Ibrani 12:4-17

12:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed ¹  in your struggle against sin. 12:5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?

“My son, do not scorn ²  the Lord’s discipline

or give up when he corrects ³  you.

12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” ⁴ 

12:7 Endure your suffering ⁵  as discipline; ⁶  God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 12:8 But if you do not experience discipline, ⁷  something all sons ⁸  have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. 12:9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from ⁹  our earthly fathers ¹⁰  and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life? ¹¹  12:10 For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. 12:11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. ¹²  But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness ¹³  for those trained by it. 12:12 Therefore, strengthen ¹⁴  your listless hands and your weak knees, ¹⁵  12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, ¹⁶  so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

Do Not Reject God’s Warning

12:14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, ¹⁷  for without it no one will see the Lord. 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up ¹⁸  and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled. 12:16 And see to it that no one becomes ¹⁹  an immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ²⁰  12:17 For you know that ²¹  later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance, although he sought the blessing ²²  with tears.

[12:4]  ¹ tn Grk “until blood.”

[12:5]  ² tn Or “disregard,” “think little of.”

[12:5]  ³ tn Or “reproves,” “rebukes.” The Greek verb ἐλέγχω (elencw) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.

[12:6]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Prov 3:11-12.

[12:7]  ⁵ tn Grk “endure,” with the object (“your suffering”) understood from the context.

[12:7]  ⁶ tn Or “in order to become disciplined.”

[12:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “you are without discipline.”

[12:8]  ⁸ tn Grk “all”; “sons” is implied by the context.

[12:9]  ⁹ tn Grk “we had our earthly fathers as discipliners.”

[12:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the fathers of our flesh.” In Hebrews, “flesh” is a characteristic way of speaking about outward, physical, earthly life (cf. Heb 5:7; 9:10, 13), as opposed to the inward or spiritual dimensions of life.

[12:9]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and live.”

[12:9]  sn Submit ourselves…to the Father of spirits and receive life. This idea is drawn from Proverbs, where the Lord’s discipline brings life, while resistance to it leads to death (cf. Prov 4:13; 6:23; 10:17; 16:17).

[12:11]  ¹² tn Grk “all discipline at the time does not seem to be of joy, but of sorrow.”

[12:11]  ¹³ tn Grk “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

[12:12]  ¹⁴ tn Or “straighten.”

[12:12]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 35:3. Strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees refers to the readers’ need for renewed resolve and fresh strength in their struggles (cf. Heb 10:36-39; 12:1-3).

[12:13]  ¹⁶ sn A quotation from Prov 4:26. The phrase make straight paths for your feet is figurative for “stay on God’s paths.”

[12:14]  ¹⁷ sn The references to peace and holiness show the close connection between this paragraph and the previous one. The pathway toward “holiness” and the need for it is cited in Heb 12:10 and 14. More importantly Prov 4:26-27 sets up the transition from one paragraph to the next: It urges people to stay on godly paths (Prov 4:26, quoted here in v. 13) and promises that God will lead them in peace if they do so (Prov 4:27 [LXX], quoted in v. 14).

[12:15]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “that there not be any root of bitterness,” but referring figuratively to a person who causes trouble (as in Deut 29:17 [LXX] from which this is quoted).

[12:15]  sn An allusion to Deut 29:18.

[12:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “that there not be any,” continuing from v. 15.

[12:16]  ²⁰ sn An allusion to Gen 27:34-41.

[12:17]  ²¹ tn Or a command: “for understand that.”

[12:17]  ²² tn Grk “it,” referring either to the repentance or the blessing. But the account in Gen 27:34-41 (which the author appeals to here) makes it clear that the blessing is what Esau sought. Thus in the translation the referent (the blessing) is specified for clarity.