For [when] God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself,

But the one who did not trace [his] descent from them collected tithes from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, occasion would not have been sought for a second.

Now the first [covenant] had regulations for worship and the earthly sanctuary.

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

But this one, [after he] had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,

For you both sympathized with the prisoners and put up with the seizure of your belongings with joy [because you] knew that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved {as having been pleasing} to God.

By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful.

And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down [after they] had been marched around for seven days.

[because] God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

Furthermore, we have had {our earthly fathers} who disciplined [us], and we respected [them]. Will we not much rather subject ourselves to the Father of spirits and live?

For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known [it], to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them.

Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message which you have heard.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But [they went out], in order that it might be shown that all of them are not of us.

And now I ask you, lady (not as [if I were] writing a new commandment to you, but [one] that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another.

and [he] had in his right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, and his face [was] like the sun shining in its strength.

After these [things] I looked, and behold, an open door in heaven, and the former voice that I had heard like a trumpet speaking with me was saying, "Come up here and I will show you [the things] which must take place after these [things]."

And the first living creature [was] similar to a lion, and the second living creature [was] similar to an ox, and the third living creature had a face like a man's, and the fourth living creature [was] similar to an eagle flying.

And the four living creatures, {each one} of them, had six wings apiece, full of eyes around and inside, and they do not have rest day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy [is] the Lord God All-Powerful, the one who was and the one who is and the one who is coming!"

And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one of whom had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one seated on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and in order that he might conquer.

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one seated on it had a balance scale in his hand.

And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had,

And to each one of them a white robe was given, and it was said to them that they should rest yet a short time, until [the number of] their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they [had been] were completed also.

And another angel who had a golden censer came and stood at the altar, and a large amount of incense was given to him, in order that he could offer the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that [is] before the throne.

And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves in order to blow them.

and a third of the creatures in the sea--the ones which had life--died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

And the fifth angel blew the trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key of the shaft of the abyss was given to him.

and they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like [the teeth] of lions,

and they had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings [was] like the sound of many {horse-drawn chariots} running into battle.

saying to the sixth angel, the one who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates!"

And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, in order that they should kill a third of humanity.

And in this way I saw the horses in the vision, and those seated on them, who had fiery [red] and hyacinth-colored and sulphurous [yellow] breastplates, and the heads of the horses [were] like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulphur.

And the voice that I had heard from heaven [was] speaking with me again and saying, "Go, take the opened scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it up, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared there by God, so that they could feed her there [for one] thousand two hundred sixty days.

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male [child].

And the earth came to the aid of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spouted out of his mouth.

And I saw coming up out of the sea a beast that had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns ten royal headbands, and on its heads a blasphemous name.

And one of its heads [appeared] as though slaughtered to death, and its {fatal wound} had been healed. And the whole earth was astonished [and followed] after the beast.

And they worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who [is] like the beast, and who is able to make war with him?

And I saw another beast coming up from the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he was speaking like a dragon.

And he exercises all the authority of the first beast on behalf of him, and he causes the earth and those who live in it to worship the first beast {whose fatal wound had been healed}.

and that no one was able to buy or to sell except the one who had the mark--the name of the beast or the number of his name.

And I looked, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.

And they were singing [something] like a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been bought from the earth.

And another angel came out of the temple [that is] in heaven; he also had a sharp sickle.

And another angel who had authority over the fire [went out] from the altar, and he called out with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Send out your sharp sickle and harvest the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are at their prime!"

And I saw [something] like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and his image and the number of his name were standing by the glassy sea, holding harps from God.

and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out from the temple, dressed [in] clean, bright linen garments, and girded with golden belts around their chests.

And the first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and there was an evil and painful sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,

After these [things] I saw another angel descending from heaven, who had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, "Woe, woe, the great city, in which all those who had ships on the sea became rich from her prosperity, because in one hour she has been laid waste!"

And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints and all those who had been slaughtered on the earth.

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.

And I saw thrones, and they sat down on them, and authority to judge was granted to them. And [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ [for] a thousand years.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea did not exist [any] longer.

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."