ^ra kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus ^slet us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our ^tGod is a consuming fire.