because if the message spoken by angels was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience received its just punishment,

how will we escape if we neglect a salvation as great as this? It was first proclaimed by the Lord himself, and then it was confirmed to us by those who heard him,

Now when God put everything under him, he left nothing outside his control. However, at the present time we do not yet see everything put under him. But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might experience death for everyone.

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering as part of his plan to glorify many children,

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God's household,

Moses was faithful in all God's household as a servant who was to testify to what would be said later,

but the Messiah was faithful as the Son in charge of God's household, and we are his household if we hold on to our courage and the hope in which we rejoice.

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.'

Now who heard him and provoked him? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

And with whom was he angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned and whose bodies fell dead in the wilderness?

And to whom did he swear that they would never enter his rest? It was to those who disobeyed him, was it not?

No one takes this honor upon himself but he is called to it by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, the Messiah did not take upon himself the glory of being a high priest. No, it was God who said to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father."

As a mortal man, he offered up prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his devotion to God.

Son though he was, he learned obedience through his sufferings

Now this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham and blessed him when he was returning from defeating the kings.

Just look at how great this man was! Even Abraham the patriarch himself gave him a tenth of what he had captured!

because Levi was still inside his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Furthermore, it is obvious that our Lord was a descendant of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests coming from that tribe.

who was appointed to be a priest, not on the basis of a genealogical registry, but rather on the power of an indestructible life.

Indeed, because it was weak and ineffective, the former commandment has been annulled,

They serve in a sanctuary that is a copy, a shadow of the heavenly one. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tent: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain."

For a tent was set up, and in the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the bread of the Presence. This was called the Holy Place.

Behind the second curtain was the part of the tent called the Most Holy Place,

The Holy Spirit was indicating by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first part of the tent was still standing.

But when the Messiah came as a high priest of the good things that have come, he went through the greater and more perfect tent that was not made by human hands and that is not a part of this creation.

This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.

Thus it was necessary for these earthly copies of the things in heaven to be cleansed by these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves are made clean with better sacrifices than these.

so the Messiah was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly wait for him.

For this reason, the Scriptures say, when the Messiah was about to come into the world: "You did not want sacrifices and offerings, but you prepared a body for me.

How much more severe a punishment do you think that person deserves who tramples on God's Son, treats as common the blood of the covenant by which it was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace?

By faith we understand that time was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are invisible.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and by faith he was declared to be righteous, since God himself accepted his offerings. And by faith he continues to speak, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken away without experiencing death. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he won approval as one who pleased God.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

because he was waiting for the city with permanent foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

By faith Sarah, even though she was old and barren, received the strength to conceive, because she was convinced that the one who had made the promise was faithful.

Abraham was as good as dead, yet from this one man came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son in sacrifice,

Abraham was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac back in this way.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons "and worshipped while leaning on the top of his staff."

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelis and gave them instructions about burying his bones.

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

He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

The world wasn't worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and from caves to holes in the ground.

All these people won approval for their faith but they did not receive what was promised,

For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he could not find any opportunity to repent, even though he begged to repent with tears.

For they could not endure the command that was given: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."

Indeed, the sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."