Hebrews 12:14-29

Contemporary English Version

Warning against Turning from God

¹⁴Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord. ¹⁵^(A) Make sure no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you. ¹⁶^(B) Watch out for immoral and ungodly people like Esau, who sold his future blessing^[a] for only one meal. ¹⁷^(C) You know how he later wanted it back. But there was nothing he could do to change things, even though he begged his father and cried.

¹⁸^(D) You have not come to a place like Mount Sinai^[b] that can be seen and touched. There is no flaming fire or dark cloud or storm ¹⁹or trumpet sound. The people of Israel heard a voice speak. But they begged it to stop, ²⁰^(E) because they could not obey its commands. They were even told to kill any animal that touched the mountain. ²¹The sight was so frightening that Moses said he shook with fear.

²²You have now come to Mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the city of the living God, where thousands and thousands of angels have come to celebrate. ²³Here you will find all of God's dearest children,^[c] whose names are written in heaven. And you will find God himself, who judges everyone. Here also are the spirits of those good people who have been made perfect. ²⁴^(F) And Jesus is here! He is the one who makes God's new agreement with us, and his sprinkled blood says much better things than the blood of Abel.^[d]

²⁵^(G) Make sure you obey the one who speaks to you. The people did not escape, when they refused to obey the one who spoke to them at Mount Sinai. Do you think you can possibly escape, if you refuse to obey the one who speaks to you from heaven? ²⁶^(H) When God spoke the first time, his voice shook only the earth. This time he has promised to shake the earth once again, and heaven too.

²⁷The words “once again” mean that these created things will someday be shaken and removed. Then what cannot be shaken will last. ²⁸We should be grateful we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshiping him and by showing him great honor and respect. ²⁹^(I) Our God is like a destructive fire!

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Footnotes

12.16 sold his future blessing: As the first-born son, Esau had certain privileges that were known as a “birthright.”
12.18 a place like Mount Sinai: The Greek text has “a place,” but the writer is referring to the time that the Lord spoke to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19.16-25).
12.23 all of God's dearest children: The Greek text has “the gathering of the first-born children” (see the note at 1.6).
12.24 blood of Abel: Cain and Abel were the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain murdered Abel (see Genesis 4.1-16).