Hebrews 1–8

God’s Final Word: His Son

1In the past God spoke^a to our ancestors through the prophets^b at many times and in various ways,^{c 2}but in these last days^d he has spoken to us by his Son,^e whom he appointed heir^f of all things, and through whom^g also he made the universe.^{h 3}The Son is the radiance of God’s gloryⁱ and the exact representation of his being,^j sustaining all things^k by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,^l he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.^{m 4}So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.ⁿ

The Son Superior to Angels

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;

today I have become your Father”^a?^o

Or again,

“I will be his Father,

and he will be my Son”^b?^p

⁶And again, when God brings his firstborn^q into the world,^r he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”^cs

⁷In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels spirits,

and his servants flames of fire.”^dt

⁸But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;^u

a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions^v

by anointing you with the oil^w of joy.”^ex

¹⁰He also says,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.^y

¹¹They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.^z

¹²You will roll them up like a robe;

like a garment they will be changed.

But you remain the same,^a

and your years will never end.”^fb

¹³To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand^c

until I make your enemies

a footstool^d for your feet”^g?^e

¹⁴Are not all angels ministering spirits^f sent to serve those who will inherit^g salvation?^h

Warning to Pay Attention

2We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.^{i 2}For since the message spoken^j through angels^k was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,^{l 3}how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?^m This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,ⁿ was confirmed to us by those who heard him.^{o 4}God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,^p and by gifts of the Holy Spirit^q distributed according to his will.^r

Jesus Made Fully Human

⁵It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. ⁶But there is a place where someone^s has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

a son of man that you care for him?^t

⁷You made them a little^a lower than the angels;

you crowned them with glory and honor

⁸and put everything under their feet.”^bcu

In putting everything under them,^d God left nothing that is not subject to them.^e Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.^{f 9}But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor^v because he suffered death,^w so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.^x

¹⁰In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,^y should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.^{z 11}Both the one who makes people holy^a and those who are made holy^b are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.^{gc 12}He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;

in the assembly I will sing your praises.”^hd

¹³And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”^ie

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”^jf

¹⁴Since the children have flesh and blood,^g he too shared in their humanity^h so that by his death he might break the powerⁱ of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil^j—¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear^k of death. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.^{l 17}For this reason he had to be made like them,^km fully human in every way, in order that he might become a mercifulⁿ and faithful high priest^o in service to God,^p and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.^{q 18}Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.^r

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,^s who share in the heavenly calling,^t fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge^u as our apostle and high priest.^{v 2}He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.^{w 3}Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,^x just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.^{y 5}“Moses was faithful as a servant^z in all God’s house,”^aa bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. ⁶But Christ is faithful as the Son^b over God’s house. And we are his house,^c if indeed we hold firmly^d to our confidence and the hope^e in which we glory.

Warning Against Unbelief

⁷So, as the Holy Spirit says:^f

“Today, if you hear his voice,

⁸do not harden your hearts^g

as you did in the rebellion,

during the time of testing in the wilderness,

⁹where your ancestors tested and tried me,

though for forty years they saw what I did.^h

¹⁰That is why I was angry with that generation;

I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,

and they have not known my ways.’

¹¹So I declared on oath in my anger,ⁱ

‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ^j”^bk

¹²See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.^{l 13}But encourage one another daily,^m as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.^{n 14}We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold^o our original conviction firmly to the very end.^{p 15}As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.”^cq

¹⁶Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?^{r 17}And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?^{s 18}And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest^t if not to those who disobeyed?^{u 19}So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.^v

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

4Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.^{w 2}For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^{ax 3}Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”^by

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^{cz 5}And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”^a

⁶Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,^{b 7}God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.”^dc

⁸For if Joshua had given them rest,^d God would not have spoken^e later about another day. ⁹There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^ef just as God did from his.^{g 11}Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.^h

¹²For the word of Godⁱ is alive^j and active.^k Sharper than any double-edged sword,^l it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.^{m 13}Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.ⁿ Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest^o who has ascended into heaven,^fp Jesus the Son of God,^q let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.^{r 15}For we do not have a high priest^s who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are^t—yet he did not sin.^{u 16}Let us then approach^v God’s throne of grace with confidence,^w so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

5Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God,^x to offer gifts and sacrifices^y for sins.^{z 2}He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray,^a since he himself is subject to weakness.^{b 3}This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.^{c 4}And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.^d

⁵In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory^e of becoming a high priest.^f But God said^g to him,

“You are my Son;

today I have become your Father.”^ah

⁶And he says in another place,

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.ⁱ”^bj

⁷During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions^k with fervent cries and tears^l to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard^m because of his reverent submission.^{n 8}Son^o though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered^{p 9}and, once made perfect,^q he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ¹⁰and was designated by God to be high priest^r in…