Hebrews 12:23-25
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
23 and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,[a] and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect,(A) 24 and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently[b] than that of Abel.(B)
25 See that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much more in our case if we turn away from the one who warns from heaven.(C)
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- 12:23 The assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven: this expression may refer to the angels of Hb 12:22, or to the heroes of the Old Testament (see Hb 11), or to the entire assembly of the new covenant.
- 12:24 Speaks more eloquently: the blood of Abel, the first human blood to be shed, is contrasted with that of Jesus. Abel’s blood cried out from the earth for vengeance, but the blood of Jesus has opened the way for everyone, providing cleansing and access to God (Hb 10:19).
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