New Testament Plan

¹For since the Law has only a shadow [just a pale representation] of the good things to come—not the very image of those things—it can never, by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year, make perfect those who approach [its altars].

²For if it were otherwise, would not these sacrifices have stopped being offered? For the worshipers, having once [for all time] been cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sin.

³But [as it is] these [continual] sacrifices bring a fresh reminder of sins [to be atoned for] year after year,

⁴for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Therefore, when Christ enters into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But [instead] You have prepared a body for Me [to offer];

⁶In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no delight.

⁷"Then I said, 'Behold, I have come To do Your will, O GOD— [To fulfill] what is written of Me in the scroll of the book.'"

⁸After saying [in the citation] above, "You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin" (which are offered according to the Law)

⁹then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." [And so] He does away with the first [covenant as a means of atoning for sin based on animal sacrifices] so that He may inaugurate and establish the second [covenant by means of obedience].

¹⁰And in accordance with this will [of God] we [who believe in the message of salvation] have been sanctified [that is, set apart as holy for God and His purposes] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) once for all.

¹¹Every priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over, which are never able to strip away sins [that envelop and cover us];

¹²whereas Christ, having offered the one sacrifice [the all-sufficient sacrifice of Himself] for sins for all time, sat down [signifying the completion of atonement for sin] at the right hand of God [the position of honor],

¹³waiting from that time onward until his enemies are made a footstool for His feet.

¹⁴For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].

¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also adds His testimony to us [in confirmation of this]; for after having said,

¹⁶"This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will inscribe them [producing an inward change]," He then says,

¹⁷"And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them]."

¹⁸Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering [to be made to atone] for sin.

¹⁹Therefore, believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus,

²⁰by this new and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, through His flesh,

²¹and since we have a great and wonderful Priest [Who rules] over the house of God,

²²let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word];

²⁴and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds,

²⁵not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ's return] approaching.

²⁶For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate],

²⁷but a kind of awful and terrifying expectation of [divine] judgment and the fury of a fire and burning wrath which will consume the adversaries [those who put themselves in opposition to God].

²⁸Anyone who has ignored and set aside the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

²⁹How much greater punishment do you think he will deserve who has rejected and trampled under foot the Son of God, and has considered unclean and common the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and has insulted the Spirit of grace [who imparts the unmerited favor and blessing of God]?

³⁰For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the deliverance of justice rest with Me], I will repay [the wrongdoer]." And again, "The Lord will judge His people."

³¹It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath].

³²But remember the earlier days, when, after being [spiritually] enlightened, you [patiently] endured a great conflict of sufferings,

³³sometimes by being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated.

³⁴For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven].

³⁵Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.

³⁶For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.

³⁷For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

³⁸But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man's relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him.

³⁹But our way is not that of those who shrink back to destruction, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.

¹Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

²For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.

³By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

⁴By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which it was testified of him that he was righteous (upright, in right standing with God), and God testified by accepting his gifts. And though he died, yet through [this act of] faith he still speaks.

⁵By faith [that pleased God] Enoch was caught up and taken to heaven so that he would not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found because God had taken him; for even before he was taken [to heaven], he received the testimony [still on record] that he had walked with God and pleased Him.

⁶But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

⁷By faith [with confidence in God and His word] Noah, being warned by God about events not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his family. By this [act of obedience] he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.

⁸By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went, not knowing where he was going.

⁹By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land, as in a strange land, living in tents [as nomads] with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise.

¹⁰For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has foundations, [an eternal, heavenly city] whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹By faith even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive [a child], even [when she was long] past the normal age for it, because she considered Him who had given her the promise to be reliable and true [to His word].

¹²So from one man, though he was [physically] as good as dead, were born as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand on the seashore.

¹³All these died in faith [guided and sustained by it], without receiving the [tangible fulfillment of God's] promises, only having seen (anticipated) them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

¹⁴Now those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own.

¹⁵And if they had been thinking of that country from which they departed [as their true home], they would have had [a continuing] opportunity to return.

¹⁶But the truth is that they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. For that reason God is not ashamed [of them or] to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob]; for He has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tested [that is, as the testing of his faith was still in progress], offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises [of God] was ready to sacrifice his only son [of promise];

¹⁸to whom it was said, "Through Isaac your descendants shall be called."

¹⁹For he considered [it reasonable to believe] that God was able to raise Isaac even from among the dead. [Indeed, in the sense that he was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God] Abraham did receive him back [from the dead] figuratively speaking.

²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau [believing what God revealed to him], even regarding things to come.

²¹By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and bowed in worship, leaning on the top of his staff.

²²By faith Joseph, when he was dying, referred to [the promise of God for] the exodus of the sons of Israel [from Egypt], and gave instructions concerning [the burial of] his bones [in the land of the promise].

²³By faith Moses, after his birth, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful and divinely favored child; and they were not afraid of the king's (Pharaoh's) decree.

²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,

²⁵because he preferred to endure the hardship of the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

²⁶He considered the reproach of the Christ [that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God] to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt; for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God].

²⁷By faith he left Egypt, being unafraid of the wrath of the king; for he endured [steadfastly], as seeing Him who is unseen.

²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood [on the doorposts], so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them (the firstborn of Israel).

²⁹By faith the people [of Israel] crossed the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; but when the Egyptians attempted it they were drowned.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days [by Joshua and the sons of Israel].

³¹By faith Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with those who were disobedient, because she had welcomed the spies [sent by the sons of Israel] in peace.

³²And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

³³who by faith [that is, with an enduring trust in God and His promises] subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions,

³⁴extinguished the power of [raging] fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty and unbeatable in battle, putting enemy forces to flight.

³⁵Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured [to death], refusing to accept release [offered on the condition of denying their faith], so that they would be resurrected to a better life;

³⁶and others experienced the trial of mocking and scourging [amid torture], and even chains and imprisonment.

³⁷They were stoned [to death], they were sawn in two, they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith], they were put to death by the sword; they went about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated

³⁸(people of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and [living in] caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹And all of these, though they gained [divine] approval through their faith, did not receive [the fulfillment of] what was promised,

⁴⁰because God had us in mind and had something better for us, so that they [these men and women of authentic faith] would not be made perfect [that is, completed in Him] apart from us.

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God's absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,

²[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].

³Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

⁴You have not yet struggled to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

⁵and you have forgotten the divine word of encouragement which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord, And do not lose heart and give up when you are corrected by Him;

⁶For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves, And He punishes every son whom He receives and welcomes [to His heart]."

⁷You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

⁸Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all [of God's children] share, then you are illegitimate children and not sons [at all].

⁹Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]?

¹⁰For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

¹¹For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God's will and purpose].

¹²So then, strengthen hands that are weak and knees that tremble.

¹³Cut through and make smooth, straight paths for your feet [that are safe and go in the right direction], so that the leg which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather may be healed.

¹⁴Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.

¹⁵See to it that no one falls short of God's grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

¹⁶and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

¹⁷For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears.

¹⁸For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging windstorm,

¹⁹and to the blast of a trumpet and a sound of words [such that] those who heard it begged that nothing more be said to them.

²⁰For they could not bear the command, "If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it will be stoned [to death]."

²¹In fact, so terrifying was the sight, that Moses said, "I am filled with fear and trembling."

²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels [in festive gathering],

²³and to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to God, who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect [bringing them to their final glory],

²⁴and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant [uniting God and man], and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].

²⁵See to it that you do not refuse [to listen to] Him who is speaking [to you now]. For if those [sons of Israel] did not escape when they refused [to listen to] him who warned them on earth [revealing God's will], how much less will we escape if we turn our backs on Him who warns from heaven?

²⁶His voice shook the earth [at Mount Sinai] then, but now He has given a promise, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the [starry] heaven."

²⁷Now this [expression], "Yet once more," indicates the removal and final transformation of all those things which can be shaken—that is, of that which has been created—so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe;

²⁹for our God is [indeed] a consuming fire.