Hebrews 12:1–17

The Race of Faith

12Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, ^alet us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and ^blet us run ^cwith endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking unto Jesus, the ¹author and ²finisher of our faith, ^dwho for the joy that was set before Him ^eendured the cross, despising the shame, and ^fhas sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Discipline of God

^3gFor consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, ^hlest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁴ⁱYou have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. ⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

^j“My son, do not despise the ³chastening of the Lord,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

⁶For ^kwhom the Lord loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives.”

^7lIf ⁴you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what ^mson is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸But if you are without chastening, ⁿof which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ⁹Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to ^othe Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, ^pthat we may be partakers of His holiness. ¹¹Now no ⁵chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields ^qthe peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

¹²Therefore ^rstrengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

^14sPursue peace with all people, and holiness, ^twithout which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵looking carefully lest anyone ^ufall short of the grace of God; lest any ^vroot of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶lest there be any ^wfornicator or ⁶profane person like Esau, ^xwho for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was ^yrejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.