Chapter 12

Jesus, the Example

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also alay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us brun with cendurance the race that is set before us,

2 1fixing our eyes on Jesus, the 2aauthor and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him bendured the cross, cdespising the shame, and has dsat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For aconsider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary 1band lose heart.

A Father’s Discipline

4 aYou have not yet resisted 1bto the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“aMy son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor bfaint when you are reproved by Him;

6 aFor those bwhom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure; aGod deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8 But if you are without discipline, aof which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we had 1earthly fathers to discipline us, and we arespected them; shall we not much rather be subject to bthe Father of 2spirits, and clive?

10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, aso that we may share His holiness.

11 All discipline afor the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the bpeaceful fruit of righteousness.

12 Therefore, 1astrengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

13 and amake straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather bbe healed.

14 aPursue peace with all men, and the bsanctification without which no one will csee the Lord.

15 See to it that no one acomes short of the grace of God; that no broot of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be cdefiled;

16 that there be no aimmoral or bgodless person like Esau, cwho sold his own birthright for a single meal.

17 For you know that even afterwards, awhen he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

18 aFor you have not come to ba mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,

19 and to the ablast of a trumpet and the bsound of words which sound was such that those who heard cbegged that no further word be spoken to them.

20 For they could not bear the command, “aIf even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.”

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “aI am full of fear and trembling.”

22 But ayou have come to Mount Zion and to bthe city of cthe living God, dthe heavenly Jerusalem, and to emyriads of 1angels,

23 to the general assembly and achurch of the firstborn who bare enrolled in heaven, and to God, cthe Judge of all, and to the dspirits of the righteous made perfect,

24 and to Jesus, the amediator of a new covenant, and to the bsprinkled blood, which speaks better than cthe blood of Abel.

The Unshaken Kingdom

25 aSee to it that you do not refuse Him who is bspeaking. For cif those did not escape when they drefused him who ewarned them on earth, 1much less will we escape who turn away from Him who ewarns from heaven.

26 And aHis voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “bYet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”

27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes athe removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we receive a akingdom which cannot be shaken, let us 1show gratitude, by which we may boffer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

29 for aour God is a consuming fire.

Chapter 13

The Changeless Christ

1 Let alove of the brethren continue.

2 Do not neglect to ashow hospitality to strangers, for by this some have bentertained angels without knowing it.

3 aRemember bthe prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

4 aMarriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; bfor fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

5 Make sure that your character is afree from the love of money, bbeing content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “cI will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

6 so that we confidently say,

“aThe Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

What will man do to me?”

7 Remember athose who led you, who spoke bthe word of God to you; and considering the 1result of their conduct, cimitate their faith.

8 aJesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

9 aDo not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to bbe strengthened by grace, not by cfoods, dthrough which those who 1were so occupied were not benefited.

10 We have an altar afrom which those bwho serve the 1tabernacle have no right to eat.

11 For athe bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.

12 Therefore Jesus also, athat He might sanctify the people bthrough His own blood, suffered coutside the gate.

13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, abearing His reproach.

14 For here awe do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking bthe city which is to come.

God-pleasing Sacrifices

15 aThrough Him then, let us continually offer up a bsacrifice of praise to God, that is, cthe fruit of lips that 1give thanks to His name.

16 And do not neglect doing good and asharing, for bwith such sacrifices God is pleased.

17 aObey your leaders and submit to them, for bthey keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. 1Let them do this with joy and not 2with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

18 aPray for us, for we are sure that we have a bgood conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.

19 And I urge you all the more to do this, aso that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction

20 Now athe God of peace, who bbrought up from the dead the cgreat Shepherd of the sheep 1through dthe blood of the eeternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,

21 aequip you in every good thing to do His will, bworking in us that cwhich is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, dto whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 But aI urge you, bbrethren, 1bear with 2this bword of exhortation, for cI have written to you briefly.

23 1Take notice that aour brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.

24 Greet aall of your leaders and all the 1bsaints. Those from cItaly greet you.

25 aGrace be with you all.

The Letter of

JAMES

Chapter 1

Testing Your Faith

1 1aJames, a bbond-servant of God and cof the Lord Jesus Christ,

To dthe twelve tribes who are 2edispersed abroad: fGreetings.

2 aConsider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter bvarious 1trials,

3 knowing that athe testing of your bfaith produces 1cendurance.

4 And let 1aendurance have its perfect 2result, so that you may be 3bperfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you alacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and 1without reproach, and bit will be given to him.

6 But he must aask in faith bwithout any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, cdriven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 being a 1adouble-minded man, bunstable in all his ways.

9 aBut the 1brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because alike 1flowering grass he will pass away.

11 For the sun rises with 1aa scorching wind and bwithers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

12 aBlessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has 1been approved, he will receive bthe crown of life which the Lord chas promised to those who dlove Him.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “aI am being tempted 1by God”; for God cannot be tempted 2by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

15 Then awhen lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when bsin 1is accomplished, it brings forth death.

16 aDo not be 1deceived, bmy beloved brethren.

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is afrom above, coming down from bthe Father of lights, cwith whom there is no variation or 1shifting shadow.

18 In the exercise of aHis will He bbrought us forth by cthe word of truth, so that we would be 1a kind of dfirst fruits 2among His creatures.

19 1This ayou know, bmy beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, cslow to speak and dslow to anger;

20 for athe anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

21 Therefore, aputting aside all filthiness and all 1that remains of wickedness, in 2humility receive bthe word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

22 aBut prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his 1natural face ain a mirror;

24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, 1he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, athe law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but 1an effectual doer, this man will be bblessed in 2what he does.

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not 1abridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

27 Pure and undefiled religion ain the sight of our God and Father is this: to bvisit corphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained 1by dthe world.