Hebrews · Bible in Basic English
Hebrews 12 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us,
1 Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα,
2 Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.
2 ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινε σταυρόν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκάθικεν.
3 Give thought to him who has undergone so much of the hate of sinners against himself, so that you may not be tired and feeble of purpose.
3 ἀναλογίσασθε γὰρ τὸν τοιαύτην ὑπομεμενηκότα ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀντιλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ κάμητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἐκλυόμενοι.
4 Till now you have not given your blood in your fight against sin:
4 Οὔπω μέχρις αἵματος ἀντικατέστητε πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνταγωνιζόμενοι,
5 And you have not kept in mind the word which says to you as to sons, My son, do not make little of the Lord's punishment, and do not give up hope when you are judged by him;
5 καὶ ἐκλέλησθε τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἥτις ὑμῖν ὡς υἱοῖς διαλέγεται· υἱέ μου, μὴ ὀλιγώρει παιδείας Κυρίου, μηδὲ ἐκλύου ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐλεγχόμενος.
6 For the Lord sends punishment on his loved ones; everyone whom he takes as his son has experience of his rod.
6 ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται.
7 It is for your training that you undergo these things; God is acting to you as a father does to his sons; for what son does not have punishment from his father?
7 εἰ παιδείαν ὑπομένετε, ὡς υἱοῖς ὑμῖν προσφέρεται ὁ Θεός· τίς γάρ ἐστιν υἱὸς ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ;
8 But if you have not that punishment of which we all have our part, then you are not true sons, but children of shame.
8 εἰ δὲ χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας, ἧς μέτοχοι γεγόνασι πάντες, ἄρα νόθοι ἐστὲ καὶ οὐχ υἱοί.
9 And again, if the fathers of our flesh gave us punishment and had our respect, how much more will we be under the authority of the Father of spirits, and have life?
9 εἶτα τοὺς μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν πατέρας εἴχομεν παιδευτὰς καὶ ἐνετρεπόμεθα· οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑποταγησόμεθα τῷ πατρὶ τῶν πνευμάτων καὶ ζήσομεν;
10 For they truly gave us punishment for a short time, as it seemed good to them; but he does it for our profit, so that we may become holy as he is.
10 οἱ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐπαίδευον, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ συμφέρον, εἰς τὸ μεταλαβεῖν τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ.
11 At the time all punishment seems to be pain and not joy: but after, those who have been trained by it get from it the peace-giving fruit of righteousness.
11 πᾶσα δὲ παιδεία πρὸς μὲν τὸ παρὸν οὐ δοκεῖ χαρᾶς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ λύπης, ὕστερον δὲ καρπὸν εἰρηνικὸν τοῖς δι᾽ αὐτῆς γεγυμνασμένοις ἀποδίδωσι δικαιοσύνης.
12 For this cause let the hands which are hanging down be lifted up, and let the feeble knees be made strong,
12 Διὸ τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε,
13 And make straight roads for your feet, so that the feeble may not be turned out of the way, but may be made strong.
13 καὶ τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς ποιήσατε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ χωλὸν ἐκτραπῇ, ἰαθῇ δὲ μᾶλλον.
14 Let your desire be for peace with all men, and to be made holy, without which no man may see the Lord;
14 Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον,
15 Looking with care to see that no man among you in his behaviour comes short of the grace of God; for fear that some bitter root may come up to be a trouble to you, and that some of you may be made unclean by it;
15 ἐπισκοποῦντες μή τις ὑστερῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ, μή τις ῥίζα πικρίας ἄνω φύουσα ἐνοχλῇ καὶ διὰ ταύτης μιανθῶσι πολλοί,
16 And that there may not be any evil liver, or any man without respect for God, like Esau, who let his birthright go for a plate of food.
16 μή τις πόρνος ἢ βέβηλος ὡς Ἠσαῦ, ὃς ἀντὶ βρώσεως μιᾶς ἀπέδοτο τὰ πρωτοτόκια αὐτοῦ.
17 For you have knowledge that even long after, when he was desiring the blessing for his heritage, he was turned away, though he made his request frequently and with weeping; because the past might not be changed.
17 ἴστε γὰρ ὅτι καὶ μετέπειτα, θέλων κληρονομῆσαι τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἀπεδοκιμάσθη· μετανοίας γὰρ τόπον οὐχ εὗρε, καίπερ μετὰ δακρύων ἐκζητήσας αὐτήν.
18 You have not come to a mountain which may be touched, and is burning with fire, and to a black cloud, and a dark smoke, and a violent wind,
18 Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ψηλαφωμένῳ ὄρει καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ καὶ γνόφῳ καὶ σκότῳ καὶ θυέλλῃ
19 And to the sound of a horn, and the voice of words, the hearers of which made request that not a word more might be said to them:
19 καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ καὶ φωνῇ ῥημάτων, ἧς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρῃτήσαντο μὴ προστεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον·
20 For the order which said, If the mountain is touched even by a beast, the beast is to be stoned, seemed hard to them;
20 οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ τὸ διαστελλόμενον· κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ τοῦ ὄρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται·
21 And the vision was so overpowering that even Moses said, I am shaking and full of fear.
21 καί· οὕτω φοβερὸν ἦν τὸ φανταζόμενον! Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· ἔκφοβός εἰμι καὶ ἔντρομος·
22 But you have come to the mountain of Zion, to the place of the living God, to the Jerusalem which is in heaven, and to an army of angels which may not be numbered,
22 ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων,
23 To the great meeting and church of the first of those who are named in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of good men made complete,
23 πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπογεγραμμένων, καὶ κριτῇ Θεῷ πάντων, καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετελειωμένων,
24 And to Jesus by whom the new agreement has been made between God and man, and to the sign of the blood which says better things than Abel's blood.
24 καὶ διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ.
25 See that you give ear to his voice which comes to you. For if those whose ears were shut to the voice which came to them on earth did not go free from punishment, what chance have we of going free if we give no attention to him whose voice comes from heaven?
25 Βλέπετε μὴ παραιτήσησθε τὸν λαλοῦντα. εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἔφυγον τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς παραιτησάμενοι χρηματίζοντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς οἱ τὸν ἀπ᾽ οὐρανῶν ἀποστρεφόμενοι·
26 Whose voice was the cause of the shaking of the earth; but now he has made an oath, saying, There will be still one more shaking, not only of the earth, but of heaven.
26 οὗ ἡ φωνὴ τὴν γῆν ἐσάλευσε τότε, νῦν δὲ ἐπήγγελται λέγων· ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείω οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.
27 And the words, Still one more, make it clear that there will be a taking away of those things which are shaking, as of things which are made, so that there may be only those things of which no shaking is possible.
27 τὸ δὲ ἔτι ἅπαξ δηλοῖ τῶν σαλευομένων τὴν μετάθεσιν ὡς πεποιημένων, ἵνα μείνῃ τὰ μὴ σαλευόμενα.
28 If then, we have a kingdom which will never be moved, let us have grace, so that we may give God such worship as is pleasing to him with fear and respect:
28 Διὸ βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον παραλαμβάνοντες ἔχωμεν χάριν, δι᾽ ἧς λατρεύωμεν εὐαρέστως τῷ Θεῷ μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας·
29 For our God is an all-burning fire.
29 καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον.
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Timothy 4:7; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Philippians 2:16; Luke 21:34; Hebrews 10:35–39
- 2 Micah 7:7; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:23–24; Hebrews 1:3; Philippians 1:6
- 3 Galatians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 4:16; Revelation 2:3; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Hebrews 12:2
- 4 1 Corinthians 10:13; Revelation 2:13; Hebrews 10:32–34; Hebrews 12:2; Matthew 24:9
- 5 Proverbs 3:11–12; Job 5:17–18; Revelation 3:19; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Psalm 94:12
- 6 Revelation 3:19; Proverbs 3:12; Psalm 119:75; Proverbs 13:24; Psalm 94:12
- 7 Proverbs 19:18; Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 29:15; Proverbs 29:17
- 8 Hebrews 12:6; 1 Peter 5:9–10; Psalm 73:1; Psalm 73:14–15
- 9 Numbers 16:22; Numbers 27:16; Isaiah 42:5; John 3:6; Job 12:10
- 10 2 Peter 1:4; Leviticus 11:44–45; Titus 2:14; Ephesians 5:26–27; Ezekiel 36:25–27
- 11 Romans 5:3–5; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:5–6; 1 Peter 1:6; Hebrews 12:10
- 12 Isaiah 35:3; Hebrews 12:3; Job 4:3–4; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Ezekiel 21:7
- 13 Proverbs 4:26–27; Galatians 6:1; Isaiah 35:3; Isaiah 35:6; Isaiah 40:3–4
- 14 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Matthew 5:8–9; 1 Peter 3:11
- 15 Hebrews 3:12; Deuteronomy 29:18; Galatians 5:4; 2 Corinthians 6:1; 2 John 8
- 16 Genesis 25:31–34; 1 Corinthians 6:15–20; Hebrews 13:4; Mark 7:21; Revelation 22:15
- 17 Proverbs 1:24–31; Matthew 25:11–12; Matthew 7:23; Hebrews 6:8; Hebrews 10:26–29
- 18 Deuteronomy 4:11; Exodus 24:17; Deuteronomy 5:22–26; Exodus 20:18; Romans 6:14
- 19 Deuteronomy 18:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Deuteronomy 4:12; Exodus 20:1–19; Deuteronomy 5:3–22
- 20 Exodus 19:12–13; Deuteronomy 33:2; Galatians 3:10; Galatians 2:19; Exodus 19:16
- 21 Exodus 19:16; Deuteronomy 9:19; Isaiah 6:3–5; Exodus 19:19; Psalm 119:120
- 22 Philippians 3:20; Galatians 4:26; Psalm 48:2; Revelation 14:1; Isaiah 51:11
- 23 James 1:18; Hebrews 11:40; Luke 10:20; Revelation 14:4; Exodus 4:22
- 24 Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 11:28; Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 11:4; Genesis 4:10
- 25 Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 2:1–3; Deuteronomy 30:17; Zechariah 7:11; Proverbs 13:18
- 26 Haggai 2:6–7; Isaiah 13:13; Exodus 19:18; Isaiah 2:19; Joel 3:16
- 27 Matthew 24:35; 1 Corinthians 7:31; Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:10–11; Revelation 11:15
- 28 Romans 12:1–2; Psalm 2:11; Hebrews 13:15; Daniel 2:44; Hebrews 4:16
- 29 Deuteronomy 4:24; Deuteronomy 9:3; Isaiah 66:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Hebrews 10:27
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
There are two kinds of consolation, apparently opposed to one another, but yet contributing great strength each to the other; both of which he has here put forward.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 14 (1889)
For thus saith the holy Word: "The Lord hath severely chastened me, yet hath not given me over to death." "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." "The righteous," saith it, "shall chasten me in mercy, and reprove me; but let not the oil of sinners make fat my head." And again he …
… between thee and him alone." So too of sins which may create scandal the apostle says, "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." For this purpose, and that we may keep that peace without which no man can see the Lord, many precepts are given which carefully inculcate mutual forgiveness; among which we may number that …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Since, if the Jews, when they were to approach "a mountain that burned, and fire, and blackness, and darkness, and tempest;" --or rather when they were not so much as to approach, but both to see and to hear these things from afar;--were commanded for three days before to abstain from their wives, and to wash their garments, and were …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For you, brethren, a great crown is laid up: barter not away a great dignity for a petty pleasure: listen to the Apostle speaking: Lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)