Hebrews 6:12

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

King James Version (1611)
That yee be not slothfull, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherite the promises.

King James Version
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

English Standard Version
so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

New American Standard Bible
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.

New Century Version
We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Legacy Standard Bible
so that you may not become dull, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Berean Standard Bible
Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Contemporary English Version
Then you would never be lazy. You would be following the example of those who had faith and were patient until God kept his promise to them.

Complete Jewish Bible
so that you will not become sluggish, but will be imitators of those who by their trust and patience are receiving what has been promised.

Darby Translation
that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience have been inheritors of the promises.

Easy-to-Read Version
We don't want you to be lazy. We want you to be like those who, because of their faith and patience, will get what God has promised.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That ye be not slouthfull, but followers of them, which through faith and patience, inherite the promises.

George Lamsa Translation
And that you be not slothful, but be followers of those who through faith and patience have become heirs of the promise.

Good News Translation
We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe and are patient, and so receive what God has promised.

Lexham English Bible
in order that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and patience.

Literal Translation
that you not become dull, but imitators of those who through faith and longsuffering are inheriting the promises.

Amplified Bible
so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.

American Standard Version
that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Bible in Basic English
So that you may not be slow in heart, but may take as your example those to whom God has given their heritage, because of their faith and their long waiting.

Hebrew Names Version
that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

International Standard Version
Then, instead of being lazy, you will become imitators of those who are inheriting the promises through faith and patience.Hebrews 6:36;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and that it be not cut off from you [fn] , but that ye be imitators of them who by fidelity and patience [fn] have become heirs of the promise.

Murdock Translation
and that ye faint not; but that ye be emulators of them who by faith and patience have become heirs of the promise.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That ye faynt not, but be folowers of them which through fayth and pacience inherite the promises.

English Revised Version
that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

World English Bible
that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them, who through faith and long suffering inherited the promises.

Weymouth's New Testament
so that you may not become half-hearted, but be imitators of those who through faith and patient endurance are now heirs to the promises.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that ye be not maad slowe, but also sueris of hem, whiche bi feith and pacience schulen enherite the biheestis.

Update Bible Version
that you are not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Webster's Bible Translation
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

New English Translation
so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

New King James Version
that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

New Living Translation
Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance.

New Life Bible
Do not be lazy. Be like those who have faith and have not given up. They will receive what God has promised them.

New Revised Standard
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In order that, not slothful, ye may become, but imitators of them who, through faith and patience, were becoming heirs of the promises.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That you become not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience shall inherit the promises.

Revised Standard Version
so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
that ye faynt not but folowe them which thorow fayth and pacience inheret the promyses.

Young's Literal Translation
that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that ye faynte not, but folowe them which thorow faith and paciece inheret the promyses.

Mace New Testament (1729)
but imitate the example of those who by faith and patience have obtain'd the inheritance that was promis'd to them.

Simplified Cowboy Version
If you do, you'll avoid the canyons that lead to indifference and thick-headedness. Instead, you'll follow the trail of those who have gone on before you. They've reached the end and have received the promises of God, just like you can. You just got to keep going and never give up or give in.

Contextual Overview

⁹I'm sure that won't happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn't miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you've shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them. ¹³When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, "I promise that I'll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!" Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. ¹⁹ So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on "salvation by self-help" and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we'll stay true to all that. But there's so much more. Let's get on with it! Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they've personally experienced the sheer goodness of God's Word and the powers breaking in on us—if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can't start over as if nothing happened. That's impossible. Why, they've re-crucified Jesus! They've repudiated him in public! Parched ground that soaks up the rain and then produces an abundance of carrots and corn for its gardener gets God's "Well done!" But if it produces weeds and thistles, it's more likely to get cussed out. Fields like that are burned, not harvested. I'm sure that won't happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn't miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you've shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them. When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, "I promise that I'll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!" Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. ²⁰ So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on "salvation by self-help" and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we'll stay true to all that. But there's so much more. Let's get on with it! Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they've personally experienced the sheer goodness of God's Word and the powers breaking in on us—if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can't start over as if nothing happened. That's impossible. Why, they've re-crucified Jesus! They've repudiated him in public! Parched ground that soaks up the rain and then produces an abundance of carrots and corn for its gardener gets God's "Well done!" But if it produces weeds and thistles, it's more likely to get cussed out. Fields like that are burned, not harvested. I'm sure that won't happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn't miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you've shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them. When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, "I promise that I'll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!" Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye: Hebrews 5:11,*Gr: Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 13:4, Proverbs 15:19, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 24:30-34, Matthew 25:26, Romans 12:11, 2 Peter 1:10

but: Hebrews 12:1, Hebrews 13:7, Song of Solomon 1:8, Jeremiah 6:16, Romans 4:12, James 5:10, James 5:11, 1 Peter 3:5, 1 Peter 3:6

faith: Hebrews 6:15, Hebrews 10:36, Hebrews 11:8-16, Luke 8:15, Romans 2:7, Romans 8:25, Romans 8:26, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, Revelation 13:10, Revelation 14:12

inherit: Hebrews 1:14, Hebrews 10:36, Hebrews 11:9, Hebrews 11:17, Hebrews 11:33, Matthew 22:32, Luke 16:22, Luke 20:37, Luke 20:38, 1 John 2:25, Revelation 14:13

Reciprocal: Joshua 7:3 - about two Joshua 22:5 - take Judges 18:9 - be not Proverbs 2:20 - General Proverbs 6:6 - thou Proverbs 10:4 - becometh Proverbs 10:26 - so Proverbs 14:21 - he that hath Proverbs 26:14 - General Matthew 20:3 - standing Matthew 20:6 - Why Matthew 25:18 - and hid Acts 13:43 - persuaded Romans 12:12 - patient 1 Corinthians 11:1 - Be ye 2 Corinthians 1:20 - all Galatians 3:18 - but 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - good Hebrews 6:17 - the heirs Hebrews 13:22 - suffer 1 Peter 1:5 - through 2 Peter 1:6 - patience 2 Peter 1:8 - barren 3 John 1:11 - follow Revelation 2:3 - hast patience

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
When the human race began to increase, with more and more daughters being born, the sons of God noticed that the daughters of men were beautiful. They looked them over and picked out wives for themselves.

Genesis 6:3
Then God said, "I'm not going to breathe life into men and women endlessly. Eventually they're going to die; from now on they can expect a life span of 120 years."

Genesis 6:4
This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.

Genesis 6:5
God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, "I'll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I'm sorry I made them."

Genesis 6:8
But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.

Genesis 6:13
God said to Noah, "It's all over. It's the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I'm making a clean sweep.

Genesis 6:14
"Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.

Genesis 6:17
"I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction.

Genesis 7:1
Next God said to Noah, "Now board the ship, you and all your family—out of everyone in this generation, you're the righteous one.

Genesis 9:12
God continued, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That ye be not slothful,.... With respect to hearing the word, and attendance on every ordinance; with respect to the use of means for the increase of knowledge, faith, and hope; and with respect to ministering to the saints; but on the contrary, should take every opportunity of improvement and doing good:

but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises; or things promised; not the land of Canaan, nor the coming of the Messiah; but either grace and salvation by Christ; or eternal Life, which is expressed by a promise, to show that it is not by any works, or merits of men; that it is wholly of grace, and shall certainly be enjoyed: and it is expressed in the plural number, "promises", because it is the grand promise, which is inclusive of all others; and because it has been given out at various times, and in different manners: and the possession of it being signified by "inheriting", it shows that this is their Father's gift and legacy, which they have as children; and which comes to them through the death of Christ, and of which the Spirit is the seal; and comes not by works of righteousness done by them: and the means through which saints that are gone before are come to the enjoyment of this happiness, are "faith and patience"; not that "faith" is the cause of, or what gives right to the inheritance, but it designs a course and walk of believing, at the end of which, saints come to glory; and faith is connected with salvation, and salvation with that; and through faith believers are preserved unto it: and "patience" is joined with faith, as a fruit and evidence of it; and supposes troubles which are patiently endured before men come to the possession of the inheritance: now the apostle exhorts these Hebrews to be followers and imitators of such, in diligence, faith, and patience, when they need not doubt of inheriting the same promised blessedness they do.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That ye be not slothful - Indolent; inactive. This was what he was especially desirous of guarding them against. By diligent and strenuous effort only could they secure themselves from the danger of apostasy.

But followers - Imitators - that you may live as they lived.

Of them who through faith and patience - By faith, or confidence in God, and by patience in suffering - referring to those who in times of trial had remained faithful to God, and had been admitted to heaven. In Hebrews 11:0, the apostle has given a long list of such persevering and faithful friends of God; see the notes on that chapter.

The promise - The promise of heaven.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hebrews 6:12. That ye be not slothful — This shows how the full assurance of hope is to be regulated and maintained. They must be diligent; slothfulness will deprive them both of hope and faith. That faith which worketh by love will maintain hope in its full and due exercise.

Followers of them — Μιμηται δε - κληρονομουντων τας επαγγελιας· That ye be mimics or imitators of them who are inheriting the promises. And they inherited these promises by faith in him who is invisible, and who, they knew, could not lie; and they patiently endured, through difficulties and adversities of every kind, and persevered unto death. "The promises made to Abraham and to his seed were,

1. That Abraham should have a numerous seed by faith as well as by natural descent.

2. That God would be a God to him and to his seed in their generations, by being the object of their worship and their protector.

3. That he would give them the possession of Canaan.

4. That he would bless all the nations of the earth in him.

5. That he would thus bless the nations through Christ, Abraham's seed.

6. That through Christ, likewise, he would bless the nations with the Gospel revelation. Four of these promises the believing Gentiles were inheriting at the time the apostle wrote this letter.

1. They were become Abraham's seed by faith.

2. God was become the object of their worship and their protector.

3. They were enjoying the knowledge of God in the Gospel Church, and the gifts of the Spirit. Galatians 3:4.

All these blessings were bestowed upon them through Christ. By observing that the believing Gentiles were actually inheriting the promises; i.e. the four promised blessings above mentioned, the apostle appealed to an undeniable fact, in proof that the believing Gentiles, equally with the believing Jews, were heirs of the promises made to Abraham and his seed." See Dr. Macknight. The promises may be considered as referring to the rest of faith here, and the rest of glory hereafter.