1 Therefore, leaving behind the elementary message about Christ, let us move on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith in God,
2 teaching about baptisms and laying on of hands, and resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
3 And this we will do, if God permits.
4 For [it is] impossible [concerning] those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and become sharers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age,
6 and having fallen away, to renew [them] again to repentance, [because they] have crucified again for themselves the Son of God and held him up to contempt.
7 For ground that drinks the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth vegetation usable to those [people] {for whose sake} [it is] also cultivated, shares a blessing from God.
8 But [if it] produces thorns and thistles, [it is] worthless and near to a curse, whose end [is] for burning.
9 But even if we are speaking in this way, dear friends, we are convinced of better [things] concerning you, and belonging to salvation.
10 For God [is] not unjust, [so as] to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name [by] having served the saints, and continuing to serve [them].
11 And we desire each one of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of [your] hope until the end,
12 in order that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and patience.
13 For [when] God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself,
15 And so, [by] persevering, he obtained the promise.
16 For people swear by what is greater [than themselves], and the oath for confirmation [is the] end of all dispute for them.
17 In the same way God, [because he] wanted to show even more to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his resolve, guaranteed [it] with an oath,
18 in order that through two unchangeable things, in which [it is] impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge may have powerful encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before [us],
19 which we have like an anchor of the soul, both firm and steadfast, and entering into the inside of the curtain,
20 where Jesus, the forerunner for us, entered, [because he] became a high priest {forever} according to the order of Melchizedek.