1 ل ِهَذا لِنَترُكْ وَراءَنا التَّعالِيْمَ الابْتِدائِيَّةَ عَنِ المَسِيْحِ، وَلْنَتَقَدَّمْ عَلَى طَرِيْقِ الكَمالِ، فَلا حاجَةَ بِنا إلَى الحَدِيثِ ثانِيَةً عَنِ التَّوبَةِ عَنِ الأعمالِ الَّتِي تُؤَدِّي إلَى المَوتِ وَعَنِ الإيمانِ بِاللهِ.

So let us leave the first things you need to know about Christ. Let us go on to the teaching that full-grown Christians should understand. We do not need to teach these first truths again. You already know that you must be sorry for your sins and turn from them. You know that you must have faith in God.

2 و َتَعلِيْمِ المَعمُودِيّاتِ، وَوَضْعِ الأيدِي، وَقِيامَةِ الأمواتِ، وَالدَّيْنُونَةِ الأبَدِيَّةِ.

You know about being baptized and about putting hands on people. You know about being raised from the dead and about being punished forever.

3 و َسَنَتَقَدَّمُ بِالفِعلِ بِإذْنِ اللهِ.

We will go on, if God lets us.

4 ف َالَّذِيْنَ استَنارُوا يُوماً، وَاختَبَرُوا المَوهِبَةَ السَّماوِيَّةَ، وَصارتْ لَهُمْ شَرَكَةٌ فِي الرُّوحِ القُدُسِ،

There are those who have known the truth. They have received the gift from heaven. They have shared the Holy Spirit.

5 و َذاقُوا كَلِمَةَ اللهِ وَاختَبَرُوا قُوّاتِ العَصْرِ الآتِي،

They know how good the Word of God is. They know of the powers of the world to come.

6 ث ُمَّ ارْتَدُّوا، لا يُمكِنُ أنْ تُجَدِّدَهُمْ ثانِيَةً وَتَرُدَّهُمْ إلَى التَّوبَةِ، لِأنَّهُمْ بِذَلِكَ يَصلِبُونَ ابنَ اللهِ ثانِيَةً لِضَرَرِهِمْ، وَيُعَرِّضُونَهُ لِلعارِ عَلَى المَلِأ.

But if they turn away, they cannot be sorry for their sins and turn from them again. It is because they are nailing the Son of God on a cross again. They are holding Him up in shame in front of all people.

7 ف َحِيْنَ تَشرَبُ الأرْضُ المَطَرَ الَّذِي يَسقُطُ عَلَيْها وَتُعطِي مَحصُولاً نافِعاً لِلَّذِيْنَ يَفلَحُونَها، فَإنَّ اللهَ يُبارِكُها.

It is the same with a piece of ground that has had many rains fall on it. God makes it possible for that ground to give good fruits and vegetables.

8 أ مّا إذا أنبَتَتْ شَوكاً وَحَسَكاً فَلا قِيْمَةَ لَها، وَسَيَلْعَنُها اللهُ، وَتكونُ النّارُ مَصيرَها!

But if it gives nothing but weeds, it is worth nothing. It will be hated and destroyed by fire.

9 ل َكِنَّنا أيُّها الأحِبّاء نَتَوَقَّعُ مِنكَمْ أُمُوراً أفضَلَ مِنْ جِهَةِ خَلاصِكُمْ.

Dear friends, even as we tell you this, we are sure of better things for you. These things go along with being saved from the punishment of sin.

10 ف َاللهُ لَيْسَ ظالِماً حَتَّى يَنسَى جُهُودَكُمْ، وَالمَحَبَّةَ الَّتِي أظهَرْتُمُوها لَهُ بِما خَدَمْتُمْ وَتَخدِمُونَ شَعبَهُ المُقَدَّسَ.

God always does what is right. He will not forget the work you did to help the Christians and the work you are still doing to help them. This shows your love for Christ.

11 ل َكِنْ ما نَتَمَنّاهُ هُوَ أنْ يُظهِرَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنكُمْ هَذا الاجتِهادَ نَفْسَهُ حَتَّى النِّهايَةِ، لِكَي يَتَحَقَّقُ الرَّجاءُ.

We want each one of you to keep on working to the end. Then what you hope for, will happen.

12 ل ا نُرِيْدُكُمْ أنْ تَكُونُوا كَسالَى، بَلْ نُرِيْدُكُمْ أنْ تَقتَدُوا بِالَّذِيْنَ يَرِثُونَ وُعُودَ اللهِ بِالإيمانِ وَالمُثابِرَةِ.

Do not be lazy. Be like those who have faith and have not given up. They will receive what God has promised them. God’s Promise

13 ل َمّا قَطَعَ اللهُ وَعداً لإبراهِيْمَ أقْسَمَ بِنَفسِهِ، إذْ لَيْسَ هُناكَ مَنْ هُوَ أعظَمُ مِنْهُ فَيُقسِمَ بِهِ.

When God made a promise to Abraham, He made that promise in His own name because no one was greater.

14 ق الَ اللهُ لإبْراهيمَ: «سَأُبارِكُكَ بِكُلِّ بَرَكَةٍ. وَسَأُعطِيْكَ نَسلاً كَثِيراً جِدّاً.»

He said, “I will make you happy in so many ways. For sure, I will give you many children.”

15 و َإذِ انتَظَرَ إبراهِيْمُ بِصَبْرٍ، نالَ ما وَعَدَهُ بِهِ اللهُ.

Abraham was willing to wait and God gave to him what He had promised.

16 ف َالنّاسُ يُقسِمُونَ بِمَنْ هُوَ أعظَمُ مِنهُمْ. وَالقَسَمُ يُثَبِّتُ ما يَقُولُونَهُ مُنهِياً كُلَّ جَدَلٍ.

When men make a promise, they use a name greater than themselves. They do this to make sure they will do what they promise. In this way, no one argues about it.

17 ل ِذَلِكَ عِنْدَما أرادَ اللهُ أنْ يُوضِحَ لِكُلِّ وَرَثَةِ الوَعدِ أنَّ نَواياهُ لا تَتَغَيَّرُ أبَداً، ثَبَّتَ وَعْدَهُ بِقَسَمٍ.

And so God made a promise. He wanted to show Abraham that He would never change His mind. So He made the promise in His own name.

18 ا ستَخدَمَ اللهُ أمرَيْنِ لا يَتَغَيَّرانِ وَلا يُمكِنُ أنْ يُكذَبَ فِيْهِما، وَهُما وَعدُهُ وَقَسَمُهُ. وَذَلِكَ لِكَيْ يُشَجِّعَنا، نَحنُ الَّذِيْنَ أسرَعْنا إلَى التَّمَسُّكِ بِالرَّجاءِ المُقَدَّمِ لَنا.

God gave these two things that cannot be changed and God cannot lie. We who have turned to Him can have great comfort knowing that He will do what He has promised.

19 و َهَذا الرَّجاءُ مِرساةٌ ثابِتَةٌ وَآمِنَةٌ لِحَياتِنا، يَصِلُ بِنا إلَى خَلفِ السِّتارَةِ، إلَى مَقدِسِ اللهِ الدّاخِلِيِّ،

This hope is a safe anchor for our souls. It will never move. This hope goes into the Holiest Place of All behind the curtain of heaven.

20 ح َيثُ دَخَلَ يَسُوعُ مِنْ أجلِنا كَرائِدٍ لَنا. وَقَدْ صارَ رَئِيْسَ كَهَنَةٍ إلَى الأبَدِ عَلَى رُتْبَةِ مَلْكِيصادَقَ.

Jesus has already gone there. He has become our Religious Leader forever and has made the way for man to go to God. He is like Melchizedek.