1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since wthe message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 xhow shall we yescape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and zit was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while aGod also bore witness by bsigns and wonders and various miracles and cby gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world dto come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,
e“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,1
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting feverything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with gglory and honor hbecause of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for ieveryone.
10 For it was fitting that he, jfor whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the kfounder of their salvation lperfect through suffering. 11 For he who msanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.2 That is why he is not nashamed to call them obrothers,3 12 saying,
p“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
13 And again,
q“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
r“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, she himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of tdeath, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made ulike his brothers vin every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful whigh priest in the service of God, to make xpropitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For ybecause he himself has suffered when ztempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 3
1 Therefore, holy brothers,1 you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and ahigh priest of our bconfession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as cMoses also was faithful in all God’s2 house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now dMoses was faithful in all God’s house as a eservant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a fson. And gwe are his house, hif indeed we ihold fast our jconfidence and our kboasting in our lhope.3
7 Therefore, mas the Holy Spirit says,
n“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in othe prebellion,
on the day of qtesting in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
11 As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But rexhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,
s“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, twhose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he uswear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were vdisobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of wunbelief.
Hebrews 4
1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.1 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
x“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: y“And God zrested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,
a“They shall not enter my rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
b“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them crest, God2 would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of ddisobedience. 12 For the word of God is eliving and factive, gsharper than any two-edged hsword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And ino creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must jgive account.
14 Since then we have a great khigh priest who has passed lthrough the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us mhold fast our nconfession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our oweaknesses, but one who pin every respect has been qtempted as we are, yet rwithout sin. 16 Let us then with sconfidence tdraw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 9
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2 For a utent1 was prepared, the first section, in which were the vlampstand and the wtable and the xbread of the Presence.2 It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section3 called the yMost Holy Place, 4 having the zgolden altar of incense and the aark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the bmanna, and cAaron’s staff that dbudded, and the etablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the fcherubim of glory overshadowing the gmercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 These preparations having thus been made, hthe priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but ionce a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers jfor himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the kway into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age).4 According to this arrangement, lgifts and sacrifices are offered mthat cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a nhigh priest of the ogood things that have come,5 then through the greater and more perfect ptent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he qentered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and rthe sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify6 for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered shimself without blemish to God, tpurify our7 uconscience from vdead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the wmediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal xinheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.8 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore ynot even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and zscarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and awithout the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
23 Thus it was necessary for the bcopies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places cmade with hands, which are copies of the dtrue things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has eappeared fonce for all at the gend of the ages to hput away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and iafter that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to jbear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly kwaiting for him.
Hebrews 13
1 Let sbrotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show thospitality to strangers, for thereby some have uentertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are vin prison, was though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the xsexually immoral and yadulterous. 5 Keep your life free from zlove of money, and be acontent with what you have, for he has said, b“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
c“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and dimitate their faith. 8 eJesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 fWe have an altar from which those who serve the tent1 have no right to eat. 11 For gthe bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered houtside the gate in order to isanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the jreproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the kcity that is lto come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a msacrifice of praise to God, that is, the nfruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to oshare what you have, for such psacrifices are pleasing to God.
17 qObey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a rclear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, sthe great tshepherd of the sheep, uby the blood of the veternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, wworking in us2 that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 I appeal to you, brothers,3 bear with my word of xexhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you.
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