THE NATURE OF THE SON

1 Long ago God spokea to our ancestors by the prophetsb at different times and in different ways.c 2 In these last days,d he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all thingse and made the universeA,f through him. 3 The Son is the radianceB of God’s glory and the exact expressionC of his nature,g sustaining all things by his powerful word.h After making purification for sins,D he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.E,i 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.j

THE SON SUPERIOR TO ANGELS

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

You are my Son;

today I have become your Father,F,G

or again,

I will be his Father,

and he will be my Son?H,k

6 Again, when heI brings his firstborn into the world,l he says,

And let all God’s angels worship him.J,m

7 And about the angels he says:

He makes his angels winds,K

and his servantsL a fiery flame,M,n

8 but toN the Son:

Your throne, God,

is forever and ever,

and the scepter of your kingdom

is a scepter of justice.o

9 You have loved righteousness

and hated lawlessness;

this is why God, your God,

has anointed you

with the oil of joyp

beyond your companions.O,P

10 And:

In the beginning, Lord,

you established the earth,

and the heavens are the works of your hands;q

11 they will perish, but you remain.

They will all wear out like clothing;r

12 you will roll them up like a cloak,Q

and they will be changed like clothing.

But you are the same,

and your years will never end.R,s

13 Now to which of the angels has he ever said:

Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies your footstool?S,t

14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?u

WARNING AGAINST NEGLECT

2 For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.v 2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally bindingT,w and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment,x 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?y This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him.z 4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will.aa

JESUS AND HUMANITY

5 For he has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. 6 But someone somewhere has testified:

What is man that you remember him,

or the son of man that you care for him?

7 You made him lower than the angels

for a short time;

you crowned him with glory and honorU

8 and subjected everything under his feet.V

For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.a 9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste deathb for everyone—crowned with glory and honorc because he suffered death.d

10 For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneerA of their salvation perfect through sufferings.e 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.B That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,f 12 saying:

I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;

I will sing hymns to you in the congregation.C,g

13 Again, I will trust in him.D And again, Here I am with the children God gave me.E,h

14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devili—15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.j 16 For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring.k 17 Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in mattersF pertaining to God, to make atonementG,l for the sins of the people.m 18 For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

OUR APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.n 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God’s household. 3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. 4 Now every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God.o 5 Moses was faithful as a servantp in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.H,q

WARNING AGAINST UNBELIEF

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9 where your ancestors tested me, tried me,

and saw my works 10 for forty years.

Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation

and said, “They always go astray in their hearts,

and they have not known my ways.”

11 So I swore in my anger,

“They will not enter my rest.”I,r

12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns aways from the living God. 13 But encourage each other daily,t while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardenedu by sin’s deception.v 14 For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the realityJ that we had at the start.w 15 As it is said:

Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.K,x

16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses?y 17 With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?z 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

THE PROMISED REST

4 Therefore, since the promise to enter his rest remains, let us bewareL that none of you be found to have fallen short.M 2 For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.N,aa 3 For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with whatO he has said,

So I swore in my anger,

“They will not enter my rest,”A,a

even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.B,b 5 Again, in that passage he says, They will never enter my rest.A 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience,c 7 he again specifies a certain day—today. He specified this speaking through David after such a long time:

Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.C,d

8 For if Joshuae had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. 10 For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.f 11 Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and effectiveg and sharper than any double-edged sword,h penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.i 13 No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whomj we must give an account.

OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.k 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are,l yet without sin.m 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

CHRIST, A HIGH PRIEST

5 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also clothed with weakness.n 3 Because of this, he must make an offering for his own sins as well as for the people.o 4 No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was.p 5 In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him,

You are my Son;

today I have become your Father,D,E,q

6 also says in another place,

You are a priest forever

according to the order of Melchizedek.F,r

7 During his earthly life,G he offered prayers and appealss with loud cries and tearst to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.u 9 After he was perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 and he was declared by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

THE PROBLEM OF IMMATURITY

11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.v 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.w