New King James Version

New Living Translation

The Race of Faith

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

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God’s Discipline Proves His Love

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

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looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.a Because of the joyb awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

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The Discipline of God

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

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Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;c then you won’t become weary and give up.

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You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

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After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

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And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the [c]chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

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And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?d He said,
“My child,e don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.

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For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

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For the LORD disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”f

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If[d] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

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As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?

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But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

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If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

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Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

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Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?g

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For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

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For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.

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Now no [e]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

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No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening — it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

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Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

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So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

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and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

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Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

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Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

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A Call to Listen to God

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

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looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

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Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

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lest there be any fornicator or [f]profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

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Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.

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For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

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You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

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The Glorious Company

For you have not come [g]to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and [h]darkness and tempest,

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You have not come to a physical mountain,h to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.

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and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

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For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.

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(For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned [i]or shot with an arrow.”

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They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”i

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And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

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Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”j

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But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

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No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.

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to the [j]general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

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You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.

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to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

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You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

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Hear the Heavenly Voice

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

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Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!

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whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I [k]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

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When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”k

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Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

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This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

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Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we [l]may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

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Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

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For our God is a consuming fire.

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For our God is a devouring fire.

Parallel

New King James Version

New Living Translation

Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12