Hebrews 1; Hebrews 2; Hebrews 3; Hebrews 4; Hebrews 5; Hebrews 6

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets many times and in many different ways.

2 But now in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son. God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made the world.

3 The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word. When the Son made people clean from their sins, he sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven.

4 The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is much greater than theirs.

5 This is because God never said to any of the angels, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father." Nor did God say of any angel, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son."

6 And when God brings his firstborn Son into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

7 This is what God said about the angels: "God makes his angels become like winds. He makes his servants become like flames of fire."

8 But God said this about his Son: "God, your throne will last forever and ever. You will rule your kingdom with fairness.

9 You love right and hate evil, so God has chosen you from among your friends; he has set you apart with much joy."

10 God also says, "Lord, in the beginning you made the earth, and your hands made the skies.

11 They will be destroyed, but you will remain. They will all wear out like clothes.

12 You will fold them like a coat. And, like clothes, you will change them. But you never change, and your life will never end."

13 And God never said this to an angel: "Sit by me at my right side until I put your enemies under your control."

14 All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will receive salvation.

1 So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. Then we will not stray away from the truth.

2 The teaching God spoke through angels was shown to be true, and anyone who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment that was earned.

3 So surely we also will be punished if we ignore this great salvation. The Lord himself first told about this salvation, and it was proven true to us by those who heard him.

4 God also proved it by using wonders, great signs, many kinds of miracles, and by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit, just as he wanted.

5 God did not choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming, which is what we have been talking about.

6 It is written in the Scriptures, "Why are people important to you? Why do you take care of human beings?

7 You made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You put all things under their control."

8 When God put everything under their control, there was nothing left that they did not rule. Still, we do not yet see them ruling over everything.

9 But we see Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels. And now he is wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. And by God's grace, he died for everyone.

10 God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One who leads people to salvation perfect through suffering.

11 Jesus, who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.

12 He says, "Then, I will tell my fellow Israelites about you; I will praise you in the public meeting."

13 He also says, "I will trust in God." And he also says, "I am here, and with me are the children God has given me."

14 Since these children are people with physical bodies, Jesus himself became like them. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death -- the devil --

15 and free those who were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.

16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the people who are from Abraham.

17 For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could bring forgiveness for their sins.

18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself suffered and was tempted.

1 So all of you holy brothers and sisters, who were called by God, think about Jesus, who was sent to us and is the high priest of our faith.

2 Jesus was faithful to God as Moses was in God's family.

3 Jesus has more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

4 Every house is built by someone, but the builder of everything is God himself.

5 Moses was faithful in God's family as a servant, and he told what God would say in the future.

6 But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. And we are God's house if we keep on being very sure about our great hope.

7 So it is as the Holy Spirit says: "Today listen to what he says.

8 Do not be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God, when you tested God in the desert.

9 There your ancestors tried me and tested me and saw the things I did for forty years.

10 I was angry with them. I said, 'They are not loyal to me and have not understood my ways.'

11 I was angry and made a promise, 'They will never enter my rest.'"

12 So brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will turn you away from the living God.

13 But encourage each other every day while it is "today." Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.

14 We all share in Christ if we keep till the end the sure faith we had in the beginning.

15 This is what the Scripture says: "Today listen to what he says. Do not be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God."

16 Who heard God's voice and was against him? It was all those people Moses led out of Egypt.

17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? He was angry with those who sinned, who died in the desert.

18 And to whom was God talking when he promised that they would never enter his rest? He was talking to those who did not obey him.

19 So we see they were not allowed to enter and have God's rest, because they did not believe.

1 Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you will fail to enter.

2 The Good News was preached to us just as it was to them. But the teaching they heard did not help them, because they heard it but did not accept it with faith.

3 We who have believed are able to enter and have God's rest. As God has said, "I was angry and made a promise, 'They will never enter my rest.'" But God's work was finished from the time he made the world.

4 In the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his works."

5 And again in the Scripture God said, "They will never enter my rest."

6 It is still true that some people will enter God's rest, but those who first heard the way to be saved did not enter, because they did not obey.

7 So God planned another day, called "today." He spoke about that day through David a long time later in the same Scripture used before: "Today listen to what he says. Do not be stubborn."

8 We know that Joshuan did not lead the people into that rest, because God spoke later about another day.

9 This shows that the restn for God's people is still coming.

10 Anyone who enters God's rest will rest from his work as God did.

11 Let us try as hard as we can to enter God's rest so that no one will fail by following the example of those who refused to obey.

12 God's word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.

13 Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived.

14 Since we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has gone into heaven, let us hold on to the faith we have.

15 For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth, he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin.

16 Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.

1 Every high priest is chosen from among other people. He is given the work of going before God for them to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

2 Since he himself is weak, he is able to be gentle with those who do not understand and who are doing wrong things.

3 Because he is weak, the high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins and also for the sins of the people.

4 To be a high priest is an honor, but no one chooses himself for this work. He must be called by God as Aaronn was.

5 So also Christ did not choose himself to have the honor of being a high priest, but God chose him. God said to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father."

6 And in another Scripture God says, "You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek."

7 While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he trusted God.

8 Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience by what he suffered.

9 And because his obedience was perfect, he was able to give eternal salvation to all who obey him.

10 In this way God made Jesus a high priest, a priest like Melchizedek.

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are so slow to understand.

12 By now you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God's message. You still need the teaching that is like milk. You are not ready for solid food.

13 Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and knows nothing about right teaching.

14 But solid food is for those who are grown up. They have practiced in order to know the difference between good and evil.

1 So let us go on to grown-up teaching. Let us not go back over the beginning lessons we learned about Christ. We should not again start teaching about faith in God and about turning away from those acts that lead to death.

2 We should not return to the teaching about baptisms, about laying on of hands, about the raising of the dead and eternal judgment.

3 And we will go on to grown-up teaching if God allows.

4 Some people cannot be brought back again to a changed life. They were once in God's light, and enjoyed heaven's gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit.

5 They found out how good God's word is, and they received the powers of his new world.

6 But they fell away from Christ. It is impossible to bring them back to a changed life again, because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others.

7 Some people are like land that gets plenty of rain. The land produces a good crop for those who work it, and it receives God's blessings.

8 Other people are like land that grows thorns and weeds and is worthless. It is in danger of being cursed by God and will be destroyed by fire.

9 Dear friends, we are saying this to you, but we really expect better things from you that will lead to your salvation.

10 God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people. And he will remember that you are still helping them.

11 We want each of you to go on with the same hard work all your lives so you will surely get what you hope for.

12 We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.

13 God made a promise to Abraham. And as there is no one greater than God, he used himself when he swore to Abraham,

14 saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants."

15 Abraham waited patiently for this to happen, and he received what God promised.

16 People always use the name of someone greater than themselves when they swear. The oath proves that what they say is true, and this ends all arguing.

17 God wanted to prove that his promise was true to those who would get what he promised. And he wanted them to understand clearly that his purposes never change, so he made an oath.

18 These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given.

19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in heaven,

20 where Jesus has gone ahead of us and for us. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek.