THE PERFECT SACRIFICE

10 Since the law has only a shadow of the good thingsac to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. 2 Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said:

You did not desire sacrifice and offering,

but you prepared a body for me.

6 You did not delight

in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.

7 Then I said, “See—

it is written about me

in the scroll—

I have come to do your will, God.”A,a

8 After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the lawb), 9 he then says, See, I have come to do your will.B He takes away the first to establish the second. 10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.c

11 Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.d 12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.C,e 13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.f 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:

16 This is the covenant I will make with them

after those days,

the Lord says,

I will put my laws on their hearts

and write them on their minds,

17 and I will never again remember

their sins and their lawless acts.D,g

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

EXHORTATIONS TO GODLINESS

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesush—20 he has inauguratedE for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his fleshi)—21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,j 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.k 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.l 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other,m and all the more as you see the day approaching.

WARNING AGAINST DELIBERATE SIN

26 For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,n 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.o 28 Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.p 29 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profaneF the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?q 30 For we know the one who has said,

Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,G,H

and again,

The Lord will judge his people.I,r

31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.s

32 Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.t 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.u 34 For you sympathized with the prisonersJ and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.K,v 35 So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.w 36 For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.x

37 For yet in a very little while,

the Coming One will come and not delay.

38 But my righteous oneL will live by faith;

and if he draws back,

I have no pleasureM in him.N,y

39 But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.

LIVING BY FAITH

11 Now faith is the realityO of what is hoped for, the proofP of what is not seen.z 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.

3 By faith we understand that the universe wasA created by the word of God,a so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.B

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.b

5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away.C For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.c 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.d

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.e 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.f 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.g

11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since sheD considered that the one who had promised was faithful.h 12 Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.i

13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance,j greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.k 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.l

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.m He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspringE will be traced through Isaac.F,n 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead;o therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.G

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esaup concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.H,q 22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentionedI the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.r

23 By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.s 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin.t 26 For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward.u

27 By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.v 28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.w

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.x

32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,y David, Samuel, and the prophets,z 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms,aa administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,ab 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.a 35 Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment.b 37 They were stoned,A,c they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins,d destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.e

THE CALL TO ENDURANCE

12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnessesf surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with enduranceg the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus,B the pioneer and perfecterC of our faith. For the joy that lay before him,D he endured the cross, despising the shame,h and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

FATHERLY DISCIPLINE

3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.i 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:

My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly

or lose heart when you are reproved by him,

6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves

and punishes every son he receives.E,j

7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline—which all receiveF—then you are illegitimate children and not sons.k 9 Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?l 10 For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.m 11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruitn of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.o

12 Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,p 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocatedG but healed instead.q

WARNING AGAINST REJECTING GOD’S GRACE

14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holinessr—without it no one will see the Lord.s 15 Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.t 16 And make sure that there isn’t any immoralH or irreverentu person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal.v 17 For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.w

18 For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.I,x 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.J,y 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering,z 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been writtenK in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,aa 24 and to Jesus, the mediatorab of a new covenant,ac and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.ad

25 See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven.ae 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.A,a 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shakenb—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,c 29 for our God is a consuming fire.d

FINAL EXHORTATIONS

13 Let brotherly lovee continue. 2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.f 3 Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated,B as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.C 4 Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.g 5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.D,h 6 Therefore, we may boldly say,

The Lord is my helper;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?E,i

7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.j 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.k 9 Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited.l 10 We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.m 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priestn as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.o 12 Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate,p so that he might sanctifyF the people by his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace.q 14 For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.r 15 Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.s 16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.t 17 Obey your leadersG and submit to them, since they keep watchu over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.v 19 And I urge you all the more to prayH that I may be restored to you very soon.

BENEDICTION AND FAREWELL

20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheepw—through the blood of the everlasting covenant,x 21 equipI you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.J,y Amen.

22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with you all.z

JAMES