1 T herefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith to God,

¶ Therefore, leaving now the word of the beginning of the establishment of the Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from works of death, and of faith in God,

2 W ith teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment.

of the doctrine of the baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

3 I f indeed God permits, we will proceed.

And this we will indeed do, if God permits.

4 F or it is impossible those who have been once for all enlightened, who have consciously tasted the heavenly gift and have become sharers of the Holy Spirit,

For it is impossible that those who once received the light and tasted of that heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit

5 A nd have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age and world to come,

and likewise have tasted the good word of God and the virtue of the age to come,

6 I f they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance— to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh and are holding up to contempt and shame and public disgrace.

and have backslidden, be renewed again by repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God and putting him to an open shame.

7 F or the soil which has drunk the rain that repeatedly falls upon it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated partakes of a blessing from God.

For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it and brings forth herbs in season for those by whom it is dressed receives blessing from God;

8 B ut if persistently bears thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

but that which bears thorns and briers is rejected and is near unto cursing, whose end shall be by fire.

9 E ven though we speak this way, yet in your case, beloved, we are now firmly convinced of better things that are near to salvation and accompany it.

¶ But, beloved, we expect better things than these of you, things near unto saving health, though we thus speak.

10 F or God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do.

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of charity which ye have showed in his name, having helped the saints and helping them.

11 B ut we do '> strongly and earnestly] desire for each of you to show the same diligence and sincerity in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and development of hope until the end,

But we desire that each one of you show the same diligence until the end for the fulfillment of your hope,

12 I n order that you may not grow disinterested and become sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith ( by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are inheriting the promises.

that ye not become slothful, but imitators of those who by faith and patience inherit the promises.

13 F or when God made promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear,

For when God promised unto Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,

14 S aying, Blessing I certainly will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you.

saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee.

15 A nd so it was that he, having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained what God had promised him.

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

16 M en indeed swear by a greater, and with them in all disputes the oath taken for confirmation is final.

For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy.

17 A ccordingly God also, in His desire to show more convincingly and beyond doubt to those who were to inherit the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose and plan, intervened (mediated) with an oath.

In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

18 T his was so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before.

that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,

19 w e have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul '> break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into within the veil,

which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters even into that which is within the veil,

20 W here Jesus has entered in for us, a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek.

where our precursor, Jesus, has entered for us and is made high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.