Hebrews 12:1–17

Jesus, the Example

¹Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also ^alay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and 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 ^1band lose heart.

A 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 Lord,

Nor ^bfaint when you are reproved by Him;

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

And He scourges 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 had ¹earthly fathers to discipline us, and we ^arespected them; shall we not much rather be subject to ^bthe Father of ²spirits, and ^clive?

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

¹¹All discipline ^afor the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet 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 the limb which 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.

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

¹⁶that there be no ^aimmoral 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.