17. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.
18. You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.
19. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.
20. They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”
21. Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”
22. No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.
23. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.