Hebrews 12:6-9

12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” ¹ 

12:7 Endure your suffering ²  as discipline; ³  God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 12:8 But if you do not experience discipline, ⁴  something all sons ⁵  have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. 12:9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from ⁶  our earthly fathers ⁷  and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life? ⁸ 

[12:6]  ¹ sn A quotation from Prov 3:11-12.

[12:7]  ² tn Grk “endure,” with the object (“your suffering”) understood from the context.

[12:7]  ³ tn Or “in order to become disciplined.”

[12:8]  ³ tn Grk “you are without discipline.”

[12:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “all”; “sons” is implied by the context.

[12:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “we had our earthly fathers as discipliners.”

[12:9]  ⁵ tn Grk “the fathers of our flesh.” In Hebrews, “flesh” is a characteristic way of speaking about outward, physical, earthly life (cf. Heb 5:7; 9:10, 13), as opposed to the inward or spiritual dimensions of life.

[12:9]  ⁶ tn Grk “and live.”