Hebrews 12–13

CHAPTER 12

Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of Faith

¹Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, ^alaying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us ^brun with ^cendurance the race that is set before us,

²¹fixing our eyes on Jesus, the ^2aauthor and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him ^bendured the cross, ^cdespising the shame, and has ^dsat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³For ^aconsider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, ^bfainting ¹in heart.

The Father’s Discipline

^4aYou have not yet resisted ^1bto the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.

⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“^aMy son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the ¹Lord,

Nor ^bfaint when you are reproved by Him;

^6aFor those ^bwhom the ¹Lord loves He disciplines,

And He flogs every son whom He receives.”

⁷It is for discipline that you endure; ^aGod deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

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

⁹Furthermore, we ¹had ²earthly fathers to discipline us, and we ^arespected them. Shall we not much rather be subject to ^bthe Father of ³spirits, and ^clive?

¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our benefit, ^aso that we may share His holiness.

¹¹And all discipline ^afor the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, but to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the ^bpeaceful fruit of righteousness.

¹²Therefore, ^1aStrengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

¹³and ^amake straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather ^bbe healed.

^14aPursue peace with all men, and the ^bsanctification without which no one will ^csee the Lord,

¹⁵seeing to it that no one ^afalls short of the grace of God; that no ^broot of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be ^cdefiled;

¹⁶that also there be no ^asexually immoral or ^bgodless person like Esau, ^cwho sold his own birthright for a single meal.

¹⁷For you know that even afterwards, ^awhen he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

^18aFor you have not come to ^ba mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,

¹⁹and to the ^ablast of a trumpet and the ^bsound of words which was such that those who heard ^cbegged that no further word be spoken to them.

²⁰For they could not bear what was being commanded, “^aIf even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.”

²¹And so terrible was what appeared, that Moses said, “^aI am full of fear and trembling.”

²²But ^ayou have come to Mount Zion and to ^bthe city of ^cthe living God, ^dthe heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^emyriads of ¹angels,

²³to the festal gathering and ^aassembly of the firstborn who ^bare enrolled in heaven, and to God, ^cthe Judge of all, and to the ^dspirits of the righteous made perfect,

²⁴and to Jesus, the ^amediator of a new covenant, and to the ^bsprinkled blood, which speaks better than ^cthe blood of Abel.

An Unshakable Kingdom

^25aSee to it that you do not refuse Him who is ^bspeaking. For ^cif those did not escape when they ^drefused him who ^ewarned them on earth, ¹much less will we escape who turn away from Him who ^fwarns from heaven.

²⁶And ^aHis voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “^bYet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”

²⁷Now this expression, “Yet once more,” indicates ^athe removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a ^akingdom which cannot be shaken, let us ¹show gratitude, by which we may ^boffer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

²⁹for ^aour God is a consuming fire.

CHAPTER 13

Sacrifices Pleasing to God

¹Let ^alove of the brothers continue.

²Do not neglect to ^ashow hospitality to strangers, for by this some have ^bentertained angels without knowing it.

^3aRemember ^bthe prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

^4aMarriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled, ^bfor the sexually immoral and adulterers God will judge.

⁵Make sure that your way of life is ^afree from the love of money, ^bbeing content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “^cI will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

⁶so that we confidently say,

“^aThe ¹Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

What will man do to me?”

⁷Remember your ^aleaders, who spoke ^bthe word of God to you; and considering the ¹result of their conduct, ^cimitate their faith.

^8aJesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

^9aDo not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to ^bbe strengthened by grace, not by ^cfoods, ^dthrough which those who ¹were so occupied were not benefited.

¹⁰We have an altar ^afrom which those ^bwho serve the tabernacle have no authority to eat.

¹¹For ^athe bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.

¹²Therefore Jesus also, ^athat He might sanctify the people ^bthrough His own blood, suffered ^coutside the gate.

¹³So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, ^abearing His reproach.

¹⁴For here ^awe do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking ^bthe one to come.

^15aThrough Him then, let us continually offer up a ^bsacrifice of praise to God, that is, ^cthe fruit of lips that confess His name.

¹⁶And do not neglect doing good and ^asharing, for ^bwith such sacrifices God is pleased.

^17aObey your leaders and submit to them—for ^bthey keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.

^18aPray for us, for we are convinced that we have a ^bgood conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves well in all things.

¹⁹And I urge you all the more to do this, ^aso that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction

²⁰Now ^athe God of peace, who ^bbrought up from the dead the ^cgreat Shepherd of the sheep ¹through ^dthe blood of the ^eeternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,

^21aequip you in every good thing to do His will, by ^bdoing in us ^cwhat is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, ^dto whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²²But ^aI urge you, ^bbrothers, ¹bear with ²this ^cword of exhortation, for ^dI have written to you briefly.

²³Know that ^aour brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.

²⁴Greet ^aall of your leaders and all the ^1bsaints. Those from ^cItaly greet you.

^25aGrace be with you all.