1 T herefore 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,

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

2 l ooking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Looking away to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith and is also its Finisher. He, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 F or consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.

Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

4 Y ou have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin;

You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your blood.

5 a nd you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him;

And have you forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him;

6 F or whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.”

For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.

7 I t is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?

You must submit to and endure for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not train and correct and discipline?

8 B ut if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children.

Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons.

9 F urthermore, 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?

Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded and respected. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so live?

10 F or 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.

For disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

11 A ll 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 exercised thereby.

For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 T herefore lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees,

So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees,

13 a nd make straight paths for your feet, so that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet, so that the lame and halting may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.

14 F ollow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,

Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

15 l ooking 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;

Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look, to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—

16 l est there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.

That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

17 F or 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.

For you understand that later on, when he wanted his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance, although he sought for it carefully with tears.

18 F or you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, storm,

For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm,

19 t he 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,

And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them.

20 f or they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”;

For they could not bear the command that was given: If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.

21 a nd so fearful was the appearance that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

In fact, so awful and terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear).

22 B ut you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels,

But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering,

23 t o the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect,

24 t o Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.

And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks, a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel.

25 S ee that you don’t 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,

So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them on earth, how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes from heaven?

26 w hose 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.”

Then His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the heavens.

27 T his 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.

Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all shaken—that is, of that which has been created—in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue.

28 T herefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,

Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;

29 f or our God is a consuming fire.

For our God a consuming fire.