Hebrews 1 - 5

1:1 At many times and in various ways in the past, God spoke to the fathers by the prophets. 2 In these present final days God has spoken us inside His Son, whom He appointed heir of all, and through whom He forms the ages. 3 This Son is the shining forth of glory and the character and exact reproduction of God’s substance, bringing forth, carrying, and sustaining all by His word of power. Having crafted by Himself the full cleansing away of all falling short, He sat down inside the right hand of exalted Majesty. 4 In so doing, He became so much better than the angels, since He has inherited a name superior to theirs.

5 Indeed, to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son; today I have conceived You?” (Psalm 2:7). And again, “I will be HIs Father and He will be My Son?” (2 Samuel 7:14) 6 Again, when God brings the firstborn into the inhabited realms of heaven/earth, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him” (Deuteronomy 32:43).

7 But towards the angels He says, “The One making His angels spirits or winds and His public servants a flame of fire” (Psalm 104:4). 8 Towards the Son, however, “Your throne, O God, penetrates into the season of the age, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved justice and hated lawlessness; through this, God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of ecstatic delight along with those who partake with You” (Psalm 45:6-7).

10 And You, Lord, according to the source, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. 11  They will perish {by the violent ending of the cross}; You, however, remain all the way through. Like a garment, all become obsolete, and like a covering, 12 You will roll them up, and they will be changed. You, however, are the same, and Your years will never cease (Psalm 102:25-27).

13 Moreover, to which of the angels did He ever say, “Sit out from My right hand, until I place Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet?” (Psalm 110:1). 14 Are they not all serving spirits, being sent forth into service through those about to inherit salvation?
 

2:1 For this reason, it is necessary and inevitable for us to devote ourselves excessively to what we have heard, lest it slip away. 2 For if the word having been spoken through angels was firm, and every stepping aside and hearing amiss received a just payment, 3 how will we escape having neglected a salvation such as this? – Which those who heard, having first received it spoken by the Lord, have made it firm into us, 4 God united in bearing witness together with them by signs and wonders and by various powers, and of Spirit Holy distributions, down to the finest details of His desire.

5 Indeed, it was not to angels that He subjected the imminent inhabited heaven-earth, concerning which we are speaking; moreover, 6 [David] has testified, saying, “What is man, that You presently hold him in mind or the son of man that You come to visit with him? 7 For a brief while, You made mankind as lower than angels; You crowned him with glory and honor and have appointed him in charge over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all in subjection under the feet of humans” (Psalm 8:4-6). For in already and always subjecting all to mankind, God left nothing not subject. Now, however, we do not yet see [by outward appearance] all having been subjected. 9 However, we see Jesus, for a brief while having been made as one lower than angels, through the suffering of death, having been crowned with glory and honor, so that by grace coming out from God, He might eat up death for the sake of all.

10 Indeed, it was fitting and suitable for God, through whom are all and by whom are all, having already brought many sons into glory, to complete the Archetype of their salvation through endured passions and sufferings. 11 For the One actively and presently making holy and those who are presently being made holy, both are all out from One; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12 saying, “I will declare Your name to My brothers and sisters; inside the midst of the called out ones, that is, the Church, I will sing praises to You” (Psalm 22:22). 13 And again, “I will be persuaded and have confidence upon Him” (2 Samuel 22:3) And again, “Here am I, I and the children whom God has given Me” (Isaiah 8:18).

14 Therefore, since the children have shared blood and flesh, He also in the same way actively partook of the same, so that through death, He might destroy the one holding the power of death, that is, the devil and accuser 15 and might release those who through fear of death were of slavery all their lives. 16 For indeed, He never took hold in any place of [the form of] angels, but He took hold of [the form of] the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He ought to be made just exactly like His brothers and sisters in every possible way, that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest connecting us continuously with God, into making reconciliation and reconnection [the Mercy Seat] for the people who were falling short and disconnecting from God. 18 For since He himself has suffered, having been tested [by evil], He is able to rescue actively and completely those who are being tested.

 
3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider carefully the Apostle and High Priest of our same speaking, Jesus, 2 who is presently being faithful to the One having caused Him, as also Moses was faithful inside his entire house. 3 For He has been accounted worthy of more excellent and plenteous glory than Moses, just as the one who builds a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 Indeed, every house is built by someone, but the One who built all is God. 5 And Moses was truly faithful inside his entire house as an attendant, into a testimony of what will be continuously spoken. 6 Christ, however, as Son over His house, whose house we are, IF INDEED, our confidence, our bold and public speaking {of Christ our life} and the exultant boasting of our hope {that we are just like Jesus – 1 John 3:1-3), we should hold upon firm unto all completion.

7 Therefore, just as the holy Spirit says (Psalm 95:7-11), “Today, if you should hear and comprehend His voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the provoking, in the day of testing and despair in the wilderness, 10 where your forefathers tested Me by trying to examine Me, even though they saw My works. For forty years, then, I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always wander and go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My angry opposition, “If they will enter into My rest!’”  {The word “NOT” is not found in this statement, neither here nor in Psalm 95.}

12 Look carefully, brothers and sisters, lest there would ever be inside any of you an evil heart of unbelief into withdrawing from the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day, while it is called, “Today,” so that not one of you might be hardened by the false impression of falling short. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ IF INDEED the source of our substance and assurance {meaning, in opposition to any present outward appearance} we should hold firm until all completion. {Notice the writer placing us in jeopardy IF we do not hold firm in assurance.} 15 As it is said, “Today, If you should hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provoking.

16 Who were those who provoked God even though they heard? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt with Moses? 17 With whom, then, was He angry forty years? Was it not those having sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 To whom, then, did He swear that they would not enter into His rest? Was it not those who refused to be persuaded? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter in through unbelief, that is through the absence of faith.


4:1 We should fear, therefore, regarding being left behind of the promise to fully enter into His rest, lest any of you should imagine you have been left out [that is, have not entered]. 2 And indeed, we have had the gospel preached to us just as they did; but the word that they heard did not benefit them, [that word] not having been mixed together in full union {as the fusing of sperm and egg, that is, word and faith} with the faith of those who heard. 3 For we who believe and are persuaded do enter into that rest; as He has said, “So I swore in My angry opposition, ‘IF they will enter into My rest.’” And yet His works have come into being from the conception of the cosmos. 4 Indeed, He has spoken (Genesis 2:2) about the seventh day in this way, “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.” 5 And this again, “If they will enter into My rest.”

6 Since, then, it is reserved for some to enter into that rest, and those who first received the gospel did not enter in because they refused to hear, 7 for that reason, He appoints a certain day, as David said, “Today.” It was a long time after, then, that David said, “Today, if you should hear and comprehend His voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then [God through David] would not have spoken about another day, [as He said] “After this day.” 9 So then there is left a sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has already entered into His rest, he also has rested from his works, just as God did from His own.

11 We should be eager, therefore, to enter into that rest, so that no one should fall in the same pattern of refusing to hear. 12 For the Word of God is living and energeoing and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating through as far as the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is capable of judging the pondering and purposes of the heart. {This is NOT a negative, but the positive writing of Christ all through our beings and upon our hearts, a living and energeoing Word.} 13 And there is no created thing unseen in His presence, for all are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom is our word of account [our story of self] in return.

14 Having, therefore, a great High Priest who has already passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, we should actively prevail in speaking the same word {that is Jesus}. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to share the same passion with our weaknesses, because He was tempted, according to all in exactly the same way as we are, yet without ever falling short or disconnecting from God. 16 For that reason, we should come with bold speaking to the throne of grace and favor, that we might receive mercy, and might find the timely assistance of grace.

 
5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for the sake of humans towards God, that is, as the active connection with God, that he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, that is, for disconnection from God; 2 being able to bear gently with and have compassion upon those who are ignorant and wandering away, since he himself is also enclothed with weakness. 3 Through [that weakness], he is obligated to offer sacrifices around sins, even as around the people, so also around himself. 4 And no one takes this honor upon himself, but rather is called by God, just as also Aaron was called.

5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but the One said concerning Him, “You are My Son, Today, I have conceived you” (Psalm 2:7). 6 Even as also in another place He says, “You are a priest into the age, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4).

7 This One [Jesus], in the days of His flesh, offered, with loud crying and tears, both heart-felt prayers and an olive branch of peace towards the One able to save Him continuously out from death and was always heard because of His careful reverence, 8 though being a Son, He learned submission to what was spoken by [giving thanks in] all the circumstances, good or bad, acting upon Him. 9 And having been brought to full completion and perfection, He became the causation of and responsibility for age-unfolding salvation to all who are hearing Him, 10 having been called High Priest by God, according to the order of Melchizedek. 11 Concerning whom there are many words for us to speak, but difficult to explain since you have become dull in hearing.

12 Indeed, you ought to be teachers by this time, yet you need someone to teach you the first elements of the speaking of God for you have become as those needing of milk, and not of solid food. 13 For everyone partaking only of milk is unskilled in the word of just approval and is an infant. 14 Solid food, however, is for those who are complete [in the knowledge of Christ], who by practice are exercising their perceptive faculties towards distinguishing good and also evil.