A Serious Warning Against Falling Away

1 So then let us once for all quit the elementary teaching about Christ and continue progressing toward maturity; let us stop relaying a foundation of repentance from works that mean only death, and of faith in God,

1 Therefore (A)leaving (B)the (a)elementary teaching about the (b)Christ, let us press on to (c)(C)maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from (D)dead works and of faith toward God,

1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

1 Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,(A)

1 Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teachings about the Messiah, let us continue to be carried along to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead actions, faith toward God,

2 of teaching about ceremonial washings and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and final judgment.

2 of (E)instruction about washings and (F)laying on of hands, and the (G)resurrection of the dead and (H)eternal judgment.

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

2 teaching about ritual washings,(a) laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.(B)

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

3 And we will progress, if God permits.

3 And this we will do, (I)if God permits.

3 And this will we do, if God permit.

3 And we will do this if God permits.

3 And this we will do, if God permits.

4 For it is impossible for those who have once for all been enlightened and have experienced the gift from heaven, who have been made sharers of the Holy Spirit

4 For in the case of those who have once been (J)enlightened and have tasted of (K)the heavenly gift and have been made (L)partakers of the Holy Spirit,

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,(C)

4 For it is impossible to keep on restoring to repentance time and again people who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have become partners with the Holy Spirit,

5 and have experienced how good God's message is and the mighty powers of the age to come,

5 and (M)have tasted the good (N)word of God and the powers of (O)the age to come,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

5 tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age,

5 who have tasted the goodness of God's word and the powers of the coming age,

6 and then have fallen by the wayside -- it is impossible, I say, to keep on restoring them to their first repentance, since they continue to crucify the Son of God to their detriment and hold Him up to contempt.

6 and then have fallen away, it is (P)impossible to renew them again to repentance, (d)(Q)since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

6 and who have fallen away, because,(b) to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.(D)

6 and who have fallen away, as long as they continue to crucify the Son of God to their own detriment by exposing him to public ridicule.

7 For a piece of ground that drinks in the rains so frequently falling on it, and continues yielding vegetation useful to those for whose sakes it is cultivated, receives from God His blessings.

7 For ground that drinks the rain which often (e)falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those (R)for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;

7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

7 For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for receives a blessing from God.

7 For when the ground soaks up rain that often falls on it and continues producing vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated, it receives a blessing from God.

8 But if it continues to yield thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and in danger of being cursed, and its final fate is burning.

8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and (S)close (f)to being cursed, and (g)it ends up being burned.

8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.(E)

8 However, if it continues to produce thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed, and in the end will be burned.

God Will Not Forget You

9 But in your case, my dearly loved friends, even though we speak in such a tone, we are sure of better things, yea, things that point to salvation.

9 But, (T)beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that (h)accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

9 Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation.

9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case, things that point to salvation.

10 For God is not so unjust as to forget the work you have done and the love you have shown His name in the service you have rendered for your fellow-Christians, and still are doing.

10 For (U)God is not unjust so as to forget (V)your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having (W)ministered and in still ministering to the (i)saints.

10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

10 For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love(c) you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them.(F)

10 For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have ministered to the saints and continue to minister to them.

11 And we desire each one of you to continue to show the same earnestness to the very end, that you may enjoy your hope to the fullest,

11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence (j)so as to realize the (X)full assurance of (Y)hope until the end,

11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

11 Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope,

11 But we want each of you to continue to be diligent to the very end, in order to give full assurance to your hope.

12 so that you may not grow careless, but may follow the example of those who through their faith and patient endurance are now possessors of the blessings promised.

12 so that you will not be sluggish, but (Z)imitators of those who through (AA)faith and patience (AB)inherit the promises.

12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

12 so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.(G)

12 Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are inheriting the promises through faith and patience.

The Reliability Of God's Promise

13 For when God made His promise to Abraham, He took an oath by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom He could take it,

13 For (AC)when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He (AD)swore by Himself,

13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:

13 For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself, since he had no one greater to swear by.

14 saying: "I will certainly bless you over and over again, I will extensively increase your numbers."

14 saying, “(AE)I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

14 I will indeed bless you,and I will greatly multiply you.(H)(d)

14 He said, "I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants."

15 And so by patiently waiting he obtained what God had promised him.

15 And so, (AF)having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

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

15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham(e) obtained the promise.

15 And so he obtained what he had been promised, because he patiently waited for it.

16 For it is a custom among men to take oath by something greater than themselves, and an oath taken for confirmation settles any dispute among them.

16 (AG)For men swear by (k)one greater than themselves, and with them (AH)an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

16 For men swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute.

16 For people swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all argument.

17 Therefore, because God wanted to make the strongest demonstration of the unchangeable character of His purpose, He interposed with an oath,

17 (l)In the same way God, desiring even more to show to (AI)the heirs of the promise (AJ)the unchangeableness of His purpose, (m)interposed with an oath,

17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

17 Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath,(I)

17 In the same way, when God wanted to make the unchangeable character of his purpose perfectly clear to the heirs of his promise, he guaranteed it with an oath,

18 so that by these two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge with Him may have encouragement strong enough to make us seize upon the hope that lies ahead of us.

18 so that by two unchangeable things in which (AK)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have (n)taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of (AL)the hope set before us.

18 That by two immutable things, in which it was 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:

18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.(J)

18 so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us.

19 This hope we have as an anchor for our souls, secure and safe, which reaches up behind the heavenly veil,

19 (o)This (AM)hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which (AN)enters (p)within the veil,

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

19 We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.(K)

19 That hope, firm and secure like an anchor for our souls, reaches behind the curtain

20 (6:19) where Jesus has blazed the way for us and became a High Priest with the rank of Melchizedek.

20 (AO)where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a (AP)high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner,(L) because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.(M)

20 where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

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