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.

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,

He had become as much superior [in rank] to the angels as the name He inherited [i.e., "Son." See next verse] was superior to theirs [i.e., the name "angels" means "messengers"].

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

What will come on us, if we do not give our minds to such a great salvation? a salvation of which our fathers first had knowledge through the words of the Lord, and which was made certain to us by those to whom his words came;

but Jesus, who was for a while inferior to the angels by his sufferings and death, we see was crown'd with glory and honour; when by the divine goodness, he had pass'd thro' death for every man.

For it became him - for whom are all things, and by whom are all things - after that he had brought many sons unto glory, that he should make the Lord of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Therefore, since the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also similarly partook of the same, in order that through death he might render powerless him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

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

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.

For every house has had a builder, and the builder of all things is God.

even though they had seen my actions for 40 years. That is why I was indignant with that generation and said, "They are always going astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.'

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

For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

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

And to whom did he swear that they should never enter into his rest, if not to those who had proved faithless?

So we see that they were not able to go in because they had no belief.

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.

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.

For in one place he has said of the seventh day, And God had rest from all his works on the seventh day;

Since therefore it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly had good-news did not enter because of disobedience,

After a long time, again naming a certain day, he says in David, Today (as he had said before), Today if you will let his voice come to your ears, be not hard of heart,

For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken about another day after these things.

For the man who comes into his rest has had rest from his works, as God did from his.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter upon that Rest, so that none of us fall through such disbelief as that of which we have had an example.

Thus the Christ also has not glorified himself to be made a high priest; but he who had said to him, Thou art my Son, I have to-day begotten thee.

Who in the days of his flesh, having sent up prayers and requests with strong crying and weeping to him who was able to give him salvation from death, had his prayer answered because of his fear of God.

And when he had been made complete, he became the giver of eternal salvation to all those who are under his orders;

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

For it is impossible to arouse people to a fresh repentance when they have once for all come into the light and had a taste of the gift from heaven, and shared in the holy Spirit

and who had experienced the good teaching of God and the powers of the coming age [i.e., they had already received some of the blessings of the Christian life, perhaps even miraculous signs].

For God who promised to Abraham, since he had none greater to swear by, swore by himself,

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

And therefore God, in his desire to show, with unmistakable plainness, to those who were to enter on the enjoyment of what he had promised, the unchangeableness of his purpose, bound himself with an oath.

For Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham on his return from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him ??2 who had a tenth part of everything assigned him by Abraham ??this Melchizedek is primarily a king of righteousness (that is the meaning of his name); then, besides that, king of Salem (which means, king of peace).

And to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of everything which he had, being first named King of righteousness, and then in addition, King of Salem, that is to say, King of peace;

Now see how great this man was, to whom our father Abraham gave a tenth part of what he had got in the fight.

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.

for when Melchizedek met him, he was still in Abraham's body [i.e., Levi had not yet been born as a descendant of Abraham].

If indeed therefore perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people had received the law), what further need is there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated

for he of whom these things are said in another tribe hath had part, of whom no one gave attendance at the altar,

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

For although those priests became such without an oath, He had an oath form God who said to him, The Lord hath sworn and will not change, Thou art a priest forever.

And on one hand, many people were appointed to be [Levitical] priests because they were prevented by death from continuing [to serve]. [Note: The idea is that Levitical priests had to be constantly replaced].

who hath no need, as the Levitical high-priests had, daily to offer sacrifices first for his own sins, and then for those of the people: for this He did once for all, in offering up Himself.

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. So this one too had to have something to offer.

If he had been on earth he would not have been a priest at all, because there are other priests who make the offerings ordered by the law;

Being servants of that which is a copy and an image of the things in heaven, as Moses, when he was about to make the Tent, had special orders from God: for, See, he said, that you make everything like the design which you saw in the mountain.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second.

"It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

Now even a first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world.

Having a vessel of gold in it for burning perfumes, and the ark of the agreement, which was covered with gold and which had in it a pot made of gold for the manna, and Aaron's rod which put out buds, and the stones with the writing of the agreement;

When everything had been arranged like this, the priests always went into the first part of the tent to perform their duties.

The Holy Spirit witnessing by this that the way into the holy place had not at that time been made open, while the first Tent was still in being;

But when Christ had become a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and a [burnt] heifer's ashes sprinkled on people who had been [ceremonially] defiled, could purify them so as to make them [ceremonially] clean on the outside,

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.

For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses unto 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,

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 Christ did not go into a holy place which had been made by men's hands as the copy of the true one; but he went into heaven itself, and now takes his place before the face of God for us.

Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, like the high priest entering the holy place every year with blood that was not his own: ??26 for in that case he would have had to suffer repeatedly, ever since the world was founded. Nay, once for all, at the end of the world, he has appeared with his self-sacrifice to abolish sin.

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.

The Law, though able to foreshadow the Better System which was coming, never had its actual substance. Its priests, with those sacrifices which they offer continuously year after year, can never make those who come to worship perfect.

Else would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins.

So that when he comes into the world, he says, You had no desire for offerings, but you made a body ready for me;

You had no joy in burned offerings or in offerings for sin.

After saying, You had no desire for offerings, for burned offerings or offerings for sin (which are made by the law) and you had no pleasure in them,

but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

And the Holy Spirit is a witness for us: for after he had said,

for after He had said, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and on their minds will I inscribe them;

let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

For if we do evil on purpose after we have had the knowledge of what is true, there is no more offering for sins,

But will not the man by whom the Son of God has been crushed under foot, and the blood of the agreement with which he was washed clean has been taken as an unholy thing, and who has had no respect for the Spirit of grace, be judged bad enough for a very much worse punishment?

For we have had experience of him who says, Punishment is mine, I will give reward. And again, The Lord will be judge of his people.

But give thought to the days after you had seen the light, when you went through a great war of troubles;

some of you being expos'd to publick obloquy and persecution: whilst others had their share of affliction in seeing such treatment.

For ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of you possessions, knowing that ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.

For therein the elders had witness borne to them.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh.

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God:

By faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith.

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 he had in view the city, whose foundations are sure, the architect and founder being God.

By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised:

Wherefore, even from one, were born, and, as to these things, one who had become dead, - like the stars of the heaven, for multitude, and as the sand that is by the lip of the sea, that cannot be numbered.

All these came to their end in faith, not having had the heritage; but having seen it with delight far away, they gave witness that they were wanderers and not of the earth.

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

they desired therefore a better, that is, an heavenly country: so that God is very justly stiled their God: for he had appointed a city for them.

By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten'son ;

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

concluding that God was able to raise him even from the dead; from whence indeed he had in a manner received him.

By faith Moses was kept secretly by his father and mother for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a fair child; and they had no fear of the king's orders.

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

Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

By faith he forsook Egypt, and feared not the fierceness of the king. For he endured, even as he had seen him which is invisible.

By [having] faith, he established the Passover Festival [Note: This festival was first celebrated in Egypt by the fleeing Israelites, then observed annually in commemoration of that event], and had [lambs'] blood sprinkled [on the door jambs] to prevent the one who destroyed the firstborn children from touching them. [See Ex. 12:23].

By faith they went through the Red Sea as if it had been dry land, though the Egyptians were overcome by the water when they made an attempt to do the same.

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

By faith Rahab, the loose woman, was not put to death with those who had gone against God's orders, because she had taken into her house in peace those sent to see the land.

Put out the power of fire, got safely away from the edge of the sword, were made strong when they had been feeble, became full of power in war, and put to flight the armies of the nations.