THE LETTER TO THE
HEBREWS 1
God Has Spoken by His Son
Warning to Pay Attention
In many and various ways God spoke of old to 2 our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created 3 the ages. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, up-holding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the 4 Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name
he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. *
For to what angel did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? 6 And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.” 8 But of the Son he says, kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your comrades.” 10 And, “You, Lord, founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all grow old like a garment, 12 like a cloak you will roll them up, and they will be changed. c But you are the same, and your years will never end.” 13 But to what angel has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies a stool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation? 9
from it. For if the message declared by angels † was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was at-tested to us by those who heard him, 4while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and vari-ous miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will. Exaltation through Suffering
The Son’s Superiority to Angels
“Your throne, O God, a is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of your b
Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away 2
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6It has been testified somewhere, “What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels, you have crowned him with glory and honor, d 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. As it is, we do 9 not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. ‡ 11For he who Or God is your throne. Other ancient authorities read his. Other ancient authorities add like a garment.
Other ancient authorities insert and set him over the works of your hands.
1:5: Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:14. 1:6: Deut 32:43 Septuagint; Ps 97:7. 1:7: Ps 104:4. 1:8–9: Ps 45:6–7. 1:10–12: Ps 102:25–27. 1:13: Ps 110:1. 2:6–9: Ps 8:4–6. * 1:1–4: A contrast between the progressive and piecemeal revelation of the old dispensation and the complete revelation of the new given by a single representative—no mere prophet but the Son of God himself. † 2:2, angels: The covenant of Sinai was thought to have been given through the angels. ‡ 2:10, suffering: The divinely appointed means of progress toward God; cf. verse 18.
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