Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2looking to ‘ISA1, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God2.
3For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you do not grow weary, fainting in your souls. 4You have not yet had to shed your blood in striving against sin; 5and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children,
“My son, do not take lightly the LORD’s discipline, And do not lose heart when he rebukes you; 6For whom the LORD3 loves, he disciplines, And punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” 4
7It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not his children. 9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12Therefore,
“lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.” 5
13And,
“make straight paths for your feet,” 6
so that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no man will see the Lord, 15looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it; 16lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, as Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. 17For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.
18For you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, tempest, 19the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which those who heard it begged that not one more word should be spoken to them, 20for they could not stand that which was commanded,
“If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;” 7
21and so fearful was the appearance, that Musa said,
“I am terrified and trembling.” 8
22But you have come to Al-Quds9, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, 23to the general assembly and congregation of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24to ‘ISA, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Habil10.
25See that you do not refuse him who speaks. For if they didn’t escape when they refused him who warned on the earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven, 26whose voice shook the earth, then, but now he has promised, saying,
“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” 11
27This phrase, “Yet once more,” signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. 28Therefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be grateful, by which we worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29for our God is a consuming fire.
- 12:2 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 12:2 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 12:5-6 LORD, the use of all capital letters means that the original Hebrew text quoted here uses God’s Name, YAHWEH, which God-fearing Jews to this day do not say out of respect. YAHWEH is the Name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
- 12:5-6 Quoting the Taurat in Proverbs 3:11-12 which says: “My son, do not despise YAHWEH’s discipline, and do not grow weary of his reproof. For whom YAHWEH loves, he disciplines; just as a father the son in whom he delights.” ↩︎
- 12:12 Quoting the Greek LXX translation of the Taurat, Shaya 35:3, which in the Hebrew says: “Strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” ↩︎
- 12:13 Quoting the Greek LXX translation of the Taurat, Proverbs 4:26, which in the Hebrew says: “Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.” ↩︎
- 12:20 Compare the Taurat, Exodus 19:12-13 which says: “You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you do not go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.” ↩︎
- 12:21 Compare the Taurat, Deuteronomy 9:19 which says: “For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which YAHWEH was angry against you to destroy you. But YAHWEH listened to me that time also.” ↩︎
- 12:22 Al-Quds, meaning “the Holy (City).” The Greek text transliterates the Hebrew name Zion, a synonym for Jerusalem. It originally referred to Mount Zion, one of the hills of Jerusalem. ↩︎
- 12:24 Habil, or Abel whose blood was spilled when he was murdered by his brother. ↩︎
- 12:26 Quoting the Taurat, Haggai 2:6 which says: “For thus says YAHWEH All-Powerful: ‘In a little while, yet once more I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.'” ↩︎