Chapter 1 |
| 1 In the past, God spoke many times and in many ways to the people of Israel through the prophets. |
| 2 But now, in these last days, God speaks to us through His Son, whom He has made the heir of all things. Through Him, God created everything that exists: the whole visible and invisible world, space, and time itself. |
| 3 The Son radiates the glory of God. He fully reflects the essence of God and shows us who God really is. The Son of God upholds everything that exists by His powerful Word. He cleansed people from their sins. Then He ascended to heaven and sat down in the place of highest honor at the right hand of the great and almighty God. |
| 4 So, the Son of God is far superior to all the angels, because He has inherited from God a name, position, and authority that no angel has. |
| 5 God has never called any angel His Son. Only to Jesus He said, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father” (Psalm 2:7). And only about Him God said, “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son” (1 Chronicles 17:13). |
| 6 When God sent His Firstborn Son into the world, He again said, "Let all God's angels worship Him.” |
| 7 God says about the angels: “I have made My angels spiritual beings, and they are as swift as the wind. They serve Me and carry out My will with the power of a blazing fire” (Psalm 104:4). |
| 8 But about the Son God says: “You are God. Your rule will never end, and You will reign with justice. |
| 9 You love righteousness and hate evil. That is why Your God the Father has anointed You with the oil of joy. He has exalted You and given You more joy than anyone else” (Psalm 45:7). |
| 10 God also says about His Son: “You are the Lord. In the beginning, You created the earth, and You also made the heavens. |
| 11 One day all this will be destroyed, but You will live forever. Over time, the heavens and the earth will become like worn-out clothing. |
| 12 Then You will roll them up like an old garment and make all things new. But You will remain the same and live forever” (Psalm 102:25-27). |
| 13 God has never said to any angel: “Sit at the place of highest honor at My right hand and reign with Me. I will defeat all Your enemies and place them under Your feet” (Psalm 110:1). |
| 14 All angels are just spiritual beings who serve God. He sends them to help those people who are to receive salvation. |
Chapter 2 |
| 1 So we must pay close attention to what we have heard about Christ, so that we do not drift away from the truth. |
| 2 Think about the Law of Moses. God gave this Law to the people of Israel through angels. And He required the people to obey it. So, everyone who broke this Law or did not obey it received the punishment he deserved. |
| 3 But it was not an angel who brought us salvation. It was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So do you really think that we will escape punishment if we reject this great salvation? First, the Lord Himself preached the message of salvation to the people. Then those who personally heard Christ told us about it, and we became convinced that it was true. |
| 4 God confirmed this message of salvation through supernatural signs, miracles, and various mighty works. He also gave people gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His will. |
| 5 If we are talking about the future world that God will create, that world will not be under the authority of angels. |
| 6 When God created everything, He intended man to have a special place in His plan. That is why King David marvels at God's greatness and says, “Why is man so important to You that You pay so much attention to him? Why do You care so much about him?” |
| 7 Although You created man less powerful than the angels, You gave him a high position among all Your creation and made him especially precious in Your sight. |
| 8 “You placed man over everything You created and put all Your creation under his authority” (Psalm 8:5–6). God wanted man to rule over His creation. That is why He gave him authority over everything He created. But man failed to fulfill God's purpose. So, we do not yet see all of God's creation fully under man's authority. |
| 9 But even now we see that God has fulfilled His plan through Jesus. By His grace, He sent Christ to suffer for the sins of all people and die for them on the cross. So, Jesus became a man and took a position lower than the angels for a time. But God rewarded Him for His suffering and death. So, He glorified Christ, gave Him the highest honor, and exalted Him above all creation. |
| 10 God created everything and rules over everything. He wanted to bring many people to His glory and make them His children. That is why Jesus had to suffer for the sins of all people. Through His suffering and death, He fulfilled God's will and became the One who leads people to salvation. |
| 11 Jesus cleanses people from sin and makes them holy. He and those He has made holy have the same heavenly Father. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers. |
| 12 He says to God, “I will tell My brothers about You. Among Your people, I will praise You in song” (Psalm 22:22). |
| 13 Jesus also says to God, “I trust in You completely.” And again, “I am not alone. Your children, whom You have entrusted to Me, are with Me” (Isaiah 8:17, 18). |
| 14 God's children are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became a man just like them. He died so that through His death He could defeat the devil and strip him of his power, because death was the devil's greatest weapon against people. |
| 15 But Jesus set people free from the fear of death, which had kept them in slavery throughout all their lives. |
| 16 Christ did not come to help angels, but people, so that they would learn to trust God as Abraham did. |
| 17 So, Jesus had to become a man just like His brothers, so that He could be our High Priest—the One who represents people before God. He is full of compassion for people and faithfully carries out everything God has entrusted to Him. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the people so that we could receive forgiveness. |
| 18 Jesus Himself experienced everything that people go through. He endured suffering and severe trials. So now He is able to help those who are going through the same trials and hardships. |
Chapter 3 |
| 1 Brothers, God has made you holy. Together with all believers, you have received the same heavenly calling from God. You believe in Jesus Christ, whom God sent to earth. Jesus is God's Messenger. He is also our High Priest, the One who represents us before God. So, focus all your attention on Jesus so that you may understand who He really is. |
| 2 Jesus faithfully carried out everything God entrusted Him to do. In the same way, Moses was faithful in everything God entrusted him to do among His people. Moses was a faithful servant in all of God's house. |
| 3 But Jesus deserves far greater glory and honor than Moses. Moses faithfully served God's people. But Jesus is the One who created these people and leads them. Just as the builder of a house is greater than the house itself, so Jesus is greater than Moses. |
| 4 Every house has someone who built it. In the same way, everything that exists has a Creator. And that Creator is God. |
| 5 Moses was a faithful servant in all of God's house. His service pointed prophetically to what God was going to reveal to people in the future. |
| 6 But Christ is not a servant. He is the Son of God, who is over this house and rules it. And this house is all of us who believe in Jesus. But we will remain part of this house and part of God's people only if we hold firmly to our faith and hope until the very end, because they are so precious to us. |
| 7 So, the Holy Spirit says, “If you hear My voice today, do not be indifferent to My words. |
| 8 Do not harden your hearts against Me or be stubborn as the people of Israel were. When I brought them out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness, they spoke against Me, complained, and tested My patience with their sins. |
| 9 Although the people of Israel saw everything I did for them for 40 years, they still continued to doubt Me and did not trust Me. |
| 10 So I became angry with these people and said, “They continually follow the desires of their hearts, which lead them away from Me. They never understood the way I wanted to lead them. |
| 11 So, I swore in My anger, “This generation will never enter the land I promised them, where I wanted to give them My rest” (Psalm 95:7–11). |
| 12 Brothers, be careful that there is no room in your hearts for evil or unbelief that could lead you away from the living God. |
| 13 Today it is still not too late to encourage and strengthen one another. Do this every day, so that sin may not deceive you and make you stubborn and indifferent to God. |
| 14 If we keep the same strong faith until the very end — the faith that we had when we first began to follow Christ — then we truly belong to Him. |
| 15 Remember what God said in Scripture: “If you hear My voice today, do not harden your hearts against Me or be stubborn as the people of Israel were. I set them free from slavery in Egypt, but they began to complain and speak against Me” (Psalm 95:7–11). |
| 16 All those whom Moses led out of Egypt heard God’s voice. But they still rebelled against God. |
| 17 God was angry for 40 years with those who sinned and did not trust Him. So they died in the wilderness. |
| 18 God swore that those who disobeyed Him would not enter the land He had promised them, where He wanted to give them His rest. |
| 19 So, we can see that they were not able to enter there because of their unbelief. |
Chapter 4 |
| 1 God still promises to give us His rest. So be careful that you do not become one of those who fail to enter that rest. |
| 2 Long ago God promised the Israelites that He would bring them into a land where He would give them His rest. Now, through Christ, God also promises to give us His rest. But the first generation of Israelites whom Moses led out of Egypt never received what God had promised them, because they did not believe what they heard. |
| 3 But we have believed what God says, so we receive the rest that He has promised to give us. But God said about those who did not believe Him, “In My anger I swore that they would never enter My rest” (Psalm 95:11). God had already finished everything He wanted to do when He created the world. |
| 4 That is why Scripture says, “On the seventh day God finished all His work and entered His rest” (Genesis 2:2). In other words, after that God did not create anything else. |
| 5 So, God said about the Israelites, “They will never enter My rest” (Psalm 95:11). |
| 6 The Israelites were the first people to whom God promised to give His rest. But they did not enter it because they disobeyed God. Yet God did not withdraw His promise. |
| 7 Many years passed after Moses led the people out of Egypt. Then God spoke to His people again through King David. He said, “If you hear My voice today, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7–8). This means that even today we have the opportunity to enter God’s rest. |
| 8 The first generation of Israelites did not enter the land of Canaan because of their unbelief. Later, Joshua led a new generation of Israelites into the land. But if God’s people had already received the rest that God had promised, then many years later God would not have spoken through David that we can still enter God’s rest today. |
| 9 We who believe in Christ belong to God’s people. That is why God gives us the opportunity to enter His rest. |
| 10 On the seventh day God finished all His work and entered His rest. From that time on, He created nothing more. So, the one who enters God’s rest no longer relies on his own works but trusts in God. |
| 11 So do not follow the example of the Israelites who disobeyed God. Instead, continue to trust God so that you may enter His rest. |
| 12 The Word of God is alive and full of power. It is sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates into the deepest parts of a person. It separates soul and spirit. It reaches even to the joints and marrow. The Word of God works deep within a person’s heart and reveals what he thinks and what he truly desires. |
| 13 There is nothing in all creation that can be hidden from God. He sees everything that man does and knows everything that goes on in his heart. And one day each of us will give Him an account of our lives. |
| 14 So Jesus is the Son of God and our great High Priest. He has gone up into heaven and represents us before God. That is why we must hold firmly to what we believe. |
| 15 Our great High Priest is full of compassion for us. He understands how hard it can be for us and what we go through, because He Himself experienced the same trials and hardships as we do. Yet He never sinned. |
| 16 So now we can come boldly to God’s throne of grace to receive His mercy. God will give us His grace and help us whenever we need it. |
Chapter 5 |
| 1 In Old Testament times, God Himself chose Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi to serve Him as priests. Then one of them became the chief priest, known as the high priest. He represented the people of Israel before God and offered gifts and sacrifices to God for the sins of the people. |
| 2 Like every other person, the high priest had his own weaknesses and imperfections. That is why he was able to deal patiently and compassionately with those who did not know God's truth and wandered away from the right path. |
| 3 The high priest also needed God's forgiveness. So first he offered a sacrifice to God for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. |
| 4 Only God could call a man to this ministry, just as He had once called Aaron. No one could become the high priest by his own choice. |
| 5 In the same way, Christ did not become the High Priest because He chose this ministry for Himself. It was God who chose Him and appointed Him to this ministry. He said to Him, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father” (Psalm 2:7). |
| 6 God also said to Christ in another place of Scripture, “Just as I once appointed Melchizedek to be a priest, so I have also appointed You. But You will be My Priest forever” (Psalm 110:4). Melchizedek was God's priest even before God chose Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi to be priests. So Christ became a priest not because He belonged to the family of Aaron. God Himself appointed Him to this ministry. |
| 7 When Jesus was on earth, He cried out loudly to God with tears and asked Him for help. He prayed to the One who could save Him from death. And God heard His prayer because Jesus trusted Him completely and submitted to His will. |
| 8 Although Jesus was the Son of God, He went through suffering and showed complete obedience to His Father. |
| 9 Jesus fulfilled everything God had entrusted to Him and became the source of eternal salvation. Now He gives this salvation to everyone who obeys Him. |
| 10 God appointed Jesus to be the High Priest. His priesthood is like the priesthood of Melchizedek. |
| 11 I would like to tell you much more about this, but it is difficult for me to do it because you have stopped paying attention to what you hear. |
| 12 By now you should already be teaching others. But instead, someone else has to explain to you the most basic truths of God's Word all over again. You still need milk, not solid food. |
| 13 The one who lives on milk is still a spiritual baby. That is why he does not understand God's teaching about how to live a righteous life. |
| 14 But solid food is for those who are spiritually mature. They constantly apply God's teaching to their lives. As a result, they have learned to distinguish good from evil and know how to do what is right. |
Chapter 6 |
| 1 Let us not keep going back to the basic truths that we learned when we first began to follow Christ. Instead, let us move forward and become spiritually mature. You should have learned long ago the truths that are taught to everyone who comes to Christ. These are the basic truths: a person must leave behind his old sinful life that leads to death and turn to God in faith. |
| 2 These basic truths also include the teaching about baptisms and the laying on of hands, as well as the teaching about the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment, when everyone will stand before God. |
| 3 And if God allows, we will talk about these things in more detail. |
| 4 There are those whom God once enlightened with His light and revealed His truth to them. Such people received God’s gift from heaven and personally experienced how the Holy Spirit works. |
| 5 They saw how wonderful the Word of God is and experienced the power of God that will one day completely transform the whole world. |
| 6 But if, after all this, they deliberately reject Christ and turn away from Him, it is impossible to bring such people to repentance again. Those who reject Christ take the side of the people who crucified the Son of God. They once again publicly humiliate Him and openly express their contempt for Him. |
| 7 God blesses the land that receives frequent rain and produces a good harvest for those who cultivate it. |
| 8 But other land, after receiving the same rain, produces nothing but thorns and weeds. Because of this, the land becomes useless. Sooner or later it will be cursed and eventually burned. The same will happen to a person who received God's blessings but then he rejected Christ and turned away from Him. |
| 9 My dear friends, even though we speak so strictly, we are confident that this does not apply to you and you are walking the path to salvation. |
| 10 God is just. He will not forget the good deeds you have done for Him. You showed your love for God by helping other believers, and you continue to help them to this day. |
| 11 We want each of you to remain just as faithful and devoted to God throughout your entire life. Then you will see that your trust in God and your faith in His promises were not in vain. |
| 12 Don't become passive and indifferent. Instead, follow the example of those who through faith and great patience have received everything God promised. |
| 13 When God made a promise to Abraham, He confirmed it with an oath. Since there was no one greater than God, He swore by Himself. |
| 14 God said to Abraham, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants very numerous.” |
| 15 Abraham waited patiently and received what God had promised. |
| 16 When someone wants to prove that he is telling the truth, he confirms his words with an oath and calls on a witness whose authority everyone recognizes. Once he has taken that oath, no one asks for any further proof, and the matter is settled. |
| 17 God did the same. He wanted those to whom He made His promise to be confident that He would never change His decision and would fulfill everything He had promised. So God confirmed His promise with an oath. |
| 18 God cannot lie. His promise and His oath are two unchangeable things that we can completely rely on. We know for sure that God will fulfill everything He has promised, so we do not lose hope. |
| 19 This hope is like an anchor for our souls. It holds us steady just as an anchor holds a ship during a storm and helps us stand firm when life is difficult. Because of this hope, we can come into God's presence. During the time of the Law of Moses, the way into God's presence was blocked by the heavy curtain that hung in the temple. Behind that curtain was the Most Holy Place, where God revealed His presence in a special way. Only the high priest could enter it, and only once a year. |
| 20 But when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn. Jesus was the first to enter the place where God dwells in all His glory, and He opened the way to God for us. Now He has become our High Priest forever — the One who represents us before God. God Himself appointed Jesus to this ministry, just as He once appointed Melchizedek. |
Chapter 7 |
| 1 Melchizedek was the king of the city of Salem and also a priest of the Most High God. He lived long before Moses, even before God gave His Law to Israel. One day, Abraham defeated four kings who had taken his nephew Lot captive and plundered all his possessions. When Abraham was returning from this victory, Melchizedek came out to meet him and blessed him. |
| 2 Then Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had gained from his victory over the kings. The name Melchizedek means "king of righteousness," and the name of the city of Salem means "peace." So Melchizedek is also called "the king who brings peace." |
| 3 Scripture says nothing about Melchizedek’s parents, what family he came from, when he was born, or when he died. So he serves as a picture of the Son of God, who will remain a priest forever. |
| 4 Look how great Melchizedek was! Even Abraham, the father of the Israelite people, gave him a tenth of everything he gained after defeating the kings. |
| 5 Several centuries later, God gave His Law to Israel through Moses. According to this Law, God chose Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi to serve Him as priests. God commanded all the people of Israel to give tithes to the priests, even though both the priests and the entire nation were brothers and descendants of Abraham. |
| 6 Melchizedek and Abraham lived long before God gave His Law to Israel. So Melchizedek could not have been a descendant of Levi and could not have belonged to the priestly line. However, Melchizedek received a tithe from Abraham himself—the father of all the Israelites. Moreover, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, to whom God had given His promises. |
| 7 This shows that Melchizedek held a higher position than Abraham. After all, there is no doubt that the one who blesses holds a higher position than the one who receives the blessing. |
| 8 According to the Law of Moses, the priests from the tribe of Levi received tithes, but their ministry ended when they died. However, Scripture says nothing about when Melchizedek was born or when he died. So he serves as a picture of the Son of God, whose priestly ministry will never end. |
| 9 The priests from the tribe of Levi were descendants of Abraham, and according to the Law of Moses they received tithes from all the people of Israel. So we can say that when Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, Levi also gave it through his ancestor Abraham, because all the priests later descended from Levi. |
| 10 When Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi had not yet been born but was only a future descendant of Abraham. So, figuratively speaking, Levi also gave a tithe to Melchizedek through his ancestor Abraham. |
| 11 Through Moses, God gave His Law to Israel and established the priesthood of the tribe of Levi. But if through this ministry people could have been fully reconciled to God and could have restore their relationship with Him, then why was another priest needed — the one like Melchizedek, not Aaron? |
| 12 The Law of Moses was inseparably connected with the priesthood of the tribe of Levi. So when God appointed another priest, He also established a new order instead of the Law of Moses. |
| 13 This refers to Jesus. But according to the Law of Moses, Jesus could not be a priest, because He was not from the tribe of Levi, but from another tribe of Israel. And God never appointed people from another tribe to serve at the altar. |
| 14 Everyone knows that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah. However, Moses never said that people from this tribe could serve as priests. |
| 15 Yet God appointed Jesus as a priest. After all that has been said, there is no doubt that He is the very Priest God spoke about—the one like Melchizedek.
16 Jesus became a priest not because He came from the tribe of Levi and was from Aaron’s family, as the Law of Moses required. Instead, God appointed Him to this ministry because Jesus has the power of eternal life. |
| 17 So God said to Jesus, “You will be a priest forever. Your ministry will be like the ministry of Melchizedek.” |
| 18 According to the Law of Moses, people could come to God only through the ministry of the priests. But this order could not fully reconcile people to God and bring them to Him. That is why God abolished this order. |
| 19 The Law of Moses could not make anything perfect. But now God has given us a better hope. Because of this hope, we can draw near to Him. |
| 20 There is another important difference between the ministry of the Levitical priests and the ministry of Jesus. When God appointed Jesus as a priest, He confirmed His decision with an oath. |
| 21 But God appointed priests from the tribe of Levi without an oath. Yet He swore to Jesus, “You will remain a priest forever. Your ministry will be like the ministry of Melchizedek.” The Lord swore to do this, and He will never break His oath. |
| 22 Because of this oath, God made a new and better Covenant with people through Jesus. It is Jesus who makes this Covenant secure, because He will remain a Priest forever. |
| 23 During the time of the Law of Moses, there were many priests from the tribe of Levi. When one of them died, another one took his place. None of them could serve God forever. |
| 24 But Jesus will live forever, and His ministry will never end. |
| 25 So He is always able to save those who come to God through Him. For Jesus lives forever, and He never stops praying for us with deep compassion. |
| 26 This is exactly the kind of High Priest we need. Jesus is holy. There is no evil or sin in Him. He lived among sinful people, but He never sinned. And now God has exalted Jesus above all the heavens. |
| 27 Every high priest who represented the people of Israel before God had to offer different sacrifices day after day. First, he offered sacrifices for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus is without sin. He offered Himself as a sacrifice only once when He gave His life for the sins of all people. That one sacrifice was enough. So He no longer needs to offer sacrifices for sins. |
| 28 According to the Law of Moses, imperfect men who themselves needed forgiveness of their sins became high priests. But many years after God gave the Law of Moses, He made a new promise and confirmed it with His oath. God swore that He would appoint His Son as High Priest. Jesus became the perfect High Priest, and He will remain the perfect High Priest forever. |
Chapter 8 |
| 1 Here is the most important point of everything we have been talking about: we have such a High Priest, Who is now in heaven. He is seated in the place of highest honor at the right hand of the throne of the great and almighty God. |
| 2 Once God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle, which was like a large tent. It was a portable temple where the Israelites worshiped God and where God revealed His presence while they were traveling through the wilderness. But that tabernacle was only a copy of the true heavenly tabernacle. Now Jesus serves as the High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. It is the holiest place of the heavenly tabernacle, where God reveals His presence in a special way. This heavenly tabernacle was set up by the Lord Himself, not by man. |
| 3 God appointed high priests to offer Him gifts and sacrifices. So Jesus, our High Priest, also had to offer God a sacrifice. |
| 4 According to the Law of Moses, only descendants from the tribe of Levi could become priests. But Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. So while He lived on earth, He could not be one of the priests who, according to the Law of Moses, offered God gifts and sacrifices. |
| 5 These priests served God in the tabernacle. But it only pointed to the true heavenly tabernacle, and it was a copy of it. That is why when Moses was about to build this earthly tabernacle, God said to him, “Be sure to make everything exactly according to the pattern that I showed you when you were with Me on the mountain.” |
| 6 Jesus is our High Priest. God entrusted Him with a ministry that is far greater than the ministry of the priests from the tribe of Levi. Jesus became the Mediator between God and people. Through Him, God made the New Covenant with people. This Covenant is better than the old one because it is based on better promises of God. |
| 7 God made the first Covenant with the Israelites through the Law of Moses. If people could have been completely reconciled to God and had their relationship with Him fully restored through that Covenant, God would not have made a New Covenant. |
| 8 But God saw that His people had broken that first Covenant. So He said through the prophet Jeremiah, “The time is coming when I will make a New Covenant with the people of Israel and the people of Judah. |
| 9 This New Covenant will not be like that first Covenant that I made with My people when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Then they themselves broke that Covenant. So I ended the relationship that I had with them under that first Covenant. |
| 10 This is the New Covenant that I will make with the people of Israel in the future. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on each person's heart. I will be their God, and they will be My people. |
| 11 Then no one will teach his brother or say to another person, "You need to know the Lord." At that time everyone will know Me personally, from the most ordinary person to the greatest. |
| 12 I will show them mercy. I will forgive all the evil they have done, all their sins, and everything they have done against My will. And I will never remember any of their sins again" (Jeremiah 31:31–34). |
| 13 God called this Covenant new. This means that the first Covenant that God made with the Israelites through the Law of Moses has lost its authority. And everything that has already lost its authority will soon cease to exist and pass into history. |
Chapter 9 |
| 1 The first covenant that God made with the Israelites through the Law of Moses established rules for worshiping God. So God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle, which was like a large tent. It was a portable place of worship where God revealed His presence in a special way while the Israelites traveled through the wilderness. There was a fenced courtyard in front of the Tabernacle where God’s people brought animals for sacrifice. There was a large bronze altar in the courtyard, where the priests slaughtered the animals and offered them as sacrifices to God, as it was required by the Law of Moses. There was also a large bronze basin where the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle. |
| 2 The Tabernacle had two rooms. The first room was called the Holy Place. When a priest entered the Holy Place, there was a gold lampstand with seven branches on his left and a table with twelve loaves of bread dedicated to God on his right. Straight ahead, at the far end of this first room, there was a gold altar where the priests burned incense before God. |
| 3 Right behind this altar was a heavy curtain that separated the first room from the second. Behind this curtain was the second room, called the Most Holy Place. It was the holiest place, where God revealed His presence in a special way. |
| 4 Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and he could do it only once a year. He carried a gold incense burner that held burning coals and incense. The Ark of the Covenant was in the Most Holy Place. It was a special wooden chest completely covered with gold. Inside the chest were a gold jar containing manna and Aaron’s staff, which had once blossomed. The chest also contained two stone tablets. In other words, these were two stone slabs on which God wrote the Ten Commandments when He made His covenant with the Israelites. |
| 5 Above the Ark of the Covenant were two gold cherubim. They were two heavenly beings who symbolized God’s presence and glory. Their outstretched wings covered the lid of the Ark, which was called the mercy seat. This was a special place, and once a year the high priest sprinkled the blood of sacrificial animals on this lid so that God would forgive the sins of all the people. But we will not go into all this in detail now. |
| 6 The Tabernacle was set up exactly this way. The priests regularly entered the first room, the Holy Place, to serve God as the Law of Moses required. |
| 7 Only the high priest could enter the second room, the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. It was the place where God revealed His presence in a special way. But before entering, the high priest offered a sacrifice to God for his own sins and then for the sins of the people that they had committed without realizing that they were doing wrong. Only then did the high priest enter the Most Holy Place with the blood of the animals sacrificed in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. |
| 8 Through this order of worship, the Holy Spirit showed that the way into God’s presence was not yet open to everyone, because at that time the first Covenant that God had made with the Israelites through Moses was still in effect. |
| 9 The whole setup of the Tabernacle showed that the gifts and sacrifices that people offered to God under the Law of Moses could not completely cleanse a person’s conscience. |
| 10 All these rules were about food, drink, different kinds of ritual washings, and other ceremonies that could only cleanse the body. God put all these requirements in place only until He introduced a new order of worship. |
| 11 When Christ came, God made a New Covenant through Him. That’s why Christ became the High Priest of this Covenant and brought us all the blessings that God had promised to give us. Christ entered a greater and more perfect Tabernacle in heaven that was made by God Himself, not by people. |
| 12 Christ entered this heavenly Tabernacle with His own blood, not with the blood of goats and calves. He did this once and obtained eternal redemption for us. So there is no longer any need to offer sacrifices for sins. |
| 13 According to the Law of Moses, priests performed different cleansing rituals for people who were considered ritually unclean. In some rituals, priests sprinkled people with the blood of goats and bulls, but in other rituals, they sprinkled them with water mixed with the ashes of a young red cow. After such rituals, a person was considered ritually clean again, and he could worship God. However, this kind of cleansing affected only the body and could not cleanse a person’s conscience. |
| 14 But the blood of Christ does much more than the blood of sacrificial animals. Christ was sinless. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He gave His life to God as a sacrifice for our sins. That’s why the blood of Christ cleanses our conscience from sins that lead to death, and now we can serve the living God. |
| 15 Jesus became the Mediator between God and people. Through Him, God made a New Covenant with people. Jesus died to pay for the sins of all people. He also redeemed from sin those Israelites who lived under the first Covenant that God had made with them through Moses. Because of Christ’s death, everyone who God calls to Himself will receive the eternal inheritance. In other words, they will receive everything God has promised to give His people. |
| 16 Think about how a will works. It only takes effect after the person who wrote it dies. |
| 17 As long as that person is alive, the will is not yet in effect. |
| 18 A will takes effect only after the person who made it dies. In the same way, God didn’t make the first Covenant with the Israelites through words alone. First, the people sacrificed goats and bulls to God so that their blood would serve as a sign that this Covenant was now in effect. |
| 19 Moses read to the people all the commandments that God had written in His Law. The people promised, “We will obey everything the Lord has said.” Then Moses mixed the blood of these sacrificial animals with water. After that he tied sheep’s wool that had been dyed bright red to hyssop branches, dipped the bundle into the blood, and sprinkled the Book of the Law and all God’s people with it. |
| 20 Then Moses said, “This blood confirms that God has made a Covenant with you. Now you must obey everything that He wrote in His Law.” |
| 21 After that Moses also sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial animals on the Tabernacle and all the items that the priests used when they served God. |
| 22 According to the Law of Moses, priests used the blood of sacrificial animals to cleanse almost everything they used to worship God. God established the same requirement for the forgiveness of sins. He forgave people’s sins only after they sacrificed an animal to Him and shed its blood for their sins. |
| 23 The earthly Tabernacle was only a copy of the true heavenly tabernacle. That’s why according to the Law of Moses, the priests had to cleanse the Tabernacle and everything they used to serve God with the blood of sacrificial animals. But animal blood could not open the way for people to enter God’s presence. So Christ sacrificed Himself. His sacrifice is far greater than any animal sacrifice. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, God opened the way for people to enter the real Tabernacle in heaven, so that we could enter His presence. |
| 24 Christ did not enter the earthly Tabernacle built by people, which was only a copy of the true heavenly tabernacle. He entered heaven itself, where He now represents us before God as our High Priest. |
| 25 According to the Law of Moses, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. Each time, he went in with the blood of sacrificial animals to offer a sacrifice for the people’s sins. But Christ did not enter heaven to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins again and again. |
| 26 If Christ had to offer Himself as a sacrifice in the same way the high priest offered a sacrifice for the people’s sins every year, then Christ would have had to suffer again and again throughout human history. But Christ came into this world at the end of time to destroy sin once and for all through His sacrifice. |
| 27 One day we will all die, and after that God will judge each of us. |
| 28 When Christ came to earth the first time, He offered Himself as a sacrifice and took the sins of many people upon Himself. But when He comes a second time, He will not come to die again for people’s sins, but to save those who are waiting for His return with hope. |
Chapter 10 |
| 1 The Law of Moses only pointed people to the future blessings that God was going to give them through Christ. That’s why the sacrifices that people offered year after year to come closer to God could not cleanse them from sin forever. All those sacrifices pointed ahead to the sacrifice that Christ would later make. |
| 2 If animal sacrifices could completely cleanse people from sin, there would be no need to offer them again and again. One sacrifice would be enough, and people would no longer feel guilty about their sins. |
| 3 But these sacrifices reminded people of their sins every year. |
| 4 After all, the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away our sins. |
| 5 So when Christ came into this world, He said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or other offerings and gifts that people brought to You under the Law of Moses. Instead, You prepared a human body for Me so that I Myself could become a sacrifice for people’s sins.” |
| 6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings. These were animal sacrifices that were completely burned on the altar as a sign of complete dedication to You. You were also not pleased with the sacrifices that people offered to You for their sins. |
| 7 Then I said, “God, here I am. I have come to do Your will, as it is written about Me in the Scriptures” (Psalm 40:6–8). |
| 8 First, Christ said, “God, You did not want animal sacrifices, other offerings or gifts. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or sacrifices for sins.” Yet people offered all these things according to the Law of Moses. |
| 9 Then Christ added, “God, here I am. I have come to do Your will.” In this way, God abolished all the previous animal sacrifices required by the Law of Moses and replaced them with the single sacrifice of Christ. |
| 10 Because Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s will and offered His body once as a sacrifice, God has cleansed us from sin forever and made us holy forever. |
| 11 According to the Law of Moses, the priests served God day after day and offered the same animal sacrifices. But these sacrifices could never completely cleanse people from their sins. |
| 12 But Christ offered Himself once as a sacrifice for our sins. That is why there is no need for any more sacrifices for sin. After that, Christ went up to heaven and sat down in the place of highest honor at the right hand of God. |
| 13 Since then, Christ has been waiting for God to finally defeat all His enemies and bring them completely under His authority. |
| 14 The animal sacrifices offered under the Law of Moses could not completely cleanse people from sin and restore their relationship with God. But Christ, through His one sacrifice, did everything necessary once and for all so that people could be fully reconciled to God. Now God continues to make holy and transform those who belong to Him, but there is no need to offer any more sacrifices for sin. |
| 15 The Holy Spirit also confirms that this is true. The Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah: |
| 16 “This is the New Covenant that I will make with My people in the future. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on each person’s heart. |
| 17 I will forgive all their sins and everything they have done against My will. And I will never remember these things again” (Jeremiah 31:31–34). |
| 18 If God has already forgiven people all their sins, there is no longer any need for a sacrifice for sin. |
| 19 So, brothers, because of the blood of Jesus, we can enter the heavenly sanctuary with confidence. This is the holiest place in the heavenly Tabernacle, where God reveals His presence in a special way. |
| 20 Now we no longer need to offer animal sacrifices, because Christ Himself gave His body for us. He opened a new way to God for us, and this way leads to life. Now the curtain that once separated people from God no longer blocks the way to Him. |
| 21 Jesus is our great High Priest, who represents all God’s people before God. |
| 22 So let us come to God with sincere hearts and complete faith in Him. The blood of Christ has cleansed our hearts and conscience from all evil and sin. Now we are clean before God, as if we had been completely washed with pure water. |
| 23 Hold firmly to what you believe. Never lose hope or doubt that God will fulfill everything He has promised, because He is always faithful to His Word. |
| 24 Pay attention to one another. Live in a way that inspires others to love people and do good. |
| 25 Do not miss the meetings of believers, as some people have made a habit of doing. Instead, gather together to support and encourage one another. This is especially important now, because you know that the Day when the Lord comes is drawing near. |
| 26 God forgives sins only through Christ’s sacrifice. If a person has learned the truth about Christ, but then deliberately turns away from Him and continues to live in sin, that person rejects not only Christ but also His sacrifice. But there is no other sacrifice through which a person can receive forgiveness. |
| 27 So the one who rejects Christ’s sacrifice will face God’s terrifying judgment and a raging fire that will destroy everyone who opposes God. |
| 28 If a person refused to obey the Law of Moses, and two or three witnesses confirmed it, that person was sentenced to death without mercy. |
| 29 Think how much more severe the punishment will be for the one who rejects the Son of God and, by doing so, he shows contempt for Him and His sacrifice. Such a person does not value the holy blood of Christ, by which the New Covenant was established and by which God cleansed him from sin. He also insults the Holy Spirit, through whom God showed him His grace, kindness, and mercy. |
| 30 We know that the Lord said, “I Myself will justly punish each person for the evil that he has done. Everyone will receive what he deserves.” Scripture also says, “The Lord will judge His people” (Deuteronomy 32:35–36). |
| 31 How terrifying it will be to stand before the living God when He judges each person for his actions! |
| 32 Remember the time when you first learned the truth about Christ and believed in Him. Back then you went through a lot of suffering for your faith, but you stood firm during all those trials and did not reject Christ. |
| 33 Sometimes you were publicly insulted and persecuted for your faith. And when other believers were treated the same way, you did not turn away from them but supported them. |
| 34 You showed compassion and helped those who were put in prison for their faith in Christ. Even when your possessions were taken away, you did not lose your joy, because you knew that God had prepared a far greater and everlasting treasure for you in heaven that no one could ever take away from you. |
| 35 So hold firmly to what you believe, because God has prepared a great reward for you because of your faithfulness. |
| 36 Right now you especially need endurance so that you can do God’s will and receive everything God has promised to give you. |
| 37 God said in Scripture, “Only a little time will pass. Then the One who is to come will surely come at the appointed time. |
| 38 The righteous person will live by faith. But if he turns away from Me and abandons his faith, he will lose My favor” (Habakkuk 2:3–4). |
| 39 But we are not among those who reject Christ and are heading for destruction. We are among those who believe and receive salvation for our souls. |
Chapter 11 |
| 1 Faith is firm confidence that God will do everything He has promised, even though we are still waiting for His promises to be fulfilled. Through faith, what God says becomes real to us even before we see it with our own eyes. That is why our faith determines the way we live and act. |
| 2 Scripture tells us about people who lived long before us. Their entire lives showed what it truly means to trust God. |
| 3 We also trust God, and therefore we know that He created the entire world by His Word. In other words, we believe that everything we see came from what cannot be seen. |
| 4 Abel had faith in God, so he offered God a better sacrifice than his brother Cain did. God saw Abel’s faith and accepted his offering. In this way, God showed that Abel was a righteous man. In other words, he lived the way God wanted him to live. Although Abel died long ago, his faith still serves as an example for us. |
| 5 Enoch also had faith in God and was very close to Him. He never experienced death the way other people do because one day God took him to be with Him while he was still alive. After that, no one ever saw Enoch again. But while Enoch was on earth, he lived by faith, and in this way he pleased God. |
| 6 It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that God exists. He must also believe that God answers prayers and rewards the one who sincerely seeks Him. |
| 7 Noah also had faith in God. When God warned him about the flood, Noah responded to this revelation with great awe, even though at that time no one could imagine that it would happen. Noah believed God and started building the ark to save his family from the flood. The ark was like a huge three-story ship. By his faith, Noah condemned the entire world that did not believe in God. And because of Noah’s faith, God recognized him as a righteous man. |
| 8 Abraham also had faith in God. One day God called him and told him to leave his home and go to the land that He had promised to give him and his descendants as an inheritance. Abraham obeyed God and began his journey, even though at that time he did not know exactly where God was leading him. |
| 9 In time, Abraham came to the very land God had told him about and settled there in tents. But at that time, the land did not yet belong to him. However, he believed that God would fulfill His promise. Later, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob also lived in tents in that same land. God gave them the same promise that He had given Abraham. They also believed that this land would belong to them. |
| 10 Abraham lived in tents and looked forward to the day when he would live in the heavenly city that would stand on an eternal foundation. God Himself designed and built this city. |
| 11 Abraham’s wife Sarah also had faith in God. When she was almost ninety years old, God promised that she would have a son in a year. Although at her age she was no longer able to have children, she believed God. She knew that God is faithful to His Word, and He always fulfills everything He promises. That is why God gave her the strength to conceive, and she gave birth to Isaac. |
| 12 When Isaac was born, Abraham was already a hundred years old. He was so old that it was hard to imagine that so many descendants would come from him alone. But God fulfilled His promise. Just as it is impossible to count the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore, so it is impossible to count Abraham’s descendants. |
| 13 All these people remained faithful to God until the end of their lives. God fulfilled some of His promises while they were still alive. But none of them saw everything God had promised to do for His people, because many events would happen only after they died. However, they were confident that God would fulfill everything He had promised, and they looked forward to it with joy. They understood that their life on earth was temporary. So they did not consider this earth their true home. They said that God had prepared something greater for them. |
| 14 In this way, they showed that they were seeking another country that would become their true home. |
| 15 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not consider the country that Abraham had once left to be their true home either. Otherwise, they could have returned there. |
| 16 But they were seeking a better, heavenly country, where God has prepared His heavenly city for them. That is why God recognizes them as His people, and He is not ashamed that they call Him their God. |
| 17 God wanted to test Abraham’s faith, so He told him to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham trusted God so much that he was willing to obey Him. |
| 18 At the same time, Abraham remembered that God had promised to give him many descendants only through Isaac. |
| 19 Abraham believed that even if Isaac died, God could raise him from the dead and still fulfill His promise. When Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him, and Isaac remained alive. So for Abraham, it was as if his son had died and then come back to life. |
| 20 Isaac also believed that God would fulfill everything He had promised. So he blessed his sons Jacob and Esau. He told them what would happen to each of them and to their descendants in the future. |
| 21 Jacob also had faith in God. Before he died, he blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, who were Joseph’s sons. He was confident that God would fulfill His promises in the lives of their descendants as well. By that time, Jacob was already old and weak. So when he bowed down to worship God, he leaned on his staff. |
| 22 Joseph also had faith in God. Before he died, he said that God would lead the Israelites out of Egypt and bring them to the land that He had promised to give them. Joseph was confident that this would happen exactly as God had said. So he asked the Israelites to take his remains with them when they left Egypt. |
| 23 At that time, the Israelites lived in Egypt, but over time the Egyptians made them their slaves. The number of Israelites kept growing, and Pharaoh was afraid that they would become too numerous and powerful. That is why he ordered that all newborn Hebrew boys be killed. When Moses was born, his parents saw how beautiful their son was. They trusted God and were not afraid of Pharaoh’s order. So they hid their son from the Egyptians for three months. |
| 24 Then Moses’ mother put him in a basket and left him among the reeds on the bank of the Nile, where Pharaoh’s daughter found him. She raised Moses as her own son, and he grew up in the royal family in Pharaoh’s palace. But Moses knew that he belonged to God’s people, and he also had faith in God. So when he became an adult, he no longer wanted to be considered the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. |
| 25 Moses decided that it was better to suffer with God’s people than to turn away from God for the sake of wealth and pleasures that would one day come to an end. |
| 26 Through the people of Israel, God was going to fulfill His promise about Christ. So Moses believed that it was better to endure insults and humiliation with God’s people than to possess all the riches of Egypt. He knew that God had prepared a much more valuable reward for him. |
| 27 Moses had faith in God, so he was not afraid of Pharaoh’s anger and led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Moses did not see God with his own eyes, but he knew that God was with him, and He would help him. So Moses acted with great confidence and did what God had commanded him to do. |
| 28 On the night before the Israelites left Egypt, God warned Moses that all the firstborn in Egypt would die. But God promised to save the Israelites’ firstborn if each family sacrificed a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their house. Moses believed God and passed God’s words on to all the people of Israel. The Israelites did everything that God had told them to do, and that night they observed Passover for the first time. So the one who struck down the firstborn in Egypt passed over the Israelites’ homes, and all their firstborn remained alive. |
| 29 After the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh sent his army after them. When the Israelites reached the Red Sea, God parted the waters and opened a way for them. The Israelites trusted God and crossed to the other side on dry ground. Pharaoh’s army followed them, but the waters came back together, and the entire army drowned. |
| 30 Forty years later, the Israelites came to the land that God had promised to give them. The fortified city of Jericho stood in their way, surrounded by high walls. God told the Israelites to march around the city for seven days. They believed God and obeyed Him. On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times. Then the priests blew their trumpets, the people shouted loudly, and the walls of Jericho collapsed. |
| 31 Before the Israelites captured Jericho, they sent two spies there. A woman named Rahab lived in this city. She did not belong to the people of Israel, and she was a prostitute. But she had heard about what God had done for the Israelites and believed in Him. When the Israelite spies came to her house, she hid them from the men sent by the king of Jericho and helped the spies escape from the city. Later, the Israelites captured Jericho. Because of Rahab’s faith, she and her family survived, but the rest of the people in the city died. |
| 32 What else can I say? I don’t have enough time to tell you in detail about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the other prophets. |
| 33 Because of their faith, they conquered entire kingdoms. They trusted God, and that is why they did what He wanted them to do. They believed what God told them and received what He had promised to give them. Some of them were thrown to the lions. But even then, they continued to trust God, and God did not allow the lions to harm them. |
| 34 Some of them were thrown into the fire. But they believed that God could save them, so the fire had no power over them. Others faced death by the sword, but they trusted God and survived. When they were weak and helpless, they relied on God, and He gave them strength. Because of their faith, they won battles and forced enemy armies to flee. |
| 35 Among those who believed in God were women who saw God bring their dead loved ones back to life. But there were others who also believed in God, yet their faith did not save them from death. Instead, their faith gave them the strength to remain faithful to God even in the face of death. They were brutally tortured to make them deny God, but they chose to die. They believed that one day God would raise them from the dead and give them a better life. |
| 36 Other believers were mocked and whipped. They were chained and thrown into prison. |
| 37 Some of them were stoned to death, others were sawed in two, or killed with the sword. Others could not stay in one place for a long time because they were constantly persecuted. They did not even have the most basic things, so they wore clothing made from sheepskins and goatskins. But neither suffering nor cruel treatment made them give up their faith in God. |
| 38 People despised and persecuted the believers. That is why they hid in the wilderness and mountains. They also hid in caves and other places where no one could find them. But in reality, the whole world was not worthy of those who believed in God so faithfully. |
| 39 All these people remained faithful to God until the end of their lives. God fulfilled some of His promises while they were still alive. But none of them saw everything God had promised to do for His people, because many things would happen only after they died. |
| 40 From the very beginning, God wanted to save through Christ everyone who believes in Him. So Christ died not only for our sins but also for the sins of those who lived before He came. Because of Christ, believers from every generation will receive the very best that God has prepared for His people. |
Chapter 12 |
| 1 All these people showed us by their example what it means to believe in God. So now we must also throw off everything that hinders us from living by faith. We must also leave behind the sin that so easily entangles us and leads us away from God. Let’s keep moving forward with endurance and not give up until we have completed the entire path that God has prepared for us. |
| 2 But above all, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, who showed us the perfect example of faith. He is the One with whom our faith began. And He is the One who will help us keep this faith to the very end. Jesus knew the joy that awaited Him. So neither suffering nor the humiliating death on the cross could stop Him. Now Jesus is in heaven, where He sits on the throne in the place of highest honor at the right hand of God. |
| 3 Think about everything that Jesus went through and how cruelly He was treated by those who rejected Him. But despite all His suffering, He remained faithful to God. Remember this when you face difficulties. It will help you not give up or lose heart. |
| 4 You are fighting against sin. But you have not yet faced such severe trials that could cost you your life. |
| 5 You have forgotten the words of Scripture that are also addressed to you, because you are God's children: “My son, when the Lord teaches you and points out what you need to change, take it seriously. And do not be discouraged when He corrects you. |
| 6 The Lord disciplines the one He loves. He does not leave the one He considers His son without just punishment” (Proverbs 3:11-12). |
| 7 When God disciplines you, He treats you the way a father treats his children. Is there any father who never disciplines his son? |
| 8 God corrects all His children. But if He doesn't discipline you at all, it means that you are not His children. |
| 9 When we were young, our parents disciplined us, but we still respected and obeyed them. But God is our Heavenly Father. So how much more should we submit to Him and accept His guidance so that we can live forever? |
| 10 When we were children, our parents disciplined us in the way they thought was right, even though they did not always understand what was best for us. But God always knows exactly what will benefit us. That is why He corrects us so that we can live holy lives. |
| 11 No one is happy when God disciplines him, because it is unpleasant and can even be painful. But if a person accepts God’s correction and learns to do what is right, then it will produce good results over time. |
| 12 So regain your strength. Don't give up and keep moving forward. |
| 13 Even if you have grown weak and find it difficult to keep going, do not turn away from the right path and do what is right. Then you will recover your strength and be able to continue on your way. |
| 14 Do everything you can to live in peace with everyone and strive to act the way God wants you to act. Only the one who lives a holy life will be able to see the Lord. |
| 15 Make sure that none of you misses out on God’s grace. Do not let resentment or bitterness take root in your hearts. Otherwise, this bitter root will grow and harm not only you but many others as well. |
| 16 Do not live immoral lives or act like Esau, who did not value what God had given him. He was the eldest son, so he had the birthright and a special position in his family. But he gave up that right and sold it to his younger brother Jacob for some bread and a bowl of lentil stew. |
| 17 Later, Esau wanted to receive the blessing that should have belonged to him as the eldest son. But his father Isaac had already blessed Jacob, Esau’s younger brother. Then Esau begged his father with tears to bless him too. But Isaac could no longer take back the blessing he had given Jacob and give it to Esau. |
| 18 God has made a New Covenant with you. But this covenant is completely different from the one He made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, where He gave them His Law through Moses. At that time, God came down on Mount Sinai, and the mountain was blazing with fire. There was darkness and gloom all around, and a terrifying storm was raging. |
| 19 Then the Israelites heard the very loud sound of a trumpet, and God spoke to the people. But they were all terrified. The people were afraid that they would die if they heard God’s voice again. So they asked that God speak only to Moses. And Moses passed on to them everything God said. |
| 20 The Israelites were also terrified by how strict God’s command was. Before God came down on Mount Sinai, He ordered a boundary to be set around the mountain. God forbade people to cross this boundary or go up the mountain. If anyone broke this command, he would be stoned to death or killed with an arrow. Even if an animal accidentally crossed the boundary, it would also be stoned to death. |
| 21 Everything that happened at Mount Sinai was so terrifying that even Moses said in terror, “I am trembling with fear!” |
| 22 But now, because of Jesus, you can come near to God. You have come not to the earthly Mount Sinai, but to the heavenly Mount Zion. In other words, you have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. Countless angels have gathered there, and they rejoice and praise God. |
| 23 All God’s children whose names are written in heaven have also gathered in this heavenly city. They are all God’s firstborn children, who have an inheritance in God’s Kingdom. You have come to God Himself, Who will judge every person. The souls of righteous people who have already completed their earthly journey are also in this city. And because of Christ, they have been made perfect. |
| 24 You have come to Jesus, Who became the Mediator between God and people. Through Him, God made a New Covenant with people. Jesus shed His blood so that we could be reconciled to God. Jesus’ blood speaks of God’s forgiveness. But the blood of Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain, cried out to God about the crime that had been committed and demanded punishment. |
| 25 So listen carefully to what God is saying to you, and do not reject Him. When God made the first Covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, He gave them His Law through Moses. Those who later refused to obey God and follow His commands could not escape punishment. Now God has made a New Covenant with us, and He speaks to us from heaven through Christ. If those Israelites could not escape punishment, then we certainly will not escape punishment if we turn away from God. |
| 26 When God spoke to His people at Mount Sinai, the earth shook at the sound of His voice. But later God promised through His prophet, “Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens” (Haggai 2:6). |
| 27 What do these words mean? God created this world, but one day He will bring to an end everything that is temporary. Then only what cannot be destroyed and will last forever will remain. |
| 28 So be thankful to God that He has given us His eternal Kingdom that cannot be destroyed. Live the way God wants you to live, and serve Him with reverence and awe. |
| 29 Remember that our God is holy and just. He is like a fire that no evil or sin can withstand. |
Chapter 13 |
| 1 Love one another as brothers. |
| 2 Be hospitable and do not refuse to let people who need help stay with you. Some people welcomed strangers into their homes without knowing that they were angels sent by God. |
| 3 Do not forget to help those who have been persecuted for their faith in Christ and are now in prison. Care for such believers as if you were in prison yourselves. Support those who are being persecuted and tormented as well. Remember that the same kind of suffering could also happen to you. |
| 4 Cherish your relationship with your husband or wife and stay faithful to each other. Remember that God will judge everyone who has sexual relations outside of marriage and is unfaithful to his wife or husband. |
| 5 Do not put money first or rely on it. Instead, trust God and appreciate what you already have, because God said, “I will never leave you and will always be with you.” |
| 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord will always help me. I will not live in fear of what other people may do to me” (Psalm 118:6). |
| 7 Remember those who once preached to you and taught you the Word of God. You know that they remained faithful to God until the end of their lives. So follow their example and live by faith, just as they did. |
| 8 People change. But Jesus Christ, Whom we believe in, never changes. Yesterday, today, and forever He remains the same. |
| 9 Do not be carried away by different teachings that can lead you away from the truth about Christ. Rely on God’s grace with all your heart, because it is God’s grace that strengthens your faith. Do not think that you will become closer to God by following the rules of the Law of Moses about what food you may or may not eat. These rules did not benefit those who followed them. |
| 10 According to the Law of Moses, the Israelites offered animals as sacrifices to God for their sins. But now we have a perfect sacrifice, because Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Those who serve God under the Law of Moses and believe that animal sacrifices cleanse them from sin cannot receive the blessings that God gives us through Christ’s sacrifice. |
| 11 Once a year, the priests slaughtered animals in the courtyard of the Tabernacle and offered them as sacrifices for the sins of all the people. Then the high priest took their blood into the Most Holy Place so that God would forgive the people’s sins. After that, the bodies of those animals were taken outside the camp where the Israelites lived, and then their bodies were burned outside the camp. |
| 12 These animal sacrifices pointed to Christ, the Lamb of God, Who became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why Jesus suffered for us and died on the cross outside Jerusalem. He shed His blood to cleanse us from sin and make us God’s people. |
| 13 Let’s follow Christ, even if it means that we will be insulted and rejected, just as Christ was rejected. |
| 14 We live on earth temporarily, so this world cannot be our eternal home. We look forward to the heavenly city that God has prepared for us, where one day we will live with Him forever. |
| 15 We no longer offer animals to God as sacrifices for our sins. Now, because of Jesus, we offer God a different sacrifice — our praise. This means that we can continually praise God’s name and openly tell others about our faith in Jesus. |
| 16 But praise is not the only sacrifice that we can offer to God. Do good and share what you have with others. Do not forget to spend time together and support one another. These actions are also a sacrifice that pleases God. |
| 17 Recognize the spiritual authority of those who lead the church and follow what they teach you. God has entrusted them with helping you grow spiritually, and one day they will give an account to God for their ministry to you. So treat your ministers in a way that allows them to serve you with joy, not with a heavy heart. But if you do not listen to their guidance, you will miss out on the spiritual benefit that you could receive. |
| 18 Pray for us. We are confident that our conscience is clear before God because we always strive to do what is honest and right. |
| 19 I especially ask you to pray that I can see you again as soon as possible. |
| 20 God is the source of peace. He raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and Jesus became the great Shepherd of all God’s people. He cares for us like a shepherd cares for his sheep. Jesus shed His blood, and through His sacrifice, God made an eternal Covenant with us. |
| 21 May God give you everything you need to fulfill His will. May God work in your hearts through Jesus Christ and help you live the way He wants you to live. Jesus is worthy to be praised forever! Amen. |
| 22 Brothers, I ask you to take seriously everything I have written to you. I wanted to encourage you, and I tried to write as briefly as possible. |
| 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has already been released from prison, where he was held for telling others about Christ. If Timothy can come to me soon, we will go to you together. |
| 24 Greet all your ministers and all the other believers. The brothers and sisters from Italy also send their greetings to you. |
| 25 May God fill your hearts with His grace. Amen. |