Hebrews 12
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Hebrews chapter 12 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
5 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint John Chrysostom.
Hebrews 12
1So therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every impediment, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα,
2looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὅς, ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς, ὑπέμεινε σταυρόν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκάθικεν.
3For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and discouraged in your souls.Ἀναλογίσασθε γὰρ τὸν τοιαύτην ὑπομεμενηκότα ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀντιλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ κάμητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἐκλυόμενοι.
4You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed, struggling against sin.Οὔπω μέχρις αἵματος ἀντικατέστητε πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνταγωνιζόμενοι·
5And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: “My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are reproved;καὶ ἐκλέλησθε τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἥτις ὑμῖν ὡς υἱοῖς διαλέγεται, Υἱέ μου, μὴ ὀλιγώρει παιδείας Κυρίου, μηδὲ ἐκλύου ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐλεγχόμενος·
6For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives.”ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος παιδεύει· μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται.
7It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?Εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε, ὡς υἱοῖς ὑμῖν προσφέρεται ὁ Θεός· τίς γάρ ἐστιν υἱὸς ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ;
8But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.Εἰ δὲ χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας, ἧς μέτοχοι γεγόνασι πάντες, ἄρα νόθοι ἐστὲ καὶ οὐχ υἱοί.
9Furthermore, we have had human fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?Εἶτα τοὺς μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν πατέρας εἴχομεν παιδευτάς, καὶ ἐνετρεπόμεθα· οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑποταγησόμεθα τῷ πατρὶ τῶν πνευμάτων, καὶ ζήσομεν;
10For they indeed disciplined us for a few days, as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may partake of His holiness.Οἱ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐπαίδευον· ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ συμφέρον, εἰς τὸ μεταλαβεῖν τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ.
11Now no discipline seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those having been trained by it.Πᾶσα δὲ παιδεία πρὸς μὲν τὸ παρὸν οὐ δοκεῖ χαρᾶς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ λύπης· ὕστερον δὲ καρπὸν εἰρηνικὸν τοῖς δι᾽ αὐτῆς γεγυμνασμένοις ἀποδίδωσι δικαιοσύνης.
12Therefore strengthen the hands which are weakened, and the feeble knees,Διὸ τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε·
13and make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be turned aside, but rather be healed.καὶ τροχιὰς ὀρθὰς ποιήσατε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ χωλὸν ἐκτραπῇ, ἰαθῇ δὲ μᾶλλον.
14Pursue peace and holiness with all people, without which no one shall see the Lord:Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον·
15looking diligently lest anyone fall from the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness growing up cause trouble, and through this many be defiled;ἐπισκοποῦντες μή τις ὑστερῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ· μή τις ῥίζα πικρίας ἄνω φύουσα ἐνοχλῇ, καὶ διὰ ταύτης μιανθῶσι πολλοί·
16lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who in exchange for one meal gave up his birthright.μή τις πόρνος, ἢ βέβηλος, ὡς Ἠσαῦ, ὃς ἀντὶ βρώσεως μιᾶς ἀπέδοτο τὰ πρωτοτόκια αὐτοῦ.
17For indeed you know that afterward, wishing to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, having sought it out diligently with tears.Ἴστε γὰρ ὅτι καὶ μετέπειτα, θέλων κληρονομῆσαι τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἀπεδοκιμάσθη· μετανοίας γὰρ τόπον οὐχ εὗρε, καίπερ μετὰ δακρύων ἐκζητήσας αὐτήν.
18For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and to a whirlwind,Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ψηλαφωμένῳ ὄρει, καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρί, καὶ γνόφῳ, καὶ σκότῳ, καὶ θυέλλῃ,
19and to a sound of a trumpet and to a voice of words, which those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them.καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ, καὶ φωνῇ ῥημάτων, ἧς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρῃτήσαντο μὴ προστεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον·
20For they could not bear that which was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.”οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ τὸ διαστελλόμενον, Κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ τοῦ ὄρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται·
21And so fearful was the spectacle, that Moses said, “I am greatly afraid and trembling.”καί, οὕτω φοβερὸν ἦν τὸ φανταζόμενον, Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν, Ἔκφοβός εἰμι καὶ ἔντρομος.
22But you have come to Zion, to the Mountain and city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,Ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων,
23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn having been enrolled in the heavens, to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,πανηγύρει καὶ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπογεγραμμένων, καὶ κριτῇ Θεῷ πάντων, καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετελειωμένων,
24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which speaks better things than the blood of Abel.καὶ διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ.
25See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape, having refused Him who warned them, how much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who warns from heaven;Βλέπετε μὴ παραιτήσησθε τὸν λαλοῦντα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἔφυγον, τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς παραιτησάμενοι χρηματίζοντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς οἱ τὸν ἀπ᾽ οὐρανῶν ἀποστρεφόμενοι·
26whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”οὗ ἡ φωνὴ τὴν γῆν ἐσάλευσε τότε, νῦν δὲ ἐπήγγελται, λέγων, Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείω οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.
27Now the phrase, “Yet once more,” signifies the removal of the things being shaken, as having been made, so that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.Τὸ δέ, Ἔτι ἅπαξ, δηλοῖ τῶν σαλευομένων τὴν μετάθεσιν, ὡς πεποιημένων, ἵνα μείνῃ τὰ μὴ σαλευόμενα.
28Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.Διὸ βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον παραλαμβάνοντες, ἔχωμεν χάριν, δι᾽ ἧς λατρεύομεν εὐαρέστως τῷ Θεῷ μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας·
29For our God is a consuming fire.καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον.
The Fathers on Hebrews 12
Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Hebrews 12:4–6Saint John Chrysostom“Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him. For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth: and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.”655
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews →
On Hebrews 12:11–13Saint John Chrysostom“No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous,675 but grievous,676 nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are677 exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees: and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame...
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On Hebrews 12:14Saint John Chrysostom[1.] There are many things characteristic of Christianity: but more than all, and better than all, Love towards one another, and Peace. Therefore Christ also saith, “My peace I give unto you.” ( John xiv. 27.) And again, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye love one another.” ( John xiii. 35.)...
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On Hebrews 12:18–24Saint John Chrysostom“For ye are not come unto a fire703 that might be touched and that burned, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more.704 (For they could not endure that which was command...
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On Hebrews 12:28–29Open Hebrews 12 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint John Chrysostom[1.] In another place he says the same, “for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” ( 2. Cor. iv. 18 ); and from this makes an exhortation with regard to the evils which we endure in this present life; and here he does this, and says, let us continue steadfast; “let us...
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews →