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.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set 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 unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The Discipline 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 Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

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

You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving 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 you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

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

For whom the 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?

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

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 you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate 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?

Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily 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 for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers 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.

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

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

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble 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, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather 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 people, and holiness, without which no one will 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.

looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

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 there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food 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 you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. The Glorious Company

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 you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness 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 the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

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 could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.”

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

And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and 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 you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company 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.

to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men 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.

to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Hear the Heavenly Voice

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 you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks 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 more I shake not only the earth, but also 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.

Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be 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.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

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

For our God is a consuming fire.