Letter to the Hebrews 2

¹ We ought, then, to turn our minds more attentively than before to what we have been taught, so that we do not drift away.

² If a promise that was made through angels[*a] proved to be so true that every infringement and disobedience brought its own proper punishment,

³ then we shall certainly not go unpunished if we neglect this salvation that is promised to us. The promise was first announced by the Lord himself, and is guaranteed to us by those who heard him;

⁴ God himself confirmed their witness with signs and marvels and miracles of all kinds, and by freely giving the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

⁵ He did not appoint angels to be rulers of the world to come, and that world is what we are talking about.

⁶ Somewhere there is a passage that shows us this. It runs: What is man that you should spare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him?

⁷ For a short while you made him lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and splendour.

⁸ You have put him in command of everything.[*b] Well then, if he has put him in command of everything, he has left nothing which is not under his command. At present, it is true, we are not able to see that everything has been put under his command,

⁹ but we do see in Jesus one who was for a short while made lower than the angels and is now crowned with glory and splendour because he submitted to death; by God’s grace he had to experience death for all mankind.

¹⁰ As it was his purpose to bring a great many of his sons into glory, it was appropriate that God, for whom everything exists and through whom everything exists, should make perfect, through suffering, the leader who would take them to their salvation.

¹¹ For the one who sanctifies, and the ones who are sanctified, are of the same stock; that is why he openly calls them brothers

¹² in the text: I shall announce your name to my brothers, praise you in full assembly;[*c] or the text:

¹³ In him I hope; or the text: Here I am with the children whom God has given me.[*d]

¹⁴ Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, he too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death,

¹⁵ and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.

¹⁶ For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham.[*e]

¹⁷ It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins.

¹⁸ That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.