Chapter
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Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Hebrews chapter 1

English Standard Version

1Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
6And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” 10And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” 13And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
14Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
New International Version

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'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.
5For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father'? Or again, 'I will be his Father, and he will be my Son'?
6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'
7In speaking of the angels he says, 'He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.'
8But about the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.'
10He also says, 'In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.'
13To which of the angels did God ever say, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'?
14Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
New American Standard Bible

1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. 3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
5For to which of the angels did He ever say, 'YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE FATHERED YOU'? And again, 'I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE WILL BE A SON TO ME'?
6And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, 'AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF God WORSHIP HIM.' 7And regarding the angels He says, 'HE MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.' 8But regarding the Son He says, 'YOUR THRONE, God, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE SCEPTER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. 9YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE God, YOUR God, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF JOY ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.' 10And, 'YOU, Lord, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; 11THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY ALL WILL WEAR OUT LIKE A GARMENT, 12AND LIKE A ROBE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END.'
13But to which of the angels has He ever said, 'SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET'?
14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Christian Standard Bible

1Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5For to which of the angels did he ever say,You are my Son;today I have become your Father, or again,I will be his Father,and he will be my Son?
6Again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says,And let all God's angels worship him.
7And about the angels he says:He makes his angels winds,and his servants a fiery flame,
8but to the Son:Your throne, God,is forever and ever,and the scepter of your kingdomis a scepter of justice. 9You have loved righteousnessand hated lawlessness;this is why God, your God,has anointed youwith the oil of joybeyond your companions.
10And:In the beginning, Lord,you established the earth,and the heavens are the works of your hands; 11they will perish, but you remain.They will all wear out like clothing; 12you will roll them up like a cloak,and they will be changed like clothing.But you are the same,and your years will never end.
13Now to which of the angels has he ever said:Sit at my right handuntil I make your enemies your footstool?
14Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?
New Living Translation

1Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
5For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: 'You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ' God also said, 'I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.'
6And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, 'Let all of God’s angels worship him.'
7Regarding the angels, he says, 'He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.'
8But to the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. 9You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.'
10He also says to the Son, 'In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. 11They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. 12You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.'
13And God never said to any of the angels, 'Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.'
14Therefore, angels are only servants — spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
King James Version

1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 13But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

What does Hebrews chapter 1 mean?

The book of Hebrews is intended to solidify Jewish believers' trust in Jesus as all they need for salvation. At the same time, the book provides several stern warnings about the consequences of rejecting Jesus. The first chapter of Hebrews begins by pointing out that God does, in fact, speak to His people. In the past, this was through various prophets (Hebrews 1:1). Now, however, that message is primarily through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2).

The writer of Hebrews starts by pointing out that Jesus is not an angel or other created being. Rather, Jesus is identical to God. This was an especially important distinction to make in the very early church. Jewish thought commonly held that angels would rule the world one day. According to the actual Word of God, quoted here in Hebrews, this is not the case. The Promised One, also known as the Messiah, is given descriptions which cannot match any angel. In fact, what the Jewish Scriptures say about Messiah make it clear that this figure is actually divine.

Chapters 1 and 2 are mostly made up of a list of Old Testament quotations. These are used to provide several points of evidence that Jesus is above and beyond any angel. Verses 1–4– of chapter 1 summarize this idea.

Verse 5 cites Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14. These verses highlight the fact that the Promised One is not the same as an angel, but is labelled as the "Son of God."

Verses 6 and 7 portray angels as servant beings. These creatures worship God and serve God. They have a shifting, changing nature, depending on the tasks they are assigned by God. In contrast, according to verses 8 through 14, Jesus is given ultimate authority, and has a nature which is unchanging and eternal. He is not worshipping, but He is worshipped. The distinction between Jesus and these angels is clear.

These proofs will continue through chapter 2, which opens with the first of several warnings about the danger of rejecting Christ and His message.
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