It was little by little and in different ways that God spoke in old times to our forefathers through the prophets,

You have loved right and hated wrong! That is why God, your God, has anointed you with exhilarating oil beyond all your comrades."

For it was not for angels that he destined the control of that world to be, that we are speaking of.

You have put everything under his feet!" In thus making everything subject to man, God left nothing that was not subjected to him. But we do not as yet see everything made subject to him,

but we do see Jesus, who was "made for a little while inferior to angels, crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death, so that by the favor of God he might taste the bitterness of death on behalf of every human being.

For it was appropriate that he who is the great First Cause of the universe should, in guiding his many children to his glorious salvation, make their leader in it fully qualified through what he suffered.

For both he who purifies them and they who are purified spring from one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

and again "I will put my trust in God"; and again, "Here I am with the children that God has given me."

Therefore since these children referred to have the same mortal nature, Jesus also shared it, like them, in order that by his death he might dethrone the lord of death, the devil,

For of course it was not angels but the descendants of Abraham that he came to help.

And so he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might prove a compassionate high priest as well as one faithful in his service to God, in order to forgive the people's sins.

Now the faithfulness of Moses in all the house of God was that of a servant, in faithfully repeating what he was told to say;

but Christ's faithfulness was that of a son set over the house of God. And we are that house, if we keep up our courage and our triumphant hope to the very end.

Do not harden your hearts as your forefathers provoked me by doing, As in that time of trial in the desert,

That was why I was angry with that generation, And I said, 'Their minds are always wandering, And they have never found my paths.'

See to it, my brothers, that no one of you has a wicked, unbelieving heart, that turns away from the ever-living God,

but encourage one another every day, as long as we can still speak of Today, so that no one of you may have his heart hardened by the pleasantness of sin.

For we are true partners with Christ if we really keep the conviction that we had at first unshaken to the very end.

For who was it that heard him speak and yet provoked him? Was it not all those who had escaped from Egypt under Moses' leadership?

And who was it to whom God made oath that they should not be admitted to his Rest, if it was not to those who had disobeyed him?

So we see that it was their unbelief that kept them from being admitted to it.

We ought therefore to fear that when the promise of admission to his Rest is still open, some one of you may be found to have failed to reach it.

For we who have believed are admitted to that Rest, of which he said, "As I made oath in my anger, They shall never be admitted to my Rest!" And yet God's work was finished at the creation of the world,

Since then it is still true that somebody will be admitted to it, and those who had a gospel preached to them before were not admitted because of their disobedience,

Let us, therefore, make every effort to be admitted to that Rest, so that none of us may fail through such disobedience as theirs.

Ground that drinks in frequent showers and produces vegetation that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated receives God's blessing.

But about you, dear friends, even though we say this, we are sure of better things that promise salvation.

so that you may never grow careless, but may learn to follow the example of those who through their faith and endurance are the possessors of God's promises.

Therefore, God in his desire to make it perfectly clear to those to whom he made his promise, that his purpose was unalterable, bound himself with an oath,

so that by these two unalterable things, which make it impossible for God to break his promise, we who have taken refuge with him may be greatly encouraged to seize upon the hope that is offered to us.

Those of the descendants of Levi who are appointed to the priesthood are directed by the Law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their own brothers, although they are descended from Abraham like themselves.

But, beyond any doubt, it is the inferior that is blessed by the superior.

For it is perfectly clear that our Lord sprang from the tribe of Judah, with reference to which Moses said nothing at all about priests.

The point is still more clear in view of the fact that the appointment of the new priest resembles that of Melchizedek,

for he is appointed not for possessing any legal physical qualifications, but by virtue of a life that cannot end.

to officiate as priest in the sanctuary and in that true tent of worship which not man but the Lord himself set up.

Further, if he were still on earth, he would not be a priest at all, for there are priests enough provided to offer the gifts the Law prescribes??5 though the service they engage in is only a shadow and imitation of that in heaven. For when Moses was going to make the tent of worship he was warned, "Be sure to make it all just like the pattern you were shown on the mountain."

For if that first agreement had been perfect, there would have been no occasion for a second one.

Not like the one that I made with their forefathers, On the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out from the land of Egypt, For they would not abide by their agreement with me, So I paid no attention to them,' says the Lord.

'For this is the agreement that I will make with the house of Israel, In those later days,' says the Lord; 'I will put my laws into their minds, And write them on their hearts, And they will have me for their God, And I will have them for my people.

Even the first agreement provided regulations for worship, and a sanctuary that was fully equipped.

stood the gold incense-altar and the chest that contained the agreement, entirely covered with gold, with the gold jar in it that held the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets containing the agreement;

In all this the holy Spirit was seeking to show that there was no free access to the sanctuary while the outer tent was still standing.

And all this looked toward the present time and was symbolic of the fact that the mere offering of material gifts and sacrifices cannot inwardly qualify the worshiper to approach God,

But when Christ came, as the high priest of the better system under which we live, he went once for all, through that greater, more perfect tent of worship not made by human hands nor a part of our material creation, into the sanctuary,

And this is why he is the negotiator of a new agreement, in order that as someone has died to deliver them from the offenses committed under the old agreement, those who have been offered it may receive the unending inheritance they have been promised.

By such means, therefore, these things that were only copied from the originals in heaven had to be purified, but the heavenly originals themselves required far better sacrifices than these.

For it was not a sanctuary made by human hands and only copied after the true one that Christ entered, but he went into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God.

Nor does he go in to offer himself over and over again, like the high priest who enters the sanctuary year after year, taking with him blood that is not his own,

And just as men are destined to die once and after that to be judged,

For while the Law foreshadowed the blessings that were to come, it did not fully express them, and so the priests by offering the same sacrifices endlessly year after year cannot wholly free those who come to worship from their sins.

That is why the Christ, when he was coming into the world, said, "You have not wished sacrifice or offering, but you have provided a body for me.

And it is through his doing of God's will that we have been once for all purified from sin through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ in sacrifice.

from that time waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool.

For by that one sacrifice he has forever qualified those who are purified from sin to approach God.

" 'This is the agreement that I will make with them In those later days,' says the Lord, 'I will put my laws into their minds, And write them upon their hearts,' " he goes on,

by the new, living way which he has opened for us, through the curtain, that is, his physical nature,

Let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we profess, for he who has given us his promise may be trusted.

Let us not neglect meeting together as some do, but let us encourage one another, all the more as you can see that the great Day is coming nearer.

but only the dreadful prospect of judgment and that blazing indignation which is to devour God's enemies.

For we know who it is that has said, "Vengeance belongs to me! I will pay back!" and in another place, "The Lord will be the judge of his people!"

sometimes being actually exposed as a public spectacle to insults and violence, and sometimes showing yourselves ready to share the lot of those in that condition.

For you showed sympathy with those who were in prison, and you put up with it cheerfully when your property was taken from you, for you knew that you had in yourselves a greater possession that was lasting.

Faith means the assurance of what we hope for; it is our conviction about things that we cannot see.

For it was by it that the men of old gained God's approval.

It is faith that enables us to see that the universe was created at the command of God, so that the world we see did not simply arise out of matter.

Faith caused Enoch to be taken up from the earth without experiencing death; he could not be found, because God had taken him up. For before he was taken up there is evidence that he pleased God,

Faith led Noah, when he was warned by God of things no one then saw, in obedience to the warning to build an ark in which to save his family, and by such faith he condemned the world, and came to possess that uprightness which faith produces.

For he was looking forward to that city with the sure foundations, designed and built by God.

Faith made even Sarah herself able to have a child, although she was past the time of life for it, because she thought, that he who had made the promise would keep it.

All these people lived all their lives in faith, and died without receiving what had been promised; they only saw it far ahead and welcomed the sight of it, recognizing that they themselves were only foreigners and strangers here on earth.

For men who recognize that show that they are in search of a country of their own.

But, as it is, their aspirations are for a better, a heavenly country! That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city to receive them.

For he believed that God was able to raise men even from the dead, and from the dead he did indeed, to speak figuratively, receive him back.

Faith enabled Isaac to bequeath to Jacob and Esau blessings that were still to be.

Faith led Moses' parents to hide him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child and they would not respect the edict of the king.

Faith made him institute the Passover and splash the blood upon the door-posts, to keep the angel that destroyed the firstborn from touching them.

Women had their dead restored to them by resurrection. Others endured torture, and refused to accept release, that they might rise again to the better life.

for God had resolved upon something still better for us, that they might not reach the fulfilment of their hopes except with us.

fixing our eyes upon Jesus, our leader and example in faith, who in place of the happiness that belonged to him, submitted to a cross, caring nothing for its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Think of the opposition that he encountered from those sinners against themselves, if you would not grow weary and faint-hearted.

For it is those whom the Lord loves that he disciplines, And he chastises every son that he acknowledges."

But if you have none of that discipline which all sons undergo, you are illegitimate children, and not true sons.

And keep your feet in straight paths, so that limbs that are lame may not be dislocated but instead be cured.

Try to be at peace with everyone, and strive for that consecration without which no one can see the Lord.

Be careful that no one fails to gain God's favor, or some poisonous root may come up to trouble and contaminate you all??16 some immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his very birthright for one single meal.

For it is no tangible blazing fire that you have come up to, no blackness and darkness and storm,

and so awful was the sight that Moses said, "I am aghast and appalled!"

to Jesus the negotiator of a new agreement, and to sprinkled blood that speaks more powerfully than even Abel's.

Now the words "But once more" indicate the final removal of all that is shaken, as only created, leaving only what is unshaken to be permanent.

Let us, therefore, be thankful that the kingdom given to us cannot be shaken, and so please God by worshiping him with reverence and awe;

So that we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can men do to me?"

Jesus Christ is the same today that he was yesterday, and he will be so forever.

Let us, therefore, go out to him, outside the camp, sharing the contempt that he endured,

for we have no permanent city here on earth, but we are in search of the city that is to come.

In his name let us continually offer praise as our sacrifice to God??he utterance of lips that glorify God's name.

But do not forget to be helpful and generous, for that is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God.

Obey your leaders and give way to them, for they are keeping watch in defense of your souls, as men accountable for the trust. Make their work a joy and not a grief, for that would be the worse for you.

I ask this of you more especially that I may be brought back to you the sooner.

You must know that our brother Timothy has been released from prison. If he comes here soon, we will see you together.