A. THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRIST (1:1 - 10:18)

The relationship of Christianity to Judaism was a critical issue in the early church. The author clears up confusion by carefully explaining how Christ is superior to angels, Moses and high priests. The new covenant is shown to be far superior to the old. This can be a great encouragement to us and help us avoiding drifting away from our faith in Christ.

1. Christ is greater than the angels

God’s Final Word: His Son

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

The Son Superior to Angels

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,
⁵“You are my Son;
⁵today I have become your Father”^a ?^k
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”^b ?^l
⁶And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world,^m he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”^c ⁿ
⁷In speaking of the angels he says,
⁷“He makes his angels spirits,
⁷and his servants flames of fire.”^a ^o
⁸But about the Son he says,
⁸“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
⁸a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your
⁸kingdom.
⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
⁹therefore God, your God, has set you above your
⁹companions
⁹by anointing you with the oil^q of joy.”^b
¹⁰He also says,
¹⁰“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations
¹⁰of the earth,
¹⁰and the heavens are the work of your hands.
¹¹They will perish, but you remain;
¹¹they will all wear out like a garment.^r
¹²You will roll them up like a robe;
¹²like a garment they will be changed.
¹²But you remain the same,^s
and your years will never end.”^c ^t
¹³To which of the angels did God ever say,
¹³“Sit at my right hand
¹³until I make your enemies
¹³a footstool^u for your feet”^d ?^v
¹⁴Are not all angels ministering spirits^w sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?^x

Warning to Pay Attention

2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ²For since the message spoken^y through angels^z was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,^a ³how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?^b This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,^c was confirmed to us by those who heard him.^d ⁴God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,^e and by gifts of the Holy Spirit^f distributed according to his will.^g

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 has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?^h
⁷You made them a little^a lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
⁸and put everything under their feet.”^b ^c ⁱ In putting everything under them,^d God left nothing that is not subject to them.^d Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.^d ⁹But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor^j because he suffered death,^k so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.^l
¹⁰In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,^m should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.ⁿ ¹¹Both the one who makes people holy^o and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.^e ^p ¹²He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”^f ^q
¹³And again,
¹³“I will put my trust in him.”^g ^r
And again he says,
“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”^h ^s
¹⁴Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity^t so that by his death he might break the power^u of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil^v — ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear^w of death. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁷For this reason he had to be made like them,^a ^x fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful^y and faithful high priest^z in service to God,^a and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.^b

2. Christ is greater than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,^c who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge^d as our apostle and high priest.^e ²He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.^f ³Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, 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. ^g in all God’s house,^b ^h bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. ⁶But Christ is faithful as the Sonⁱ over God’s house. And we are his house,^j if indeed we hold firmly^k to our confidence and the hope^l in which we glory.

Warning Against Unbelief

⁷So, as the Holy Spirit says:^m
“Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸do not harden your hearts
⁸as you did in the rebellion,
⁸during the time of testing in the wilderness,
⁹where your ancestors tested and tried me,
⁹though for forty years they saw what I did.ⁿ
¹⁰That is why I was angry with that generation;
¹⁰I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
¹⁰and they have not known my ways.’
¹¹So I declared on oath in my anger,
¹¹‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ^o ”^a ^p
¹²See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³But encourage one another daily,^q as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.^r ¹⁴We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold^s our original conviction firmly to the very end. ¹⁵As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.”^b ^t
¹⁶Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?^u ¹⁷And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?^v ¹⁸And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest^w if not to those who disobeyed?^x ¹⁹So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.^y

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

4 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.^z ²For 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.^a ^a ³Now 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.’ ”^b ^b
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.”^c ^c ⁵And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”^d
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,^e ⁷God 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.”^d ^f ⁸For if Joshua had given them rest,^g God would not have spoken^h 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,^a just as God did from his.ⁱ ¹¹Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.^j
¹²For the word of God^k is alive and active.^l Sharper than any double-edged sword,^m it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.ⁿ ¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.^o Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

3. Christ is greater than the Old Testament priesthood

Jesus the Great High Priest

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

5 ¹⁶Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices^t for sins.^u ²He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray,^v since he himself is subject to weakness.^w ³This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.^x ⁴And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.^y ⁵In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory^z of becoming a high priest. But God said^a to him,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”^a ^b
⁶And he says in another place,
⁶“You are a priest forever,
⁶in the order of Melchizedek.”^b ^c
⁷During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears^d to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.^e ⁸Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered^f ⁹and, once made perfect,^g he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ¹⁰and was designated by God to be high priest^h in the order of Melchizedek.ⁱ

Warning Against Falling Away

¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. ¹²In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths^j of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!^k ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,^l is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature,^m who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.ⁿ

6 Therefore let us move beyond^o the elementary teachings^p about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,^a ^q and of faith in God, ²instruction about cleansing rites,^a ^r the laying on of hands,^s the resurrection of the dead,^t and eternal judgment. ³And God permitting,^u we will do so.
⁴It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,^v who have tasted the heavenly gift,^w who have shared in the Holy Spirit,^x ⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶and who have fallen^b away, to be brought back to repentance.^y To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. ⁷Land 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. ⁸But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.^z In the end it will be burned.
⁹Even though we speak like this, dear friends,^a we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with 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.^b ¹¹We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope^c for may be fully realized. ¹²We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate^d those who through faith and patience^e inherit what has been promised.^f

The Certainty of God’s Promise

¹³When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,^g ¹⁴saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^a ^h ¹⁵And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.ⁱ
¹⁶People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.^j ¹⁷Because God wanted to make the unchanging^k nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,^l he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,^m we who have fled to take hold of the hopeⁿ set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,^o ²⁰where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.^p He has become a high priest^q forever, in the order of Melchizedek.^r

Melchizedek the Priest

7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High.^s He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,^t ²and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” ³Without father or mother, without genealogy,^u without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,^v he remains a priest forever.
⁴Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch^w Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!^x ⁵Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people^y —that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. ⁶This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed^z him who had the promises.^a ⁷And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.^b ⁹One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Jesus Like Melchizedek

¹¹If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people^c established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,^d one in the order of Melchizedek,^e not in the order of Aaron? ¹²For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. ¹³He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,^f and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.^g ¹⁴For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,^h and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. ¹⁵And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, ¹⁶one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷For it is declared:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”^a ⁱ
¹⁸The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless^j ^k and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.^k
²⁰And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:^m
‘You are a priest forever.’ ”^a ⁿ ²²Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.^o
²³Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.^p ²⁵Therefore he is able to save completely^a those who come to God^q through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.^r
²⁶Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,^s exalted above the heavens.^t ²⁷Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices^u day after day, first for his own sins,^v and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all^w when he offered himself.^x ²⁸For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;^y but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,^z who has been made perfect^a forever.

4. The new covenant is greater than the old

The High Priest of a New Covenant

8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest,^b who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ²and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle^c set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
³Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices,^d and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.^e ⁴If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.^f ⁵They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy^g and shadow^h of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned^e when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”^a ^j ⁶But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant^k of which he is mediator^l is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
⁷For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.^m ⁸But God found fault with the people and said^b :
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenantⁿ
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
⁹It will not be like the covenant
⁹I made with their ancestors^o
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
¹⁰This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
¹⁰after that time, declares the Lord.
¹⁰I will put my laws in their minds
¹⁰and write them on their hearts.^p
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.^q
¹¹No longer will they teach their neighbor,
¹¹or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
¹¹because they will all know me,^r
from the least of them to the greatest.
¹²For I will forgive their wickedness
¹²and will remember their sins no more.^s ”^a ^t
¹³By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete;^u and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.^v ²A tabernacle^w was set up. In its first room were the lampstand^x and the table^y with its consecrated bread;^z this was called the Holy Place. ³Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,^a ⁴which had the golden altar of incense^b and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.^c This ark contained the gold jar of manna,^d Aaron’s staff that had budded,^e and the stone tablets of the covenant. ⁵Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,^f overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
⁶When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly^g into the outer room to carry on their ministry. ⁷But only the high priest entered^h the inner room, and that only once a year,ⁱ and never without blood, which he offered for himself^j and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. ⁸The Holy Spirit was showing^k by this that the way^l into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. ⁹This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices^b being offered^m were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. ¹⁰They are only a matter of foodⁿ and drink^o and various ceremonial washings—external regulations^p applying until the time of the new order.

The Blood of Christ

¹¹But when Christ came as high priest^q of the good things that are now already here,^a ^r he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle^s that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹²He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;^t but he entered the Most Holy Place^u once for all^v by his own blood, thus obtaining^a eternal redemption. ¹³The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer^w sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit^x offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences^y from acts that lead to death,^b ^z so that we may serve the living God!
¹⁵For this reason Christ is the mediator^a of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.^b
¹⁶In the case of a will,^c it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. ¹⁸This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.^c ¹⁹When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.^d ²⁰He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”^d ^e ²¹In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,^f and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.^g
²³It was necessary, then, for the copies^h of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;ⁱ he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. ²⁵Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place^j every year with blood that is not his own.^k ²⁶Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.^l But he has appeared once for all^m at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷Just as people are destined to die once,ⁿ and after that to face judgment,^o ²⁸so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,^p not to bear sin,^q but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.^r

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

10 The law is only a shadow^s of the good things^t that are coming—not the realities themselves.^u For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect^v those who draw near to worship. ²Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.^w ⁴It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats^x to take away sins.
⁵Therefore, when Christ came into the world,^y he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;^z
⁶with burnt offerings and sin offerings
⁶you were not pleased.
⁷Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the
⁷scroll^a —
I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”^a ^b ⁸First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”^c —though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.”^d He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will, we have been made holy^e through the sacrifice of the body^f of Jesus Christ once for all.^g
¹¹Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices,^h which can never take away sins.ⁱ ¹²But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.^j ¹⁴For by one sacrifice he has made perfect^k forever those who are being made holy.
¹⁵The Holy Spirit also testifies^l to us about this. First he says:
¹⁶“This is the covenant I will make with them
¹⁶after that time, says the Lord.
¹⁶I will put my laws in their hearts,
¹⁶and I will write them on their minds.”^a ^m
¹⁷Then he adds:
¹⁷“Their sins and lawless acts
¹⁷I will remember no more.”^b ⁿ
¹⁸And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

B. THE SUPERIORITY OF FAITH (10:19 - 13:25)

Moving from argument to instruction, the author cites many examples of those who have demonstrated faith throughout history. Living by faith is far better than merely fulfilling rituals and rules. This can challenge us to grow in faith and to live in obedience to God each day.

A Call to Persevere in Faith

¹⁹Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place^o by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by a new and living way^p opened for us through the curtain,^q that is, his body, ²¹and since we have a great priest^r over the house of God, ²²let us draw near to God^s with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience^t and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³Let us hold unswervingly to the hope^u we profess, for he who promised is faithful.^v ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵not giving up meeting together,^w as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another^x —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
²⁶If we deliberately keep on sinning^y after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire^z that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.^a ²⁹How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,^b who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant^c that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^a ^d and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”^b ^e ³¹It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.^f
³²Remember those earlier days after you had received the light,^g when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.^h ³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution;ⁱ at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.^j ³⁴You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
³⁶You need to persevere^k so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷For,
“In just a little while,
he who is coming^l will come
and will not delay.”^a ^m
³⁸And,
³⁸“But my righteous^b one will live by faith.ⁿ
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”^c
³⁹But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Faith in Action

11 ³⁹Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.^o ²This is what the ancients were commended for.^p
³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,^q so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
⁴By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.^r And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.^s
⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^d ^t For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him^u must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark^v to save his family.^w By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,^x obeyed and went,^y even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land^z like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents,^a as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.^b ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city^c with foundations,^d whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,^e was enabled to bear children^f because she^a considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,^g came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.^h ¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;ⁱ they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,^j admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.^k ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.^l ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.^m Therefore God is not ashamedⁿ to be called their God,^o for he has prepared a city^p for them. ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.^q He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^a ^r ¹⁹Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,^s and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.^t
²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,^u and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.^v
²³By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.^w ²⁵He chose to be mistreated^x along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶He regarded disgrace^y for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.^z ²⁷By faith he left Egypt,^a not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.^b
²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.^c
³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.^d
³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^a ^e ³²And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak,^f Samson and Jephthah, about David^g and Samuel^h and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms,ⁱ administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,^j ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength;^k and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.^l ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again.^m There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging,ⁿ and even chains and imprisonment.^o ³⁷They were put to death by stoning;^a ^p they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.^q They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,^r destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,^s ⁴⁰since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

12 ⁴⁰Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run^t with perseverance^u the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,^v scorning its shame,^w and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary^x and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Children

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.^y ⁵And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,^z
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”^a ^a
⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.^b For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline^c —then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits^d and live!^e ¹⁰They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.^f ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace^g for those who have been trained by it.
¹²Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.^h ^b ⁱ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.^j

Warning and Encouragement

¹⁴Make every effort to live in peace with everyone^k and to be holy;^l without holiness no one will see the Lord.^m ¹⁵See to it that no one falls short of the grace of Godⁿ and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ¹⁶See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.^o ¹⁷Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears,^p he could not change what he had done.

The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy

¹⁸You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;^q ¹⁹to a trumpet blast^r or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,^s ²⁰because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”^a ^t ²¹The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”^b
²²But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city^u of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.^v You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.^w You have come to God, the Judge of all,^x to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,^y ²⁴to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.^z
²⁵See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned^a them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?^b ²⁶At that time his voice shook the earth,^c but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”^a ^d ²⁷The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken^e —that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,^f let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,^g ²⁹for our “God is a consuming fire.”^b ^h

Concluding Exhortations

13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.ⁱ ²Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,^j for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.^k ³Continue to remember those in prison^l as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
⁴Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.^m ⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,ⁿ because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”^a ^o
⁶So we say with confidence,
⁶“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
⁶What can mere mortals do to me?”^b
⁷Remember your leaders,^p who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.^q ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.^r
⁹Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.^s It is good for our hearts to be strengthened^t by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods,^u which is of no benefit to those who do so. ¹⁰We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.^v
¹¹The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.^w ¹²And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate^x to make the people holy through his own blood. ¹³Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.^y ¹⁴For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.^z
¹⁵Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice^a of praise—the fruit of lips^b that openly profess his name. ¹⁶And do not forget to do good and to share with others,^c for with such sacrifices^d God is pleased.
¹⁷Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you^e as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
¹⁸Pray for us.^f We are sure that we have a clear conscience^g and desire to live honorably in every way. ¹⁹I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.^h

Benediction and Final Greetings

²⁰Now may the God of peace,ⁱ who through the blood of the eternal covenant^j brought back from the dead^k our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,^l ²¹equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us^m what is pleasing to him,ⁿ through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^o
²²Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.^p
²³I want you to know that our brother Timothy^q has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
²⁴Greet all your leaders^r and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.
²⁵Grace be with you all.

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