Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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The Great Salvation
1 That is why we must hold on all
the more firmly to the truths we
have heard, so that we will not be
carried away.
2 The message given to
our ancestors by the angels was
shown to be true, and anyone who
did not follow it or obey it received
the punishment he deserved.
3 How,
then, shall we escape if we pay no
attention to such a great salvation?
The Lord himself first announced
this salvation, and those who heard
him proved to us that it is true.
4 At
the same time God added his witness
to theirs by performing all
kinds of miracles and wonders and
by distributing the gifts of the Holy
Spirit according to his will.
The One Who Leads Us to Salvation
5 God has not placed the angels as
rulers over the new world to come—
the world of which we speak.
6 Instead,
as it is said somewhere in the
Scriptures:
“What is man, O God, that you should think of him;
mere man, that you should care for him?
7
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor, note
8
and made him ruler over all things.”
8 It says that God made man “ruler
over all things”; this clearly includes
everything. We do not, however, see
man ruling over all things now. note
9 But
we do see Jesus, who for a little
while was made lower than the angels,
so that through God's grace he
should die for everyone. We see him
now crowned with glory and honor
because of the death he suffered.
10 It
was only right that God, who creates
-- --
and preserves all things, should
make Jesus perfect through suffering,
in order to bring many sons to
share his glory. For Jesus is the one
who leads them to salvation.
11 He purifies people from their
sins, and both he and those who are
made pure all have the same Father.
That is why Jesus is not ashamed to
call them his brothers.
12 He says to
God,
“I will tell my brothers what you have done;
I will praise you in their meeting.” note
13 He also says, “I will put my trust
in God.” And he also says, “Here I
am with the children that God has
given me.” note
14 Since the children, as he calls
them, are people of flesh and blood,
Jesus himself became like them and
shared their human nature. He did
this so that through his death he
might destroy the Devil, who has the
power over death,
15 and in this way
set free those who were slaves all
their lives because of their fear of
death.
16 For it is clear that it is not
the angels that he helps. Instead, as
the scripture says, “He helps the descendants
of Abraham.”
17 This
means that he had to become like his
brothers in every way, in order to be
their faithful and merciful High
Priest in his service to God, so that
the people's sins would be forgiven.
18 And now he can help those who
are tempted, because he himself was
tempted and suffered.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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