Therefore, as we have so vast a crowd of spectators in the grandstands, let us throw off every impediment and the sin that easily entangles our feet, and run with endurance the race for which we are entered,

Now faith is the assurance of the things we hope for, the proof of the reality of the things we cannot see.

For God's message is alive and full of power in action, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the depths of soul and spirit, to the dividing of joints and marrow, and passing judgment on the thoughts and purposes of the heart.

but without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that there is a God and that He gives rewards to all who earnestly try to find Him.

It was bit by bit and in many different ways that God in olden times spoke to our forefathers through the prophets,

You must have a turn of mind that is free from avarice; you must be content with what you have, for God Himself has said, "I will never fail you, I will never forsake you."

Indeed, just as men must die but once and after that be judged,

Let us stop neglecting our meeting together, as some do, but let us continue to encourage one another, and all the more because you see that the great day is drawing near.

For we do not have a High Priest who is incapable of sympathizing with us in our weaknesses, but we have One who was tempted in every respect as we are, and yet without committing any sin.

He is the reflection of God's glory and the perfect representation of His being, and continues to uphold the universe by His mighty word. After He had procured man's purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of God's majesty,

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, forever.

Let us continue so to consider one another as to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the perfect leader and example of faith, who, instead of the joy which lay before Him, endured the cross with no regard for its shame, and since has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Since then we have in Jesus, the Son of God, a great High Priest who has gone right up to heaven itself, let us continue to keep a firm hold on our profession of faith in Him.

Continue to live in peace with everybody and strive for that consecration without which no one can see the Lord.

And so there sprang from one man, and that dead as to any prospects for offspring, a people as numberless as the stars in the sky and as the sands beside the seashore.

Therefore, because He Himself lives always to intercede for them always, He is able to save completely any and all who come to God through Him.

Since then the children mentioned share our mortal nature, He too took on Himself a full share of the same, in order that He by His death might put a stop to the power of him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

Marriage must be held in honor by all, and the marriage relations kept sacred. Persons who are sexually vicious and immoral God will punish.

while in this passage again He says: "They shall not be admitted to my rest."

Since then, my brothers, we have free access to the real sanctuary through the blood of Jesus,

So let us continue coming with courage to the throne of God's unmerited favor to obtain His mercy and to find His spiritual strength to help us when we need it.

Continue to obey and to be submissive to your leaders, for they are ever watching in defense of your souls, as men who will have to give account of their trust. Treat them in this way, so that they may work with joy and not with grief.

In fact, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood no forgiveness is granted.

You must let your brotherly love continue.

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,

but in these latter days He has spoken to us through a Son, whom He had appointed lawful owner of everything, and through whom He had made the worlds.

but we do see Jesus, who was made inferior to the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by God's favor He might experience death for every human being.

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

By faith we understand that the worlds were created, beautifully coordinated, and now exist, at God's command; so the things that we see did not develop out of mere matter.

For if we go willfully sinning after we have received full knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice left to be offered for our sins,

how much more surely will the blood of Christ, who with an eternal Spirit gave Himself a spotless offering to God, purify your consciences from works that mean mere death, to serve the ever living God?

But regarding the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, will stand forever and ever; a righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.

This is why we must pay much closer attention to the message once heard, to keep from drifting to one side.

let us, without ever wavering, keep on holding to the hope that we profess, for He is to be trusted who has made the promise,

They will perish, but you always remain; they all will grow old like a coat,

Since then it still remains that some are being admitted to it and that those who first had the good news told to them were not admitted because of disobedience,

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

as also in another passage He says: "You are a priest forever, belonging to the rank of Melchizedek."

So then, through Christ, let us always offer God the sacrifice of praise; that is, the speech of lips that glorify the name of God.

For since the law cast only a shadow of the blessings to come and did not possess the reality itself of those blessings, the priests with the same sacrifices that are perpetually offered year after year cannot make perfect those who come to worship.

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.

and you have forgotten the encouragement which is addressed to you as sons: "My son, refrain from thinking lightly of the discipline the Lord inflicts, and giving up when you are corrected by Him.

But when Christ came as the High Priest of good things that have already taken place, He went by way of that greater and more perfect tent of worship, not made by human hands, that is, not belonging to this material creation,

how can we escape, if we pay no attention at all to a salvation that is so great? This is so because it was first proclaimed by the Lord Himself, and then it was proved to us to be valid by the very men who heard Him themselves,

These people all died victoriously as a result of their faith, although they did not receive the blessings promised; that is, because they really saw them in the far-off future and welcomed them, and so professed to be only foreigners and strangers here on earth.

Therefore, my Christian brothers, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the Messenger and High Priest whom we profess to follow,

For although you ought to be teachers of others because you have been Christians so long, you actually need someone to teach you over and over again the very elements of the truths that God has given us, and you have gotten into such a state that you are in constant need of milk instead of solid food.

Do not remain neglectful of hospitality to strangers, for by it some have entertained angels without knowing it.

By faith Abraham, on being called, obeyed in starting off for a country which he was to receive as his own, and he did it in spite of the fact that he did not know where he was going.

May God, who gives us peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, who through the blood by which He ratified the everlasting covenant, is now the Great Shepherd of the sheep,

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

so Christ was offered once for all to take away the sins of many, but again He will appear, without having anything to do with sin, to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him to bring them final salvation.

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

In the one case, mortal men collect the tenth, in the other, one who, as the witness states, lives on.

You must not forget your former leaders, for it was they who brought you the message of God. Consider how they closed their lives; imitate their faith.

It is by this will of God that we are consecrated through the offering of Jesus' body once for all.

For people who make such a profession as this show that they are in search of a country of their own.

Are not the angels all attending spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are going to be unceasing possessors of salvation?

For it was not a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, that Christ entered, but it was into heaven itself that He went, in order now to appear for us in the very presence of God.

For it was appropriate for Him, who is the Final Goal and the First Cause of the universe, in bringing many children to glory, to make the Leader in their salvation perfect through the process of sufferings.

but day by day, as long as "Today" shall last, continue to encourage one another, so that not one of you may be hardened by sin's deceiving ways,

Or again, "I will become His Father, and He shall become my Son"? But when He brings again His first-born Son into the world, He says, "And let all the angels worship Him."

For during His human life He offered up prayers and entreaties, crying aloud with tears to Him who was always able to save Him out of death, and because of His beautiful spirit of worship His prayer was heard.

'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel in those days,' says the Lord; 'I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. And nevermore will each one need to teach his fellow-citizen,

Therefore He had to be made like His brothers, so that He could be a sympathetic High Priest, as well as a faithful one, in things relating to God, in order to atone for the people's sins.

Unlike the one that I made with their forefathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them out from the land of Egypt, for they did not abide by their covenant with me, so I did not care for them,' says the Lord.

And you will fold them up just like a robe, and they will be changed like the changing of one's coat, but you are the same, and your years will never cease."

Let us, therefore, be thankful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and in this way continue to serve God acceptably in reverence and fear;

Although He was a Son, He learned from what He suffered how to obey,

See to it, my brothers, that no wicked, unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from the ever-living God,

And this is why He is the Mediator of a new covenant, in order that, after He had suffered death for securing redemption from the offenses committed under the first covenant, those who had been invited to share it might obtain the eternal inheritance promised them.

let us continue to draw near to God with sincere hearts and perfect faith; with our hearts cleansed from the sense of sin, and our bodies bathed in clean water;

For He disciplines everyone He loves, and chastises every son whom He heartily receives."

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

But, as the case with Him now stands, He has entered upon a priestly service as much superior to theirs as the covenant of which He is the Mediator is superior to theirs, superior because it has been enacted upon superior promises.

and not with blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He once for all went into the real sanctuary and secured our eternal redemption.

So let us fear that when the promise for us to be admitted to His rest is still remaining valid some one of you may be found to have missed it.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "If you but hear His voice today,

So a sabbath of rest is still awaiting God's people.

Now the main point in what I am saying is this: We have such a High Priest as this, one who has taken His seat at the right hand of God's majestic throne in heaven

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.

And if they had been cherishing the memory of the country they had left, they would have had an opportunity to go back.

For we needed such a High Priest, holy, innocent, unstained, far removed from sinful men, and elevated far above the very heavens,

By faith Abraham, when he was put to the test, offered Isaac as a sacrifice; that is, he who had received the promise was starting to offer as a sacrifice his only son,

Now Moses was faithful in all the house of God, yet only as a servant to bear witness to the message that should be spoken,

By faith Noah, on being divinely warned about things not seen as yet, in reverence prepared an ark for saving his family, and by his faith condemned the world and became possessor of the uprightness that results from faith.

to the festal gathering and assembly of God's firstborn sons enrolled as citizens in heaven, to a Judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of upright men who have attained perfection,

For this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was coming back from the defeat of the kings, and put his blessing on him,

But solid food belongs to full-grown men who on account of constant use have their faculties trained to distinguish good and evil.

So you must never give up your confident courage, for it holds a rich reward for you.

So, when Christ was coming into the world, He said:

He again fixes a definite day, saying long afterward through David, as has been quoted: "If you but hear His voice, you must not harden your hearts."

But this One offered up once for all and for all time one sacrifice for sins, and once for all took His seat at God's right hand,

No creature of His can escape God's sight, but everything is bare and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we have to give account.

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.

and because He was perfectly qualified for it He became the author of endless salvation for all who obey Him,

Continue to look after one another, that no one fails to gain God's spiritual blessing; or some evil like a bitter root may spring up and trouble you, and many of you be contaminated by it --

By faith Abel offered a sacrifice more acceptable to God than Cain did, for by it he was approved as an upright man, since God approved him for the offering he made; and by it he still continues to speak, though dead.

And I might almost say, Levi too, who now collects the tenth, through Abraham paid the tenth,

Continue to remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and those who are being ill-treated, since you, too, are liable to similar physical punishment.

By faith Enoch was transplanted from earth, so that he did not experience dying; and he could not be found, because God had transplanted him from earth. For before he was transplanted from earth evidence was given him that he pleased God;

for, if that had been the case, He would have had to suffer over and over again, ever since the creation of the world. But, as it is, once at the close of the ages He has appeared, to put away sin by His sacrifice.

And why should I continue to mention more? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

Now for the time being no discipline seems to be pleasant; it is painful; later on, however, to those who are trained by it, it yields the fruit of peace which grows from upright character.

I have much to say to you about Him, but it is difficult to make it clear to you, since you have become so dull in your spiritual senses.

For if Joshua had really given them rest, He would not afterward have been speaking of another day.

Meantime, my righteous servant will live by faith. But if a man draws back, my soul has no delight in him."

For he was confidently looking forward to that city with the solid foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

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.

Pray for me, for I am sure that I have a clear conscience, and in everything I want to live a noble life.

for he was a vital part of his forefather though yet unborn, when Melchizedek met him.

from that time waiting till His enemies should be made the footstool of His feet.

since He had received from God the title of a High Priest with the rank of Melchizedek.

For he considered the fact that God was able to raise people from the dead; and so from the dead, in a figure, he did receive him back.

By faith Jacob, when about to die, put his blessing on each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

of whom it had been said, "Through Isaac your offspring must be traced."

perfectly fit you to do His will, He Himself, through Jesus Christ, accomplishing through you what is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

For when a change in the priesthood takes place, a change in its law necessarily takes place.

And each one teach his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," For all will know me, from the lowest to the highest.

By faith Isaac put his blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau.

For He of whom this is said became a member of a different tribe no member of which ever officiated at the altar.

Where your forefathers found I stood their test, because they saw my works for forty years,

For you know that, when later he wanted to get possession of the blessing, he was rejected, for he could find no opportunity to repent, although with tears he tried to get the blessing.

You have put all things under His feet!" Now when He gave Him authority over everything, He did not leave a single thing that was not put under His authority. But as yet we do not see everything actually under His authority,

For whoever is admitted into God's rest himself has rested from his works, just as God did.

For when these are forgiven, there is no more need of an offering for sin.

He continues to say: "I will never, never any more recall their sins and deeds of wrong."

For when a will is made, it is necessary that the death of him who makes it be proved.

Now the Holy Spirit, too, gives us the testimony, for after saying:

By faith Joseph, at the closing of his life, made mention of the future migration of the Israelites, and gave directions what to do with his body.

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,

some immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

and thought the reproach endured for the Christ was greater wealth than all the treasures in Egypt, for he kept his eye upon the reward.

the new and living way which He opened for us, through the curtain, that is, His physical nature,

You must not harden your hearts as they did in provoking me, as on the day in the desert they tested me,

By faith he left Egypt, because he was not afraid of the king's anger, for he persevered as though he were actually seeing Him who is unseen.

You made Him inferior to angels for a little while, yet you have crowned Him with glory and honor, you have set Him over the works of your hands,

For a will is valid only after a man is dead, since it has no force whatever while the one who made it is alive.

By faith he instituted the Passover and the pouring of blood upon the doorposts, so that the destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.

And more especially do I beg you to do so, that I may very soon be brought back to you.

So I was indignant with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have never come to know my ways.'

saying, "This is the blood that ratifies the covenant which God commanded me to make with you."

and trumpet-blast, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not a word more should be added;

I beg you, brothers, to listen patiently to this message, for I have written you only a short letter.

For it is very clear that our Lord sprang from Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing as to priests.

For after every regulation in the law had been spoken by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, crimson wool, and a bunch of hyssop, and sprinkled the book containing the law and all the people,

because he preferred to suffer hardships with the people of God than to have the passing enjoyment that results from sin,

So in my anger I took oath, 'They shall not be admitted to my rest!'"

For of course it is not angels but descendants of Abraham that He is to help.

So not even the first covenant was ratified without the use of blood.

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

and set at liberty those who all their lifetime had been subject to slavery because of their dread of death.

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

In the same way he sprinkled with blood the tent and all the utensils of the priestly service.

for the Levitical priests were appointed without His taking an oath, but He with His oath, when He said to Him: "The Lord took oath and will not change, You are a priest forever" --

and so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am terrified and terror-stricken!"

For if the message spoken through angels proved to be valid, and every violation and infraction of it had its adequate penalty,

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

God's spiritual blessings be with you all. Amen.

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

By faith the walls of Jericho collapsed, after being surrounded each of seven days.

And it is still more overwhelmingly clear, since a different priest in the likeness of Melchizedek is appointed,

And He does not enter to offer Himself over and over again, as the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own;

and since in Him we have a Great Priest over the house of God,

Indeed, the rescinding of a previous regulation takes place, because it was weak and ineffective --

For they disciplined us only a short time, as it seemed proper to them, but He does it for our good, in order that we may share His holy character.

For somewhere He speaks of the seventh day: "On the seventh day God rested from all His works";

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

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

Then His voice shook the earth,

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.

For who was it that heard and yet provoked Him? Was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

and yet the warning continues to be spoken: "If you but hear His voice, you must not harden your hearts as they did in provoking me."

To whom did He take oath that they should not be admitted to His rest, if it was not to those who disobeyed Him?

Remember us to all your leaders and to all the Christians. The Christians from Italy wish to be remembered to you.

For the Scripture bears witness: "You are a priest forever, with the rank of Melchizedek."

for they did not try to bear the order, "Even if a wild animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death,"

So, on the one hand, the copies of the original things in heaven had to be purified with such sacrifices; but on the other hand, the original things themselves in heaven with better sacrifices than these.

For by it the men of old won God's approval.

By faith he made his temporary home in the land that God had promised him, although a land inhabited by others, living merely in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were to share the promise with him.

for the law had never made anything perfect -- and so a better hope is brought to us, through which we have approach to God.

who is appointed not on the basis of a physical qualification but on the basis of a power flowing from a life that cannot end.

With whom was He disgusted forty years? Was it not with those who had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the desert?

So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they could not be admitted to it.

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.

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

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

to see how faithful He was to God who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all the house of God.

Such a one is capable of dealing tenderly with the ignorant and erring ones, since he himself is subject to weakness,

to whom Abraham contributed a tenth of all his spoils, who first of all, in accordance with the meaning of his name, is king of righteousness, and then king of Salem, which means king of peace;

For just as the man who builds a house has greater glory than the house, by just so much is Jesus judged to be worthy of greater glory than Moses.

For the first or outer part of the tent, which is called the holy place, was equipped with the lamp and table and the presentation bread.

And no one takes this honor upon himself but is called to it by God, as Aaron was.

but into the second or inner part nobody but the high priest may go, and he only once a year, and never without blood which he offers for himself and for the sins committed in ignorance by the people.

for it is merely a symbol of the present time in connection with which gifts and sacrifices are repeatedly offered though they cannot make the conscience of the worshiper perfect,

Anyone who breaks the law of Moses pays the death penalty without any show of pity, on the evidence of two or three witnesses only.

with its golden incense-altar and the chest for the covenant, completely covered with gold, and in it a golden jar which held the manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets on which the covenant was written;

And by so much as He was not appointed without God's taking an oath --

Now see how great this man must have been that even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of his spoils.

and above the chest were the winged creatures, the symbols of God's glorious presence, overshadowing the mercy seat, of which I cannot now speak in detail.

as officiating Priest in that sanctuary, which is also the true tent of worship, which the Lord and not man set up.

With these arrangements completed in this way, the priests in conducting their official services regularly go into the outer part of the tent of worship;

but only a terrifying prospect of judgment and that fiery indignation which is going to devour God's enemies.

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

but now His promise is, "Once more I will make not only the earth but heaven itself tremble." Now that expression, "Once more," signifies the final removal of the things that can be shaken, to let remain the things that cannot be shaken.

And those of the descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood are authorized by the law to collect a tenth from the people; that is, from their own brothers, though they have sprung from Abraham.

And we will progress, if God permits.

But behind the second curtain is the tent that is called the holy of holies,

However, if He were still on earth, He would not be a priest at all, because there are those who officiate in accordance with the law in offering the gifts;

For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; so this High Priest too must have some sacrifice to offer,

Now beyond any contradiction, it is always the inferior that is blessed by the superior.

and so is obliged to offer sin-offerings, not only for the people but for himself as well.

For to what angel did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have become your Father"?

So indeed the first covenant had its regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary.

For by that one sacrifice He has made perfect for all time those who are consecrated to Him.

For the law appoints imperfect men as high priests, but the assertion about the taking of an oath, which was spoken after the time of the law, appoints a Son who is perfectly qualified to be High Priest forever.

And: "You, Lord, in the beginning founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands.

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.

For it was not to angels that He gave authority over that world to be, of which we are speaking.

So Jesus, too, in order to purify the people by His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

For every high priest who is taken from men is appointed to officiate on behalf of men in matters relating to God, that is, to offer gifts and sin-offerings.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as a son of Pharaoh's daughter,

But in this case, the man whose ancestry is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, and put his blessing on the man who had the promises from God.

Indeed, to carry out the will of God and to receive the blessing He has promised, you need endurance, for:

For inasmuch as He has suffered Himself by being tempted, He is able to give immediate help to any that are tempted.

By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though it were dry land, while the Egyptians, in attempting it, were drowned.

In speaking of a new covenant He makes the first one obsolete; and whatever is obsolete and antiquated is on the verge of vanishing.

For both He who is purifying them and those who are being purified all spring from one Father; so He is not ashamed to call them brothers,

For if the blood of bulls and goats and a heifer's ashes sprinkling those who are ceremonially unclean purifies them with physical cleansing,

Otherwise, would they not have ceased offering them, because those who offered them, having once been purified, would have had no further consciousness of sins?

for our God, indeed, is a consuming fire.

Then I said, 'See, I have come, just as the Scripture writes about me in the book, O God, to do your will.'"

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

Though all these people by their faith won God's approval, yet none of them received what He had promised,

For, because He was dissatisfied with His people, He said: "'See; the time is coming,' says the Lord, 'When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

You must submit to discipline. God is dealing with you as His sons. For who is the son that his father never disciplines?

You must stop being carried away with varied and strange teachings. For it is a good thing for the heart to be strengthened by God's spiritual strength, not by special kinds of food, from which those adhering to them have gotten no good.

He afterward said, "See, I have come to do your will." He is taking away the first to let the second take its place.

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,

How much severer punishment do you suppose that one deserves who tramples the Son of God underfoot, and counts as a common thing the blood of the covenant by which he was consecrated, and has insulted the Spirit that grants God's unmerited favor?

Yes, to keep from growing weary and fainthearted, just think of the examples set by Him who has endured so great opposition aimed at Him by sinful men!

We Christians have an altar at which the ministers of the Jewish tent of worship have no right to eat.

For someone somewhere has solemnly said: "What is man that you should think of him, or the Son of Man that you should care for Him?

but Christ as a Son set over the house of God was faithful; and we are that house, if we keep up our courage and the joy that hope inspires to the very end.

thus proving Himself to be as much superior to angels as the title He has inherited is superior to theirs.

Every other priest stands officiating day after day and over and over again offering the same sacrifices, although they are unable to take away our sins.

They were stoned to death, they were tortured to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. With nothing on their bodies but skins of sheep or goats they wandered here and there, destitute, oppressed, mistreated --

And stop neglecting to do good and to be generous, for God is highly pleased with just such sacrifices as these.

with no father, no mother, no ancestry; no beginning to his days, no end to his life, but, like the Son of God, as priest continues on and on with no successor.

for the blood of bulls and goats is unable to take away sins.

You have not yet, as you have struggled on against sin, resisted to the point of pouring out your blood,

Let us, therefore, go to Him outside the camp, enduring the reproach that He endured;

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.

and yet they officiate in a sanctuary that is a mere copy and shadow of the heavenly one, as Moses, when he was about to make the tent of worship, was warned, for, said He, "See to it that you make it all just like the pattern shown you on the mountain."

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the ever living God!

Now if you are without any discipline, in which all true sons share, you are only illegitimate children and not true sons.

"'This is the covenant that I will make with them: In those last days,' says the Lord, 'I will put my laws into their hearts, and write them on their minds,'"

By faith Sarah received strength to become pregnant, and actually gave birth to a child, although she was past the time of life for it, because she thought that He who made her the promise was to be trusted.

Although at first He said, "You never wished or took delight in sacrifices and offerings, burnt-offerings and sin-offerings" -- all of which are repeatedly offered in accordance with the law --

For I will be merciful to their deeds of wrong, and never, never any more will I recall their sins,'"

By faith, Moses, at his birth was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king's decree.

By this the Holy Spirit was showing that there was as yet no access to the real sanctuary while the outer tent was still in existence,

On the other hand, through these sacrifices there is given a real reminder of their sins,

Furthermore, we had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we used to treat them with respect; how much more cheerfully should we submit to the Father of our spirits, and live!

Still others stood the test of taunts and tortures, and even chains and prisons.

who by their faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, received new promises, shut the mouths of lions,

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who disobeyed God, because she had welcomed the scouts as friends.

while God continued to confirm their testimony with signs, marvels, and various sorts of wonder-works, and with gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed in accordance with His will.

But you must continue to remember those earlier days when first you received the light and then endured so great a struggle with persecution,

However, regarding the angels He says: "He turns His angels into winds, and His attendants into flames of fire."

For we have had the good news told to us as well as they, but the message heard did them no good, because they were not by faith made one with those who heeded it.

But to what angel did He ever say: "Just keep your seat at my right hand, until I make your foes a footstool for your feet"?

So tighten the grip of your slipping hands; stiffen the stand of your knocking knees;

But in reality they were aspiring for a better country, I mean, a heavenly one. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Women by a resurrection received their dead again; others endured tortures, because they would not accept release, that they might rise to a better life.

For we have become real sharers in Christ, if we keep firm to the end the faith we had at first,

"Sacrifice and offering you did not wish, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings you never took delight.

For we know who it was that said, "Vengeance belongs to me, I will pay back!" and again, "The Lord will be His people's judge."

So Christ too did not take upon Himself the glory of being appointed High Priest, but it was God who said: "You are my Son; I have today become your Father,"

since they deal only with food and drink and various washings, that is, with mere material regulations which are in force only until the time of setting things straight.

You loved the right and hated wrong; so God, your God, anointed you, with oil of exultation beyond all your companions."

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there could have been no room for a second one.

who does not need, as did the Levitical priests, to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; this latter is just what He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

See to it that you do not refuse to listen to Him who is speaking to you. For if they did not escape, because they refused to listen to him who warned them here on earth, how much less can we, if we reject Him who is from heaven?

"In just a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay;

For we who have believed are being admitted to that rest, just as He has said: "As in my anger I took oath, they shall not be admitted to my rest," although God's works had been completed at the creation of the world.

when He says: "I will announce your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise";

So let us do our best to be admitted to that rest, so that not one of us may fail through the same sort of disobedience.

Now if perfection had been reached through the Levitical priesthood -- for on it as a basis even the law was enacted for the people-- what further need would there have been of appointing a different priest, with the rank of Melchizedek, instead of designating one with the rank of Aaron?

For every house is built by somebody, but the builder and furnisher of the universe is God.

For everyone who uses milk alone is inexperienced in the message of right-doing; he is only an infant.

For you showed sympathy with those who were in prison and cheerfully submitted to the violent seizure of your property, for you knew that you had in yourselves and in heaven one that was lasting.

but He, on the other hand, because He Himself lives on forever, enjoys the only priesthood that has no successors in office.

for we have no permanent city here, but we are searching for that city which is to be ours.

And the Levitical priests, on the one hand, have become numerous, because they have been prevented by death from continuing in office,

to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks a better message than even Abel's did.

But we are not of a disposition to draw back so as to perish, but we have faith that leads to the saving of the soul.

For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is taken into the sanctuary by the priest as a sin-offering, are burned outside the camp.

stopped the force of fire, escaped from dying by the sword, out of weakness found great strength, grew mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

for God had provided something still better for us, that they, apart from us might not attain perfection.

men of whom the world was not worthy, though wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground.

partly by being exposed as a public spectacle to insults and violent sufferings, and partly by showing yourselves ready to share with those who were living in this condition.