Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.”

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Let love of the brethren continue.

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,

in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

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,

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

But of the Son He says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

They will perish, but You remain;
And they all will become old like a garment,

Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,

and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

just as He says also in another passage,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

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;

and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,

In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.

And like a mantle You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.”

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;

Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;

By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;

He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

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.

And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.

But My righteous one shall live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

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

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.

for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.

being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”

equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.

“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
And saw My works for forty years.

For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.

Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

“And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”

For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

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

that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

“You have made him for a little while lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And have appointed him over the works of Your hands;

For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

“Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;

saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”

and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.

But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

As I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

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

And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,
“The Lord has sworn
And will not change His mind,
‘You are a priest forever’”);

And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”

For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,

Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.

Grace be with you all.

And again,
“I will put My trust in Him.”And again,“Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,

nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;

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

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,

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”

For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

while it is said,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”

And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

For it is attested of Him,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.”

Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For by it the men of old gained approval.

By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.

And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

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.

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

so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house.

he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;

to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house.

For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.

but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

And inasmuch as it was not without an oath

Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.

Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

And this we will do, if God permits.

Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.

But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.

For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”? And again,“I will be a Father to Him
And He shall be a Son to Me”?

Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.

And,
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;

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.

For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?

for our God is a consuming fire.

“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”

so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”

And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

For finding fault with them, He says,
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

But one has testified somewhere, saying,
“What is man, that You remember him?
Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him?

but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.