Hebrews 1; Hebrews 2;
Hebrews 3; Hebrews 4; Hebrews 5; Hebrews 6
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance
of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things
by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as
much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to
theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
"You are my Son; today I have become your Father " ? Or again,
"I will be his Father, and he will be my Son" ? 6And
again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all
God's angels worship him." 7In speaking of the angels he says,
"He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." 8 But
about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You
have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set
you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." 10 He
also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the
earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.11 They will
perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You
will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you
remain the same, and your years will never end." 13To which of
the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your
enemies a footstool for your feet" ? 14 Are not all
angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we
have heard, so that we do not drift away.2 For if the message
spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its
just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a
great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was
confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified
to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to his will. 5 It is not to angels that he
has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But
there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are
mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 7 You
made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and
honor 8and put everything under his feet." In putting
everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at
present we do not see everything subject to him. 9 But we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and
honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste
death for everyone. 10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was
fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the
author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both
the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says,
"I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the
congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again,
"I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and
the children God has given me." 14 Since the children
have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he
might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15 and
free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of
death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's
descendants. 17For this reason he had to be made like his brothers
in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest
in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the
people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he
is able to help those who are being tempted.
1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly
calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we
confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just
as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been
found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has
greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is
built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses
was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said
in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's
house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which
we boast. 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you
hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the
rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where
your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10That
is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always
going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I
declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " 12See
to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns
away from the living God.13 But encourage one another daily, as
long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's
deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold
firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has
just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion." 16 Who were they who heard
and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And
with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose
bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that
they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed ? 19 So
we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
1 Therefore, 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. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as
they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who
heard did not combine it with faith. 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.' " And yet his work has been
finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he
has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day
God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage
above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 It
still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the
gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore
God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke
through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not
harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest,
God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There
remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone
who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from
his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that
rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of
disobedience. 12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper
than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing
in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid
bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Therefore,
since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For
we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was
without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time
of need.
1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is
appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and
sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those
who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to
weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own
sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 No one takes
this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So
Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But
God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
" 6 And he says in another place, "You are a priest
forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 7 During the days
of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries
and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of
his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned
obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he
became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and
was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 11 We
have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to
learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all
over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives
on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about
righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about
Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction
about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and
eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It
is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have
tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if
they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they
are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public
disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it
and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the
blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles
is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be
burned. 9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are
confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation. 10God
is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as
you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We
want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make
your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to
imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been
promised. 13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there
was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying,
"I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." 15 And
so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 Men
swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said
and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make
the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,
he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two
unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled
to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We
have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner
sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before
us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the
order of Melchizedek.
