There is a close parallel between these two verses, especially in a rather literal translation such as Revised Standard Version.

He preferred may be rendered as “He thought it was better” or “He decided that it was better.”

As in Revised Standard Version, different expressions for suffer are used in Greek in verses 25 and 26 for the sake of variety. In verse 25 the writer uses an unusual compound verb, meaning “be badly treated with.”

Enjoy sin for a little while: in 4 Maccabees 5.8 and 8.6, a pagan emperor invites faithful Jews to “enjoy” the rewards of giving up their faith; the meaning is similar here, though “pleasures” is implicit (see King James Version, Revised Standard Version, New English Bible).

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch brings out clearly the relation between “enjoyment” and “sin” in verse 25: “He preferred to suffer with God’s people, rather than to live well for a short time, and so burden himself with guilt.” The verb translated suffer with is related to that translated suffering in 13.3, and mistreated in 11.37. These verbs are not used anywhere else in the New Testament. The writer of Hebrews uses the more common Greek word for suffer only in speaking of the death of Christ (2.9, 10, 18; 5.8; 9.26). Translators must decide whether it is natural to keep this distinction in their own language. In Greek as in English, the verb for mistreated, unlike that for suffer, clearly expresses the evil nature of those who cause the suffering.

To suffer with God’s people may be expressed as “to suffer in a way in which God’s people were suffering.” To suffer may be translated “to experience pain” or “to be pained.”

Scorn for the Messiah is literally “the shame (or, insult) of the Christ” (compare 13.13). This expression raises two questions:
(a) Who is “the Christ” in this context? In Psalm 89.51 “the Christ” (Revised Standard Version “anointed”) is probably God’s “servant” or “chosen king.” In translating Hebrews the usual equivalent for “the Messiah” or “God’s chosen one” should be used: the Messiah, “God’s Anointed” (New English Bible), or “God’s promised king,” rather than “the Christ” (Revised Standard Version) or “Christ,” as in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and most older translations. The idea of Moses suffering insults directly for the sake of Jesus is unnecessarily difficult.
(b) What is the meaning of the word “of” in the Greek expression for “the shame of the Christ”? In other words, what is the relation between Moses’ “sufferings” and “the Christ”? It is part of the translator’s responsibility to make this clear, and the literal translation “the reproach of Christ” (Phillips), even with quotation marks, does not convey any clear meaning. Translators follow two main lines: (i) suffering for the Messiah (Good News Translation); so also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the contempt which one takes on oneself for Christ,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “suffering dishonor for the cause of Christ,” and Translator’s New Testament “shame suffered for God’s Anointed One”; or (ii) suffering like God’s anointed: Barclay “the insults and injury, which God’s Anointed One must suffer,” Jerusalem Bible “the insults offered to the Anointed,” New English Bible “the stigma that rests on God’s Anointed,” and New American Bible “the reproach borne by God’s Anointed.” “Suffering as (being) God’s Anointed” is impossible; Moses anointed Aaron and his sons (Exo 28.41) but was not himself anointed. The insults which Moses “suffered” had a meaning related to Jesus, and also indirectly to the “suffering” of the people of God (verse 25a). To some extent (ii) includes (i) and is to be preferred.

It may be difficult to say that suffering is worth more than all the treasures of Egypt, since to suffer scorn for the Messiah could be interpreted as a type of condition. It may therefore be possible to render the first part of verse 26 as “He reasoned that if he suffered the scorn of the people for the sake of God’s Anointed One, that was far more valuable than possessing all the treasures of Egypt.”

He kept his eyes on the future reward prepares the way for 12.2, though the Greek is different. Instead of this figurative expression, it may be better to use a nonfigurative one; for example, “he kept thinking about the reward which would come in the future,” “… the reward which would be given to him in the future,” or “he kept hoping for the reward.”

On reward, see comments on 2.2 and 10.35.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .