^12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,¹ we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, ^12:2keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.²^12:3Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. ^12:4You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed³ in your struggle against sin. ^12:5And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?

“My son, do not scorn⁴ the Lord’s discipline

or give up when he corrects⁵ you.

^12:6“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.”⁶

^12:7Endure your suffering⁷ as discipline;⁸ God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? ^12:8But if you do not experience discipline,⁹ something all sons¹⁰ have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. ^12:9Besides, we have experienced discipline from¹¹ our earthly fathers¹² and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?¹³^12:10For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. ^12:11Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful.¹⁴ But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness¹⁵ for those trained by it. ^12:12Therefore, strengthen¹⁶ your listless hands and your weak knees,¹⁷^12:13and make straight paths for your feet,¹⁸ so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

Do Not Reject God’s Warning

^12:14Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness,¹⁹ for without it no one will see the Lord. ^12:15See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up²⁰ and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled. ^12:16And see to it that no one becomes²¹ an immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.²²^12:17For you know that²³ later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance, although he sought the blessing²⁴ with tears. ^12:18For you have not come to something that can be touched,²⁵ to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind ^12:19and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words²⁶ such that those who heard begged to hear no more.²⁷^12:20For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”²⁸^12:21In fact, the scene²⁹ was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.”³⁰^12:22But you have come to Mount Zion, the city³¹ of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly ^12:23and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, ^12:24and to Jesus, the mediator³² of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does.³³

^12:25Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if we reject the one who warns from heaven? ^12:26Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven too.”³⁴^12:27Now this phrase “once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. ^12:28So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe. ^12:29For our God is indeed a devouring fire.³⁵

Final Exhortations

^13:1Brotherly love must continue. ^13:2Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.¹^13:3Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them,² and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment.³^13:4Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers. ^13:5Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.”⁴^13:6So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and⁵ I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”⁶^13:7Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you; reflect on the outcome of their lives and imitate their faith. ^13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! ^13:9Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings.⁷ For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals,⁸ which have never benefited those who participated in them. ^13:10We have an altar that those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat from. ^13:11For the bodies of those animals whose blood the high priest brings⁹ into the sanctuary as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. ^13:12Therefore, to sanctify the people by his own blood, Jesus also suffered outside the camp. ^13:13We must go out to him, then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he experienced.¹⁰^13:14For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. ^13:15Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. ^13:16And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have,¹¹ for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

^13:17Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work.¹² Let them do this¹³ with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you. ^13:18Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every respect. ^13:19I especially ask you to pray¹⁴ that I may be restored to you very soon.

Benediction and Conclusion

^13:20Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, ^13:21equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us¹⁵ what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever.¹⁶ Amen.

^13:22Now I urge you, brothers and sisters,¹⁷ bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly. ^13:23You should know that¹⁸ our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, he will be with me when I see you.¹⁹^13:24Greetings to all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings. ^13:25Grace be with you all.²⁰

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1 Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”
2 An allusion to Ps 110:1.
3 Grk “until blood.”
4 Or “disregard,” “think little of.”
5 Or “reproves,” “rebukes.” The Greek verb ἐλέγχω (elenchō) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
6 A quotation from Prov 3:11–12.
7 Grk “endure,” with the object (“your suffering”) understood from the context.
8 Or “in order to become disciplined.”
9 Grk “you are without discipline.”
10 Grk “all”; “sons” is implied by the context.
11 Grk “we had our earthly fathers as discipliners.”
12 Grk “the fathers of our flesh.” In Hebrews, “flesh” is a characteristic way of speaking about outward, physical, earthly life (cf. Heb 5:7; 9:10, 13), as opposed to the inward or spiritual dimensions of life.
13 Grk “and live.” Submit ourselves … to the Father of spirits and receive life. This idea is drawn from Proverbs, where the Lord’s discipline brings life, while resistance to it leads to death (cf. Prov 4:13; 6:23; 10:17; 16:17).
14 Grk “all discipline at the time does not seem to be of joy, but of sorrow.”
15 Grk “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
16 Or “straighten.”
17 A quotation from Isa 35:3. Strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees refers to the readers’ need for renewed resolve and fresh strength in their struggles (cf. Heb 10:36–39; 12:1–3).
18 A quotation from Prov 4:26. The phrase make straight paths for your feet is figurative for “stay on God’s paths.”
19 The references to peace and holiness show the close connection between this paragraph and the previous one. The pathway toward “holiness” and the need for it is cited in Heb 12:10 and 14. More importantly Prov 4:26–27 sets up the transition from one paragraph to the next: It urges people to stay on godly paths (Prov 4:26, quoted here in v. 13) and promises that God will lead them in peace if they do so (Prov 4:27 [], quoted in v. 14).
20 Grk “that there not be any root of bitterness,” but referring figuratively to a person who causes trouble (as in Deut 29:17 [] from which this is quoted). An allusion to Deut 29:18.
21 Grk “that there not be any,” continuing from v. 15.
22 An allusion to Gen 27:34–41.
23 Or a command: “for understand that.”
24 Grk “it,” referring either to the repentance or the blessing. But the account in Gen 27:34–41 (which the author appeals to here) makes it clear that the blessing is what Esau sought. Thus in the translation the referent (the blessing) is specified for clarity.
25 This describes the nation of Israel approaching God on Mt. Sinai (Exod 19). There is a clear contrast with the reference to Mount Zion in v. 22, so this could be translated “a mountain that can be touched.” But the word “mountain” does not occur here and the more vague description seems to be deliberate.
26 Grk “a voice of words.”
27 Grk “a voice … from which those who heard begged that a word not be added to them.”
28 A quotation from Exod 19:12–13.
29 Grk “that which appeared.”
30 Grk “I am terrified and trembling.” A quotation from Deut 9:19.
31 Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically—that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”
32 The Greek word μεσίτης (mesitēs, “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.
33 Abel’s shed blood cried out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11–14; 11:4).
34 A quotation from Hag 2:6.
35 A quotation from Deut 4:24; 9:3.
1 This is a vague allusion to people described in scripture and extra-biblical literature and may include Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:2–15), Lot (Gen 19:1–14), Gideon (Judg 6:11–18), Manoah (Judg 13:3–22), and possibly Tobit (Tob 12:1–20).
2 Grk “as being imprisoned together.”
3 Or “since you too are vulnerable”; Grk “you also being in the body.”
4 A quotation from Deut 31:6, 8.
5 Some important (א* C* P 0285vid 33 1175 1739 lat) lack καί (kai), but because the omission conforms to the wording of Ps 118:6 (117:6 ), it is suspect.
6 A quotation from Ps 118:6.
7 Grk “by diverse and strange teachings.”
8 Grk “foods,” referring to the meals associated with the OT sacrifices (see the contrast with the next verse; also 9:9–10; 10:1, 4, 11).
9 Grk “whose blood is brought by the high priest.”
10 Grk “his abuse.”
11 Grk “neglect doing good and fellowship.”
12 Or “as ones who will give an account”; Grk “as giving an account.”
13 Grk “that they may do this.”
14 Grk “I urge you to do this all the more.”
15 Some (C P Ψ 6 629* 630 1505 latt syh) read ὑμῖν (humin, “in you”) here, but ἡμῖν (hēmin) has stronger external support (𝔓46 א A Dvid K 0243 0285 33 81 104 326 365 629c 1175 1739 1881 syp co). It is also more likely that ἡμῖν would have been changed to ὑμῖν in light of the “you” which occurs at the beginning of the verse than vice versa.
16 Most (א A [C*] 0243 0285 33 1739 1881 𝔐 latt) include the words “and ever” here, but the shorter reading (supported by 𝔓46 C3 D Ψ 6 104 365 1505 ) is preferred on internal grounds. It seemed more likely that scribes would assimilate the wording to the common NT doxological expression “for ever and ever,” found especially in the Apocalypse (cf., e.g., 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; Rev 4:9; 22:5) than to the “forever” of Heb 13:8. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult here. places the phrase in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
17 Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in .
18 Grk “Know that” (an imperative).
19 Grk “has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.”
20 Most witnesses, including several important ones (א2 A C D H Ψ 0243 1739 1881 𝔐 lat sy bo), conclude the letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, there is sufficient testimony (𝔓46 א* Ivid 6 33 sa) for the lack of the particle, rendering its omission the preferred reading.