When God Says No!

Living With a Strong-Willed Child

Dog Dad Devotions on Leadership, Loyalty and Love

The Last Half Hour: When Waiting Becomes Glory

Acts Reading Plan

God Gives Good Gifts to Everyone

Pawprints & Prayers: Devotions for Dog Lovers

The Journey of Yes

See God’s Peace: 3 Days of Visio Divina

A Brighter Future: A 5-Day Devotional

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"> 1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God&#8217;s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness&#8212; 2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 4To Titus, my true son in our common faith:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p">Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.</div><div class="s1">Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good</div><div class="p"> 5The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint#1:5 Or ordain elders in every town, as I directed you. 6An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe#1:6 Or children are trustworthy and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7Since an overseer manages God&#8217;s household, he must be blameless&#8212;not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.</div><div class="s1">Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good</div><div class="p"> 10For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach&#8212;and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12One of Crete&#8217;s own prophets has said it: &#8220;Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.&#8221;#1:12 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides 13This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel</div><div class="p"> 1You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.</div><div class="p"> 3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.</div><div class="p"> 6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.</div><div class="p"> 9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.</div><div class="p"> 11For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say &#8220;No&#8221; to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope&#8212;the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.</div><div class="p"> 15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Saved in Order to Do Good</div><div class="p"> 1Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.</div><div class="p"> 3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.</div><div class="p"> 9But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.</div><div class="s1">Final Remarks</div><div class="p"> 12As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. 13Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. 14Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.</div><div class="p"> 15Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.</div><div class="p">Grace be with you all.</div>
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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"> 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 2To Timothy, my dear son:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p">Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.</div><div class="s1">Thanksgiving</div><div class="p"> 3I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.</div><div class="s1">Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel</div><div class="p"> 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy life&#8212;not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.</div><div class="p"> 13What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you&#8212;guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.</div><div class="s1">Examples of Disloyalty and Loyalty</div><div class="p"> 15You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.</div><div class="p"> 16May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">The Appeal Renewed</div><div class="p"> 1You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor&#8217;s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.</div><div class="p"> 8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God&#8217;s word is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.</div><div class="p"> 11Here is a trustworthy saying:</div><div class="q1">If we died with him,</div><div class="q2">we will also live with him;</div><div class="q1"> 12if we endure,</div><div class="q2">we will also reign with him.</div><div class="q1">If we disown him,</div><div class="q2">he will also disown us;</div><div class="q1"> 13if we are faithless,</div><div class="q2">he remains faithful,</div><div class="q2">for he cannot disown himself.</div><div class="s1">Dealing With False Teachers</div><div class="p"> 14Keep reminding God&#8217;s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19Nevertheless, God&#8217;s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: &#8220;The Lord knows those who are his,&#8221; and, &#8220;Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.</div><div class="p"> 22Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23Don&#8217;t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord&#8217;s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="p"> 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God&#8212; 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.</div><div class="p"> 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.</div><div class="s1">A Final Charge to Timothy</div><div class="p"> 10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings&#8212;what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God#3:17 Or that you, a man of God, may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.</div>
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 <div class="label">4</div><div class="p"> 1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage&#8212;with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.</div><div class="p"> 6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day&#8212;and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.</div><div class="s1">Personal Remarks</div><div class="p"> 9Do your best to come to me quickly, 10for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.</div><div class="p"> 14Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.</div><div class="p"> 16At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion&#8217;s mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.</div><div class="s1">Final Greetings</div><div class="p"> 19Greet Priscilla#4:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. 20Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.#4:21 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God&#8217;s family.</div><div class="p"> 22The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.</div>
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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Final Word: His Son</div><div class="p"> 1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God&#8217;s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.</div><div class="s1">The Son Superior to Angels</div><div class="p"> 5For to which of the angels did God ever say,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;You are my Son;</div><div class="q2">today I have become your Father&#8221;#1:5 Psalm 2:7?</div><div class="m">Or again,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;I will be his Father,</div><div class="q2">and he will be my Son&#8221;#1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13?</div><div class="m"> 6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Let all God&#8217;s angels worship him.&#8221;#1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)</div><div class="m"> 7In speaking of the angels he says,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;He makes his angels spirits,</div><div class="q2">and his servants flames of fire.&#8221;#1:7 Psalm 104:4</div><div class="m"> 8But about the Son he says,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;</div><div class="q2">a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.</div><div class="q1"> 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;</div><div class="q2">therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions</div><div class="q2">by anointing you with the oil of joy.&#8221;#1:9 Psalm 45:6,7</div><div class="m"> 10He also says,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,</div><div class="q2">and the heavens are the work of your hands.</div><div class="q1"> 11They will perish, but you remain;</div><div class="q2">they will all wear out like a garment.</div><div class="q1"> 12You will roll them up like a robe;</div><div class="q2">like a garment they will be changed.</div><div class="q1">But you remain the same,</div><div class="q2">and your years will never end.&#8221;#1:12 Psalm 102:25-27</div><div class="m"> 13To which of the angels did God ever say,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Sit at my right hand</div><div class="q2">until I make your enemies</div><div class="q2">a footstool for your feet&#8221;#1:13 Psalm 110:1?</div><div class="m"> 14Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">Warning to Pay Attention</div><div class="p"> 1We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Made Fully Human</div><div class="p"> 5It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6But there is a place where someone has testified:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;What is mankind that you are mindful of them,</div><div class="q2">a son of man that you care for him?</div><div class="q1"> 7You made them a little#2:7 Or them for a little while lower than the angels;</div><div class="q2">you crowned them with glory and honor</div><div class="q2"> 8and put everything under their feet.&#8221;#2:6-8 Psalm 8:4-6#2:7,8 Or 7 You made him a little lower than the angels; / you crowned him with glory and honor / 8 and put everything under his feet.&#8221;</div><div class="m">In putting everything under them,#2:8 Or him God left nothing that is not subject to them.#2:8 Or him Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.#2:8 Or him 9But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.</div><div class="p"> 10In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.#2:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God&#8217;s family; also in verse 12; and in 3:1, 12; 10:19; 13:22. 12He says,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;</div><div class="q2">in the assembly I will sing your praises.&#8221;#2:12 Psalm 22:22</div><div class="m"> 13And again,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;I will put my trust in him.&#8221;#2:13 Isaiah 8:17</div><div class="m">And again he says,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Here am I, and the children God has given me.&#8221;#2:13 Isaiah 8:18</div><div class="p"> 14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death&#8212;that is, the devil&#8212; 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham&#8217;s descendants. 17For this reason he had to be made like them,#2:17 Or like his brothers fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Jesus Greater Than Moses</div><div class="p"> 1Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God&#8217;s house. 3Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5&#8220;Moses was faithful as a servant in all God&#8217;s house,&#8221;#3:5 Num. 12:7 bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6But Christ is faithful as the Son over God&#8217;s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.</div><div class="s1">Warning Against Unbelief</div><div class="p"> 7So, as the Holy Spirit says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Today, if you hear his voice,</div><div class="q2"> 8do not harden your hearts</div><div class="q1">as you did in the rebellion,</div><div class="q2">during the time of testing in the wilderness,</div><div class="q1"> 9where your ancestors tested and tried me,</div><div class="q2">though for forty years they saw what I did.</div><div class="q1"> 10That is why I was angry with that generation;</div><div class="q2">I said, &#8216;Their hearts are always going astray,</div><div class="q2">and they have not known my ways.&#8217;</div><div class="q1"> 11So I declared on oath in my anger,</div><div class="q2">&#8216;They shall never enter my rest.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#3:11 Psalm 95:7-11</div><div class="p"> 12See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called &#8220;Today,&#8221; so that none of you may be hardened by sin&#8217;s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15As has just been said:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Today, if you hear his voice,</div><div class="q2">do not harden your hearts</div><div class="q2">as you did in the rebellion.&#8221;#3:15 Psalm 95:7,8</div><div class="p"> 16Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.</div>
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 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God</div><div class="p"> 1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.#4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;So I declared on oath in my anger,</div><div class="q2">&#8216;They shall never enter my rest.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5</div><div class="m">And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: &#8220;On the seventh day God rested from all his works.&#8221;#4:4 Gen. 2:2 5And again in the passage above he says, &#8220;They shall never enter my rest.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7God again set a certain day, calling it &#8220;Today.&#8221; This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Today, if you hear his voice,</div><div class="q2">do not harden your hearts.&#8221;#4:7 Psalm 95:7,8</div><div class="m"> 8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God&#8217;s rest also rests from their works,#4:10 Or labor just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.</div><div class="p"> 12For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God&#8217;s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.</div><div class="s1">Jesus the Great High Priest</div><div class="p"> 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,#4:14 Greek has gone through the heavens Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are&#8212;yet he did not sin. 16Let us then approach God&#8217;s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="HEB.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="p"> 1Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.</div><div class="p"> 5In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;You are my Son;</div><div class="q2">today I have become your Father.&#8221;#5:5 Psalm 2:7</div><div class="m"> 6And he says in another place,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;You are a priest forever,</div><div class="q2">in the order of Melchizedek.&#8221;#5:6 Psalm 110:4</div><div class="p"> 7During the days of Jesus&#8217; life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.</div><div class="s1">Warning Against Falling Away</div><div class="p"> 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God&#8217;s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="HEB.6">
 <div class="label">6</div><div class="p"> 1Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,#6:1 Or from useless rituals and of faith in God, 2instruction about cleansing rites,#6:2 Or about baptisms the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so.</div><div class="p"> 4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6and who have fallen#6:6 Or age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.</div><div class="p"> 9Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case&#8212;the things that have to do with salvation. 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.</div><div class="s1">The Certainty of God&#8217;s Promise</div><div class="p"> 13When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14saying, &#8220;I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.&#8221;#6:14 Gen. 22:17 15And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.</div><div class="p"> 16People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch7" data-usfm="HEB.7">
 <div class="label">7</div><div class="s1">Melchizedek the Priest</div><div class="p"> 1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means &#8220;king of righteousness&#8221;; then also, &#8220;king of Salem&#8221; means &#8220;king of peace.&#8221; 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.</div><div class="p"> 4Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people&#8212;that is, from their fellow Israelites&#8212;even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Like Melchizedek</div><div class="p"> 11If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood&#8212;and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood&#8212;why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17For it is declared:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;You are a priest forever,</div><div class="q2">in the order of Melchizedek.&#8221;#7:17 Psalm 110:4</div><div class="p"> 18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.</div><div class="p"> 20And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;The Lord has sworn</div><div class="q2">and will not change his mind:</div><div class="q2">&#8216;You are a priest forever.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#7:21 Psalm 110:4</div><div class="m"> 22Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.</div><div class="p"> 23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely#7:25 Or forever those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.</div><div class="p"> 26Such a high priest truly meets our need&#8212;one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch8" data-usfm="HEB.8">
 <div class="label">8</div><div class="s1">The High Priest of a New Covenant</div><div class="p"> 1Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.</div><div class="p"> 3Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: &#8220;See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.&#8221;#8:5 Exodus 25:40 6But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.</div><div class="p"> 7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault with the people and said#8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;The days are coming, declares the Lord,</div><div class="q2">when I will make a new covenant</div><div class="q1">with the people of Israel</div><div class="q2">and with the people of Judah.</div><div class="q1"> 9It will not be like the covenant</div><div class="q2">I made with their ancestors</div><div class="q1">when I took them by the hand</div><div class="q2">to lead them out of Egypt,</div><div class="q1">because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,</div><div class="q2">and I turned away from them,</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 10This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel</div><div class="q2">after that time, declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1">I will put my laws in their minds</div><div class="q2">and write them on their hearts.</div><div class="q1">I will be their God,</div><div class="q2">and they will be my people.</div><div class="q1"> 11No longer will they teach their neighbor,</div><div class="q2">or say to one another, &#8216;Know the Lord,&#8217;</div><div class="q1">because they will all know me,</div><div class="q2">from the least of them to the greatest.</div><div class="q1"> 12For I will forgive their wickedness</div><div class="q2">and will remember their sins no more.&#8221;#8:12 Jer. 31:31-34</div><div class="p"> 13By calling this covenant &#8220;new,&#8221; he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch9" data-usfm="HEB.9">
 <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1">Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle</div><div class="p"> 1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron&#8217;s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.</div><div class="p"> 6When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings&#8212;external regulations applying until the time of the new order.</div><div class="s1">The Blood of Christ</div><div class="p"> 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,#9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining#9:12 Or blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,#9:14 Or from useless rituals so that we may serve the living God!</div><div class="p"> 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance&#8212;now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.</div><div class="p"> 16In the case of a will,#9:16 Same Greek word as covenant; also in verse 17 it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20He said, &#8220;This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.&#8221;#9:20 Exodus 24:8 21In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.</div><div class="p"> 23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God&#8217;s presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="HEB.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="s1">Christ&#8217;s Sacrifice Once for All</div><div class="p"> 1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming&#8212;not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.</div><div class="p"> 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,</div><div class="q2">but a body you prepared for me;</div><div class="q1"> 6with burnt offerings and sin offerings</div><div class="q2">you were not pleased.</div><div class="q1"> 7Then I said, &#8216;Here I am&#8212;it is written about me in the scroll&#8212;</div><div class="q2">I have come to do your will, my God.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)</div><div class="m"> 8First he said, &#8220;Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them&#8221;&#8212;though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9Then he said, &#8220;Here I am, I have come to do your will.&#8221; He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.</div><div class="p"> 11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.</div><div class="p"> 15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:</div><div class="q1"> 16&#8220;This is the covenant I will make with them</div><div class="q2">after that time, says the Lord.</div><div class="q1">I will put my laws in their hearts,</div><div class="q2">and I will write them on their minds.&#8221;#10:16 Jer. 31:33</div><div class="m"> 17Then he adds:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Their sins and lawless acts</div><div class="q2">I will remember no more.&#8221;#10:17 Jer. 31:34</div><div class="m"> 18And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.</div><div class="s1">A Call to Persevere in Faith</div><div class="p"> 19Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another&#8212;and all the more as you see the Day approaching.</div><div class="p"> 26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, &#8220;It is mine to avenge; I will repay,&#8221;#10:30 Deut. 32:35 and again, &#8220;The Lord will judge his people.&#8221;#10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.</div><div class="p"> 32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.</div><div class="p"> 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;In just a little while,</div><div class="q2">he who is coming will come</div><div class="q2">and will not delay.&#8221;#10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3</div><div class="m"> 38And,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;But my righteous#10:38 Some manuscripts But the righteous one will live by faith.</div><div class="q2">And I take no pleasure</div><div class="q2">in the one who shrinks back.&#8221;#10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)</div><div class="m"> 39But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.</div>
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