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 the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

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

of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

3 I f indeed God permits, we will proceed.

And this we will 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 in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been 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 have tasted the good word of God and the powers 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 then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to 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 ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a 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 if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. Better Things for You

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 are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

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 so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

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,

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,

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.

so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through 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 made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

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

saying, “ I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

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

And so, having patiently waited, 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 swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

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 the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with 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.

so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of 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,

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters 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 Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.