1 A ll these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us.

Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us,

2 L et us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.

looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured cross, having despised shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 S inful men spoke words of hate against Christ. He was willing to take such shame from sinners. Think of this so you will not get tired and give up.

For consider well him who endured so great contradiction from sinners against himself, that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds.

4 I n your fight against sin, you have not yet had to stand against sin with your blood.

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, wrestling against sin.

5 D o you remember what God said to you when He called you His sons? “My son, listen when the Lord punishes you. Do not give up when He tells you what you must do.

And ye have quite forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, despise not chastening of Lord, nor faint reproved by him;

6 T he Lord punishes everyone He loves. He whips every son He receives.”

for whom Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.

7 D o not give up when you are punished by God. Be willing to take it, knowing that God is teaching you as a son. Is there a father who does not punish his son sometimes?

Ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself towards you as towards sons; for who is the son that the father chastens not?

8 I f you are not punished as all sons are, it means that you are not a true son of God. You are not a part of His family and He is not your Father.

But if ye are without chastening, of which all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 R emember that our fathers on earth punished us. We had respect for them. How much more should we obey our Father in heaven and live?

Moreover we have had the fathers of our flesh as chasteners, and we reverenced; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?

10 F or a little while our fathers on earth punished us when they thought they should. But God punishes us for our good so we will be holy as He is holy.

For they indeed chastened for a few days, as seemed good to them; but he for profit, in order to the partaking of his holiness.

11 T here is no joy while we are being punished. It is hard to take, but later we can see that good came from it. And it gives us the peace of being right with God.

But no chastening at the time seems to be of joy, but of grief; but afterwards yields peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it.

12 S o lift up your hands that have been weak. Stand up on your weak legs.

Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the failing knees;

13 W alk straight ahead so the weak leg will not be turned aside, but will be healed.

and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned aside; but that rather it may be healed.

14 B e at peace with all men. Live a holy life. No one will see the Lord without having that kind of life.

Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord:

15 S ee that no one misses God’s loving-favor. Do not let wrong thoughts about others get started among you. If you do, many people will be turned to a life of sin.

watching lest any one who lacks the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble, and many be defiled by it;

16 N one of you should fall into sex sins or forget God like Esau did. He had a right to get all Isaac had because he was the oldest son. But for one plate of food he sold this right to his brother.

lest any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright;

17 Y ou know that later he would have received everything. But he did not get it even when he asked for it with tears. It was too late to make right the wrong he had done.

for ye know that also afterwards, desiring to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, (for he found no place for repentance) although he sought it earnestly with tears.

18 F or you have not come close to a mountain that you can touch. You have not come to worship where there is burning fire and darkness and storm and wind.

For ye have not come to that might be touched and was all on fire, and to obscurity, and darkness, and tempest,

19 T he sound of a horn was heard and God’s voice spoke. The people cried out to Moses to have God stop speaking to them.

and trumpet's sound, and voice of words; which they that heard, excusing themselves, declined word being addressed to them any more:

20 T hey could not stand to listen to His strong words, “Even if an animal comes to the mountain, it must be killed.”

(for they were not able to bear what was enjoined: And if a beast should touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;

21 W hat Moses saw was so hard to look at that he said, “I am full of fear and am shaking.”

and, so fearful was the sight, Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and full of trembling;)

22 B ut instead, you have come to the mountain of Jerusalem. It is the city of the living God. It is the Jerusalem of heaven with its thousands of angels.

but ye have come to mount Zion; and to city of living God, heavenly Jerusalem; and to myriads of angels,

23 Y ou have gathered there with God’s children who were born long ago. They are citizens of heaven. God is there. He will judge all men. The spirits of all those right with God are there. They have been made perfect.

the universal gathering; and to assembly of the firstborn registered in heaven; and to God, judge of all; and to spirits of just made perfect;

24 J esus is there. He has made a way for man to go to God. He gave His blood that men might worship God the New Way. The blood of Jesus tells of better things than that which Abel used.

and to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant; and to blood of sprinkling, speaking better than Abel.

25 B e sure you listen to the One Who is speaking to you. The Jews did not obey when God’s Law was given to them on earth. They did not go free. They were punished. We will be punished more if we do not listen to God as He speaks from heaven.

See that ye refuse not him that speaks. For if those did not escape who had refused him who uttered the oracles on earth, much more we who turn away from him from heaven:

26 O n Mount Sinai, God’s voice shook the earth. But now He has promised, saying, “Once more I will shake the earth and the heavens.”

whose voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, saying, Yet once will I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.

27 W hen God says, “Once more,” He means He will take away everything of this world that can be shaken so the things that cannot be shaken will be left.

But this Yet once, signifies the removing of what is shaken, as being made, that what is not shaken may remain.

28 S ince we have received a holy nation that cannot be moved, let us be thankful. Let us please God and worship Him with honor and fear.

Wherefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to be shaken, have grace, by which let us serve God acceptably with reverence and fear.

29 F or our God is a fire that destroys everything.

For also our God a consuming fire.