1:1 |
In
times past the word of God came to our fathers through the prophets, in
different parts and in different ways; |
1:2 |
But
now, at the end of these days, it has come to us through his Son, to whom he
has given all things for a heritage, and through whom he made the order of
the generations; |
1:3 |
Who,
being the outshining of his glory, the True image of his substance,
supporting all things by the word of his power, having given himself as an
offering making clean from sins, took his seat at the right hand of God in
heaven; |
1:4 |
Having
become by so much better than the angels, as the name which is his heritage
is more noble than theirs. |
1:5 |
To
which of the angels did God say at any time, You are my Son, this day I have
given you being? or, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son? |
1:6 |
And
again, when he is sending his only Son into the world, he says, Let all the
angels of God give him worship. |
1:7 |
And
of the angels he says, Who makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of
fire: |
1:8 |
But
of the Son he says, Your seat of power, O God, is for ever and ever; and the
rod of your kingdom is a rod of righteousness. |
1:9 |
You
have been a lover of righteousness and a hater of evil; and so God, your God,
has put the oil of joy on your head more than on the heads of those who are
with you. |
1:10 |
You,
Lord, at the first did put the earth on its base, and the heavens are the
works of your hands: |
1:11 |
They
will come to their end; but you are for ever; they will become old as a
robe; |
1:12 |
They
will be rolled up like a cloth, even like a robe, and they will be changed:
but you are the same and your years will have no end. |
1:13 |
But
of which of the angels has he said at any time, Take your seat at my right
hand till I put all those who are against you under your feet? |
1:14 |
Are
they not all helping spirits, who are sent out as servants to those whose
heritage will be salvation? |
2:1 |
For
this reason there is the more need for us to give attention to the things
which have come to our ears, for fear that by chance we might be slipping
away. |
2:2 |
Because
if the word which came through the angels was fixed, and in the past every
evil act against God's orders was given its full punishment; |
2:3 |
What
will come on us, if we do not give our minds to such a great salvation? a
salvation of which our fathers first had knowledge through the words of the
Lord, and which was made certain to us by those to whom his words came; |
2:4 |
And
God was a witness with them, by signs and wonders, and by more than natural
powers, and by his distribution of the Holy Spirit at his pleasure. |
2:5 |
For
he did not make the angels rulers over the world to come, of which I am
writing. |
2:6 |
But
a certain writer has given his witness, saying, What is man, that you keep
him in mind? what is the son of man, that you take him into account? |
2:7 |
You
made him a little lower than the angels; you gave him a crown of glory and
honour, and made him ruler over all the works of your hands: |
2:8 |
You
put all things under his feet. For in making man the ruler over all things,
God did not put anything outside his authority; though we do not see
everything under him now. |
2:9 |
But
we see him who was made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, crowned
with glory and honour, because he let himself be put to death so that by the
grace of God he might undergo death for all men. |
2:10 |
Because
it was right for him, for whom and through whom all things have being, in
guiding his sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation complete
through pain. |
2:11 |
For
he who makes holy and those who are made holy are all of one family; and for
this reason it is no shame for him to give them the name of brothers, |
2:12 |
Saying,
I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers, I will make a song of
praise to you before the church. |
2:13 |
And
again he says, I will put my faith in him. And again, See, I am here, and the
children which God has given to me. |
2:14 |
And
because the children are flesh and blood, he took a body himself and became
like them; so that by his death he might put an end to him who had the power
of death, that is to say, the Evil One; |
2:15 |
And
let those who all their lives were in chains because of their fear of death,
go free. |
2:16 |
For,
truly, he does not take on the life of angels, but that of the seed of
Abraham. |
2:17 |
Because
of this it was necessary for him to be made like his brothers in every way,
so that he might be a high priest full of mercy and keeping faith in
everything to do with God, making offerings for the sins of the people. |
2:18 |
For
having been put to the test himself, he is able to give help to others when
they are tested. |
3:1 |
For
this reason, holy brothers, marked out to have a part in heaven, give thought
to Jesus the representative and high priest of our faith; |
3:2 |
Who
kept faith with God who gave him his place, even as Moses did in all his
house. |
3:3 |
And
it was right for this man to have more honour than Moses, even as the builder
of a house has more honour than the house. |
3:4 |
For
every house has a builder; but the builder of all things is God. |
3:5 |
And
Moses certainly kept faith as a servant, in all his house, and as a witness
of those things which were to be said later; |
3:6 |
But
Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we keep our hearts
fixed in the glad and certain hope till the end. |
3:7 |
And
so, as the Holy Spirit says, Today if you let his voice come to your
ears, |
3:8 |
Be
not hard of heart, as when you made me angry, on the day of testing in the
waste land, |
3:9 |
When
your fathers put me to the test, and saw my works for forty years. |
3:10 |
So
that I was angry with this generation, and I said, Their hearts are in error
at all times, and they have no knowledge of my ways; |
3:11 |
And
being angry I made an oath, saying, They may not come into my rest. |
3:12 |
My
brothers, take care that there is not by chance in any one of you an evil
heart without belief, turning away from the living God: |
3:13 |
But
give comfort to one another every day as long as it is still Today; so that
no one among you may be made hard by the deceit of sin: |
3:14 |
For
if we keep the substance of the faith which we had at the start, even till
the end, we have a part with Christ; |
3:15 |
As
it is said, Today if you will let his voice come to your ears, be not hard of
heart, as when you made him angry. |
3:16 |
Who
made him angry when his voice came to them? was it not all those who came out
of Egypt with Moses? |
3:17 |
And
with whom was he angry for forty years? was it not with those who did evil,
who came to their deaths in the waste land? |
3:18 |
And
to whom did he make an oath that they might not come into his rest? was it
not to those who went against his orders? |
3:19 |
So
we see that they were not able to go in because they had no belief. |
4:1 |
Let
us then, though we still have God's word that we may come into his rest, go
in fear that some of you may be unable to do so. |
4:2 |
And,
truly, the good news came to us, even as it did to them; but the hearing of
the word did them no good, because they were not united in faith with the
True hearers. |
4:3 |
For
those of us who have belief come into his rest; even as he has said, As I
said in my oath when I was angry, They may not come into my rest: though the
works were done from the time of the making of the world. |
4:4 |
For
in one place he has said of the seventh day, And God had rest from all his
works on the seventh day; |
4:5 |
And
in the same place he says again, They will not come into my rest. |
4:6 |
So
that as it is clear that some have to go in, and that the first hearers of
the good news were not able to go in because they went against God's
orders, |
4:7 |
After
a long time, again naming a certain day, he says in David, Today (as he had
said before), Today if you will let his voice come to your ears, be not hard
of heart, |
4:8 |
For
if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have said anything about another
day. |
4:9 |
So
that there is still a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God. |
4:10 |
For
the man who comes into his rest has had rest from his works, as God did from
his. |
4:11 |
Because
of this, let us have a strong desire to come into that rest, and let no one
go after the example of those who went against God's orders. |
4:12 |
For
the word of God is living and full of power, and is sharper than any
two-edged sword, cutting through and making a division even of the soul and
the spirit, the bones and the muscles, and quick to see the thoughts and
purposes of the heart. |
4:13 |
And
there is nothing made which is not completely clear to him; there is nothing
covered, but all things are open to the eyes of him with whom we have to
do. |
4:14 |
Having
then a great high priest, who has made his way through the heavens, even
Jesus the Son of God, let us be strong in our faith. |
4:15 |
For
we have not a high priest who is not able to be touched by the feelings of
our feeble flesh; but we have one who has been tested in all points as we
ourselves are tested, but without sin. |
4:16 |
Then
let us come near to the seat of grace without fear, so that mercy may be
given to us, and we may get grace for our help in time of need. |
5:1 |
Every
high priest who is taken from among men is given his position to take care of
the interests of men in those things which have to do with God, so that he
may make offerings for sins. |
5:2 |
He
is able to have feeling for those who have no knowledge and for those who are
wandering from the True way, because he himself is feeble; |
5:3 |
And
being feeble, he has to make sin-offerings for himself as well as for the
people. |
5:4 |
And
no man who is not given authority by God, as Aaron was, takes this honour for
himself. |
5:5 |
In
the same way Christ did not take for himself the glory of being made a high
priest, but was given it by him who said, You are my Son, this day I have
given you being: |
5:6 |
As
he says in another place, You are a priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek. |
5:7 |
Who
in the days of his flesh, having sent up prayers and requests with strong
crying and weeping to him who was able to give him salvation from death, had
his prayer answered because of his fear of God. |
5:8 |
And
though he was a Son, through the pain which he underwent, the knowledge came
to him of what it was to be under God's orders; |
5:9 |
And
when he had been made complete, he became the giver of eternal salvation to
all those who are under his orders; |
5:10 |
Being
named by God a high priest of the order of Melchizedek. |
5:11 |
Of
whom we have much to say which it is hard to make clear, because you are slow
of hearing. |
5:12 |
And
though by this time it would be right for you to be teachers, you still have
need of someone to give you teaching about the first simple rules of God's
revelation; you have become like babies who have need of milk, and not of
solid food. |
5:13 |
For
everyone who takes milk is without experience of the word of righteousness:
he is a child. |
5:14 |
But
solid food is for men of full growth, even for those whose senses are trained
by use to see what is good and what is evil. |
6:1 |
For
this reason let us go on from the first things about Christ to full growth;
not building again that on which it is based, that is, the turning of the
heart from dead works, and faith in God, |
6:2 |
The
teaching of baptisms, and of the putting on of hands, and of the future life
of the dead, and of the judging on the last day. |
6:3 |
Now we will
do this, if God lets us. |
6:4 |
As
for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven,
and having their part in the Holy Spirit, |
6:5 |
With
knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, |
6:6 |
And
then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be
made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the
cross again, openly shaming him. |
6:7 |
For
a land, drinking in the frequent rain and producing good plants for those for
whom it is worked, has a blessing from God: |
6:8 |
But
if it sends up thorns and evil plants, it is of no use and is ready to be
cursed; its only end is to be burned. |
6:9 |
But,
my loved ones, though we say this, we are certain that you have better things
in you, things which go with salvation; |
6:10 |
For
God is true, and will not put away from him the memory of your work and of
your love for his name, in the help which you gave and still give to the
saints. |
6:11 |
And
it is our desire that you may all keep the same high purpose in certain hope
to the end: |
6:12 |
So
that you may not be slow in heart, but may take as your example those to whom
God has given their heritage, because of their faith and their long
waiting. |
6:13 |
For
when God made his oath to Abraham, because there was no greater oath, he made
it by himself, |
6:14 |
Saying,
Be certain that I will give you my blessing, and make your numbers very
great. |
6:15 |
And
so, when he had been waiting calmly for a long time, God's word to him was
put into effect. |
6:16 |
For
men at all times make their oaths by what is greater; and any argument is
ended by the decision of the oath. |
6:17 |
So
that when it was God's desire to make it specially clear to those who by his
word were to have the heritage, that his purpose was fixed, he made it more
certain with an oath; |
6:18 |
So
that we, who have gone in flight from danger to the hope which has been put
before us, may have a strong comfort in two unchanging things, in which it is
not possible for God to be false; |
6:19 |
And
this hope is like a strong band for our souls, fixed and certain, and going
in to that which is inside the veil; |
6:20 |
Where
Jesus has gone before us, as a high priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek. |
7:1 |
For
this Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who gave
Abraham his blessing, meeting him when he came back after putting the kings
to death, |
7:2 |
And
to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of everything which he had, being first
named King of righteousness, and then in addition, King of Salem, that is to
say, King of peace; |
7:3 |
Being
without father or mother, or family, having no birth or end to his life,
being made like the Son of God, is a priest for ever. |
7:4 |
Now
see how great this man was, to whom our father Abraham gave a tenth part of
what he had got in the fight. |
7:5 |
And
it is True that by the law, those of the sons of Levi who have the position
of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they
take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham. |
7:6 |
But
this man, who was not of their family, took the tenth from Abraham, and gave
a blessing to him to whom God had given his undertaking. |
7:7 |
But
there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater. |
7:8 |
Now
at the present time, men over whom death has power take the tenth; but then
it was taken by one of whom it is witnessed that he is living. |
7:9 |
And
we may say that in Abraham, even Levi, who has a right to take the tenth
part, gave it; |
7:10 |
Because
he was still in his father's body when Melchizedek came to him. |
7:11 |
Now
if it was possible for things to be made complete through the priests of the
house of Levi (for the law was given to the people in connection with them),
what need was there for another priest who was of the order of Melchizedek
and not of the order of Aaron? |
7:12 |
Because
if the priests are changed, it is necessary to make a change in the law. |
7:13 |
For
he of whom these things are said comes of another tribe, of which no man has
ever made offerings at the altar. |
7:14 |
Because
it is clear that our Lord comes out of Judah, and Moses said nothing about
priests from that tribe. |
7:15 |
And
this is even more clear if a second priest has come up who is like
Melchizedek, |
7:16 |
That
is to say, not made by a law based on the flesh, but by the power of a life
without end: |
7:17 |
For
it has been witnessed of him, You are a priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek. |
7:18 |
So
the law which went before is put on one side, because it was feeble and
without profit. |
7:19 |
(Because
the law made nothing complete), and in its place there is a better hope,
through which we come near to God. |
7:20 |
And
as this is not without the taking of an oath |
7:21 |
(For
those were made priests without an oath, but this one was made a priest with
an oath by him who says of him, The Lord gave his oath, which he will not
take back, that you are a priest for ever); |
7:22 |
By
so much is it a better agreement which we have through Jesus. |
7:23 |
And
it is True that there have been a great number of those priests, because
death does not let them go on for ever; |
7:24 |
But
this priest, because his life goes on for ever, is unchanging. |
7:25 |
So
that he is fully able to be the saviour of all who come to God through him,
because he is ever living to make prayer to God for them. |
7:26 |
It
was right for us to have such a high priest, one who is holy and without
evil, doing no wrong, having no part with sinners, and made higher than the
heavens: |
7:27 |
Who
has no need to make offerings for sins every day, like those high priests,
first for himself, and then for the people; because he did this once and for
ever when he made an offering of himself. |
7:28 |
The
law makes high priests of men who are feeble; but the word of the oath, which
was made after the law, gives that position to a Son, in whom all good is for
ever complete. |
8:1 |
Now
of the things we are saying this is the chief point: We have such a high
priest, who has taken his place at the right hand of God's high seat of glory
in heaven, |
8:2 |
As
a servant of the holy things and of the True Tent, which was put up by God,
not by man. |
8:3 |
Now
every high priest is given authority to take to God the things which are
given and to make offerings; so that it is necessary for this man, like them,
to have something for an offering. |
8:4 |
If
he had been on earth he would not have been a priest at all, because there
are other priests who make the offerings ordered by the law; |
8:5 |
Being
servants of that which is a copy and an image of the things in heaven, as
Moses, when he was about to make the Tent, had special orders from God: for,
See, he said, that you make everything like the design which you saw in the
mountain. |
8:6 |
But
now his position as priest is higher. because through him God has made a
better agreement with man, based on the giving of better things. |
8:7 |
For
if that first agreement had been as good as possible, there would have been
no place for a second. |
8:8 |
For,
protesting against them, he says, See, the days are coming when I will make a
new agreement with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; |
8:9 |
Not
like the agreement which I made with their fathers when I took them by the
hand, to be their guide out of the land of Egypt; for they did not keep the
agreement with me, and I gave them up, says the Lord. |
8:10 |
For
this is the agreement which I will make with the people of Israel after those
days: I will put my laws into their minds, writing them in their hearts: and
I will be their God, and they will be my people: |
8:11 |
And
there will be no need for every man to be teaching his brother, or his
neighbour, saying, This is the knowledge of the Lord: for they will all have
knowledge of me, great and small. |
8:12 |
And
I will have mercy on their evil-doing, and I will not keep their sins in
mind. |
8:13 |
When
he says, A new agreement, he has made the first agreement old. But anything
which is getting old and past use will not be seen much longer. |
9:1 |
Now
the first agreement had its rules of worship, and a holy order. |
9:2 |
For
the first Tent was made ready, having in it the vessels for the lights and
the table and the ordering of the bread; and this is named the holy
place. |
9:3 |
And
inside the second veil was the place which is named the Holy of holies; |
9:4 |
Having
a vessel of gold in it for burning perfumes, and the ark of the agreement,
which was covered with gold and which had in it a pot made of gold for the
manna, and Aaron's rod which put out buds, and the stones with the writing of
the agreement; |
9:5 |
And
over it were the winged ones of glory with their wings covering the
mercy-seat; about which it is not possible now to say anything in
detail. |
9:6 |
Now
while these things were in existence, the priests went into the first Tent at
all times, for prayer and the making of offerings. |
9:7 |
But
only the high priest went into the second, once a year, not without making an
offering of blood for himself and for the errors of the people: |
9:8 |
The
Holy Spirit witnessing by this that the way into the holy place had not at
that time been made open, while the first Tent was still in being; |
9:9 |
And
this is an image of the present time; when the offerings which are given are
not able to make the heart of the worshipper completely clean, |
9:10 |
Because
they are only rules of the flesh, of meats and drinks and washings, which
have their place till the time comes when things will be put right. |
9:11 |
But
now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things of the future,
through this greater and better Tent, not made with hands, that is to say,
not of this world, |
9:12 |
And
has gone once and for ever into the holy place, having got eternal salvation,
not through the blood of goats and young oxen, but through his blood. |
9:13 |
For
if the blood of goats and oxen, and the dust from the burning of a young cow,
being put on the unclean, make the flesh clean: |
9:14 |
How
much more will the blood of Christ, who, being without sin, made an offering
of himself to God through the Holy Spirit, make your hearts clean from dead
works to be servants of the living God? |
9:15 |
And
for this cause it is through him that a new agreement has come into being, so
that after the errors under the first agreement had been taken away by his
death, the word of God might have effect for those who were marked out for an
eternal heritage. |
9:16 |
Because
where there is a testament, there has to be the death of the man who made
it. |
9:17 |
For
a testament has effect after death; for what power has it while the man who
made it is living? |
9:18 |
So that
even the first agreement was not made without blood. |
9:19 |
For
when Moses had given all the rules of the law to the people, he took the
blood of goats and young oxen, with water and red wool and hyssop, and put it
on the book itself and on all the people, |
9:20 |
Saying,
This blood is the sign of the agreement which God has made with you. |
9:21 |
And
the blood was put on the Tent and all the holy vessels in the same way. |
9:22 |
And
by the law almost all things are made clean with blood, and without blood
there is no forgiveness. |
9:23 |
For
this cause it was necessary to make the copies of the things in heaven clean
with these offerings; but the things themselves are made clean with better
offerings than these. |
9:24 |
For
Christ did not go into a holy place which had been made by men's hands as the
copy of the True one; but he went into heaven itself, and now takes his place
before the face of God for us. |
9:25 |
And
he did not have to make an offering of himself again and again, as the high
priest goes into the holy place every year with blood which is not his; |
9:26 |
For
then he would have undergone a number of deaths from the time of the making
of the world: but now he has come to us at the end of the old order, to put
away sin by the offering of himself. |
9:27 |
And
because by God's law death comes to men once, and after that they are
judged; |
9:28 |
So
Christ, having at his first coming taken on himself the sins of men, will be
seen a second time, without sin, by those who are waiting for him, for their
salvation. |
10:1 |
For
the law, being only a poor copy of the future good things, and not the True
image of those things, is never able to make the people who come to the altar
every year with the same offerings completely clean. |
10:2 |
For
if this had been possible, would there not have been an end of those
offerings, because the worshippers would have been made completely clean and
would have been no longer conscious of sins? |
10:3 |
But
year by year there is a memory of sins in those offerings. |
10:4 |
Because
it is not possible for the blood of oxen and goats to take away sins. |
10:5 |
So
that when he comes into the world, he says, You had no desire for offerings,
but you made a body ready for me; |
10:6 |
You had
no joy in burned offerings or in offerings for sin. |
10:7 |
Then
I said, See, I have come to do your pleasure, O God (as it is said of me in
the roll of the book). |
10:8 |
After
saying, You had no desire for offerings, for burned offerings or offerings
for sin (which are made by the law) and you had no pleasure in them, |
10:9 |
Then
he said, See, I have come to do your pleasure. He took away the old order, so
that he might put the new order in its place. |
10:10 |
By
that pleasure we have been made holy, by the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once and for ever. |
10:11 |
And
every priest takes his place at the altar day by day, doing what is
necessary, and making again and again the same offerings which are never able
to take away sins. |
10:12 |
But
when Jesus had made one offering for sins for ever, he took his place at the
right hand of God; |
10:13 |
And
has been waiting there from that time, till all who are against him are made
a foot-rest for his feet. |
10:14 |
Because
by one offering he has made complete for ever those who are made holy. |
10:15 |
And
the Holy Spirit is a witness for us: for after he had said, |
10:16 |
This
is the agreement which I will make with them after those days, says the Lord;
I will put my laws in their hearts, writing them in their minds; he
said, |
10:17 |
And
I will keep no more memory of their sins and of their evil-doings. |
10:18 |
Now
where there is forgiveness of these, there is no more offering for sin. |
10:19 |
So
then, my brothers, being able to go into the holy place without fear, because
of the blood of Jesus, |
10:20 |
By
the new and living way which he made open for us through the veil, that is to
say, his flesh; |
10:21 |
And
having a great priest over the house of God, |
10:22 |
Let
us go in with True hearts, in certain faith, having our hearts made free from
the sense of sin and our bodies washed with clean water: |
10:23 |
Let
us keep the witness of our hope strong and unshaking, for he is True who has
given his word: |
10:24 |
And
let us be moving one another at all times to love and good works; |
10:25 |
Not
giving up our meetings, as is the way of some, but keeping one another strong
in faith; and all the more because you see the day coming near. |
10:26 |
For
if we do evil on purpose after we have had the knowledge of what is true,
there is no more offering for sins, |
10:27 |
But
only a great fear of being judged, and of the fire of wrath which will be the
destruction of the haters of God. |
10:28 |
A
man who has gone against the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the
word of two or three witnesses: |
10:29 |
But
will not the man by whom the Son of God has been crushed under foot, and the
blood of the agreement with which he was washed clean has been taken as an
unholy thing, and who has had no respect for the Spirit of grace, be judged
bad enough for a very much worse punishment? |
10:30 |
For
we have had experience of him who says, Punishment is mine, I will give
reward. And again, The Lord will be judge of his people. |
10:31 |
We
may well go in fear of falling into the hands of the living God. |
10:32 |
But
give thought to the days after you had seen the light, when you went through
a great war of troubles; |
10:33 |
In
part, in being attacked by angry words and cruel acts, before the eyes of
everyone, and in part, in being united with those who were attacked in this
way. |
10:34 |
For
you had pity on those who were in prison, and had joy in the loss of your
property, in the knowledge that you still had a better property and one which
you would keep for ever. |
10:35 |
So do
not give up your hope which will be greatly rewarded. |
10:36 |
For,
having done what was right in God's eyes, you have need of waiting before his
word has effect for you. |
10:37 |
In
a very little time he who is coming will come; he will not be slow. |
10:38 |
But
the upright man will be living by his faith; and if he goes back, my soul
will have no pleasure in him. |
10:39 |
But
we are not of those who go back to destruction; but of those who have faith
even to the salvation of the soul. |
11:1 |
Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the sign that the things not
seen are true. |
11:2 |
For by
it our fathers had God's approval. |
11:3 |
By
faith it is clear to us that the order of events was fixed by the word of
God, so that what is seen has not been made from things which only seem to
be. |
11:4 |
By
faith Abel made a better offering to God than Cain, and he had witness
through it of his righteousness, God giving his approval of his offering: and
his voice still comes to us through it though he is dead. |
11:5 |
By
faith Enoch was taken up to heaven so that he did not see death; he was seen
no longer, for God took him away: for before he was taken, witness had been
given that he was well-pleasing to God: |
11:6 |
And
without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to him, for it is
necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and
that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search for him. |
11:7 |
By
faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the
salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were
not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got
for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith. |
11:8 |
By
faith Abraham did as God said when he was ordered to go out into a place
which was to be given to him as a heritage, and went out without knowledge of
where he was going. |
11:9 |
By
faith he was a wanderer in the land of the agreement, as in a strange land,
living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had a part with him in the same
heritage: |
11:10 |
For
he was looking for the strong town, whose builder and maker is God. |
11:11 |
And
by faith Sarah herself had power to give birth, when she was very old,
because she had faith in him who gave his word; |
11:12 |
So
that from one man, who was near to death, came children in number as the
stars in heaven, or as the sand by the seaside, which may not be
numbered. |
11:13 |
All
these came to their end in faith, not having had the heritage; but having
seen it with delight far away, they gave witness that they were wanderers and
not of the earth. |
11:14 |
For
those who say such things make it clear that they are searching for a country
for themselves. |
11:15 |
And
truly if they had kept in mind the country from which they went out, they
would have had chances of turning back. |
11:16 |
But
now their desire is for a better country, that is to say, for one in heaven;
and so it is no shame to God to be named their God; for he has made ready a
town for them. |
11:17 |
By
faith Abraham made an offering of Isaac, when he was tested: and he with whom
the agreement had been made gave up as an offering the only son of his
body, |
11:18 |
Of
whom it had been said, From Isaac will your seed take their name: |
11:19 |
Judging
that God was able to give life even to the dead; and because of this he did
get him back as if from death. |
11:20 |
By
faith Isaac, blessing Jacob and Esau, gave news of things to come. |
11:21 |
By
faith Jacob gave a blessing to the two sons of Joseph, when he was near to
death; and gave God worship, supported by his stick. |
11:22 |
By
faith Joseph, when his end was near, said that the children of Israel would
go out of Egypt; and gave orders about his bones. |
11:23 |
By
faith Moses was kept secretly by his father and mother for three months after
his birth, because they saw that he was a fair child; and they had no fear of
the king's orders. |
11:24 |
By
faith Moses, when he became a man, had no desire to be named the son of
Pharaoh's daughter; |
11:25 |
Feeling
that it was better to undergo pain with the people of God, than for a short
time to have a taste of the pleasures of sin; |
11:26 |
Judging
a part in the shame of Christ to be better than all the wealth of Egypt; for
he was looking forward to his reward. |
11:27 |
By
faith he went out of Egypt, not being turned from his purpose by fear of the
wrath of the king; for he kept on his way, as seeing him who is unseen. |
11:28 |
By
faith he kept the Passover, and put the sign of the blood on the houses, so
that the angel of destruction might not put their oldest sons to death. |
11:29 |
By
faith they went through the Red Sea as if it had been dry land, though the
Egyptians were overcome by the water when they made an attempt to do the
same. |
11:30 |
By
faith the walls of Jericho came down, after they had been circled for seven
days. |
11:31 |
By
faith Rahab, the loose woman, was not put to death with those who had gone
against God's orders, because she had taken into her house in peace those
sent to see the land. |
11:32 |
What
more am I to say? For there would not be time to give the stories of Gideon,
Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets: |
11:33 |
Who
through faith overcame kingdoms, did righteousness, got their reward, kept
the mouths of lions shut, |
11:34 |
Put
out the power of fire, got safely away from the edge of the sword, were made
strong when they had been feeble, became full of power in war, and put to
flight the armies of the nations. |
11:35 |
Women
had their dead given back to them living; others let themselves be cruelly
attacked, having no desire to go free, so that they might have a better life
to come; |
11:36 |
And
others were tested by being laughed at or by blows, and even with chains and
prisons: |
11:37 |
They
were stoned, they were cut up with knives, they were tested, they were put to
death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and in goatskins; being
poor and in pain and cruelly attacked, |
11:38 |
Wandering
in waste places and in mountains and in holes in the rocks; for whom the
world was not good enough. |
11:39 |
And
not one of these got the good things of the agreement, though they all had a
good record through faith, |
11:40 |
Because
God had kept some better thing for us, so that it was not possible for them
to become complete without us. |
12:1 |
For
this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off
every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on
running in the way which is marked out for us, |
12:2 |
Having
our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the
pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was
before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat
of power. |
12:3 |
Give
thought to him who has undergone so much of the hate of sinners against
himself, so that you may not be tired and feeble of purpose. |
12:4 |
Till
now you have not given your blood in your fight against sin: |
12:5 |
And
you have not kept in mind the word which says to you as to sons, My son, do
not make little of the Lord's punishment, and do not give up hope when you
are judged by him; |
12:6 |
For
the Lord sends punishment on his loved ones; everyone whom he takes as his
son has experience of his rod. |
12:7 |
It
is for your training that you undergo these things; God is acting to you as a
father does to his sons; for what son does not have punishment from his
father? |
12:8 |
But
if you have not that punishment of which we all have our part, then you are
not True sons, but children of shame. |
12:9 |
And
again, if the fathers of our flesh gave us punishment and had our respect,
how much more will we be under the authority of the Father of spirits, and
have life? |
12:10 |
For
they truly gave us punishment for a short time, as it seemed good to them;
but he does it for our profit, so that we may become holy as he is. |
12:11 |
At
the time all punishment seems to be pain and not joy: but after, those who
have been trained by it get from it the peace-giving fruit of
righteousness. |
12:12 |
For
this cause let the hands which are hanging down be lifted up, and let the
feeble knees be made strong, |
12:13 |
And
make straight roads for your feet, so that the feeble may not be turned out
of the way, but may be made strong. |
12:14 |
Let
your desire be for peace with all men, and to be made holy, without which no
man may see the Lord; |
12:15 |
Looking
with care to see that no man among you in his behaviour comes short of the
grace of God; for fear that some bitter root may come up to be a trouble to
you, and that some of you may be made unclean by it; |
12:16 |
And
that there may not be any evil liver, or any man without respect for God,
like Esau, who let his birthright go for a plate of food. |
12:17 |
For
you have knowledge that even long after, when he was desiring the blessing
for his heritage, he was turned away, though he made his request frequently
and with weeping; because the past might not be changed. |
12:18 |
You
have not come to a mountain which may be touched, and is burning with fire,
and to a black cloud, and a dark smoke, and a violent wind, |
12:19 |
And
to the sound of a horn, and the voice of words, the hearers of which made
request that not a word more might be said to them: |
12:20 |
For
the order which said, If the mountain is touched even by a beast, the beast
is to be stoned, seemed hard to them; |
12:21 |
And
the vision was so overpowering that even Moses said, I am shaking and full of
fear. |
12:22 |
But
you have come to the mountain of Zion, to the place of the living God, to the
Jerusalem which is in heaven, and to an army of angels which may not be
numbered, |
12:23 |
To
the great meeting and church of the first of those who are named in heaven,
and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of good men made
complete, |
12:24 |
And
to Jesus by whom the new agreement has been made between God and man, and to
the sign of the blood which says better things than Abel's blood. |
12:25 |
See
that you give ear to his voice which comes to you. For if those whose ears
were shut to the voice which came to them on earth did not go free from
punishment, what chance have we of going free if we give no attention to him
whose voice comes from heaven? |
12:26 |
Whose
voice was the cause of the shaking of the earth; but now he has made an oath,
saying, There will be still one more shaking, not only of the earth, but of
heaven. |
12:27 |
And
the words, Still one more, make it clear that there will be a taking away of
those things which are shaking, as of things which are made, so that there
may be only those things of which no shaking is possible. |
12:28 |
If
then, we have a kingdom which will never be moved, let us have grace, so that
we may give God such worship as is pleasing to him with fear and
respect: |
12:29 |
For our God
is an all-burning fire. |
13:1 |
Go on
loving your brothers in the faith. |
13:2 |
Take
care to keep open house: because in this way some have had angels as their
guests, without being conscious of it. |
13:3 |
Keep
in mind those who are in chains, as if you were chained with them, and those
who are in trouble, as being yourselves in the body. |
13:4 |
Let
married life be honoured among all of you and not made unclean; for men
untrue in married life will be judged by God. |
13:5 |
Be
free from the love of money and pleased with the things which you have; for
he himself has said, I will be with you at all times. |
13:6 |
So
that we say with a good heart, The Lord is my helper; I will have no fear:
what is man able to do to me? |
13:7 |
Keep
in mind those who were over you, and who gave you the word of God; seeing the
outcome of their way of life, let your faith be like theirs. |
13:8 |
Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. |
13:9 |
Do
not be turned away by different strange teachings, because it is good for
your hearts to be made strong by grace, and not by meats, which were of no
profit to those who took so much trouble over them. |
13:10 |
We
have an altar from which those priests who are servants in the Tent may not
take food. |
13:11 |
For
the bodies of the beasts whose blood is taken into the holy place by the high
priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the circle of the
tents. |
13:12 |
For
this reason Jesus was put to death outside the walls, so that he might make
the people holy by his blood. |
13:13 |
Let
us then go out to him outside the circle of the tents, taking his shame on
ourselves. |
13:14 |
For
here we have no fixed resting-place, but our search is for the one which is
to come. |
13:15 |
Let
us then make offerings of praise to God at all times through him, that is to
say, the fruit of lips giving witness to his name. |
13:16 |
But
go on doing good and giving to others, because God is well-pleased with such
offerings. |
13:17 |
Give
ear to those who are rulers over you, and do as they say: for they keep watch
over your souls, ready to give an account of them; let them be able to do
this with joy and not with grief, because that would be of no profit to you. |
13:18 |
Make
prayers for us, for we are certain that our hearts are free from the sense of
sin, desiring the right way of life in all things. |
13:19 |
I
make this request more strongly, in the hope of coming back to you more
quickly. |
13:20 |
Now
may the God of peace, who made that great keeper of his flock, even our Lord
Jesus, come back from the dead through the blood of the eternal
agreement, |
13:21 |
Make
you full of every good work and ready to do all his desires, working in us
whatever is pleasing in his eyes through Jesus Christ; and may the glory be
given to him for ever and ever. So be it. |
13:22 |
But,
brothers, take kindly the words which I have said for your profit; for I have
not sent you a long letter. |
13:23 |
Our
brother Timothy has been let out of prison; and if he comes here in a short
time, he and I will come to you together. |
13:24 |
Give
words of love from me to those who are rulers over you, and to all the
saints. Those who are in Italy send you their love. |
13:25 |
May grace be with you
all. |
|
|