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.

So let us come with courage to God's throne of grace to receive his forgiveness and find him responsive when we need his help.

can deal gently with those who err through ignorance, since he himself is beset with weakness ??3 which obliges him to present offerings for his own sins as well as for those of the People.

And because hereof it behoveth him, as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins.

And besides, one does not appropriate for himself the honor [of being high priest], but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest, but it was he who said to him, Thou are my Son, today I have begotten thee.

Who, in the days of his flesh, having offered up both prayers and supplications with strong shouting and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and who was heard because of his reverence,

And though he was a Son, through the pain which he underwent, the knowledge came to him of what it was to be under God's orders;

And having been fully perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him,

while God himself pronounced him High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

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.

And we will do so [i.e., go on to more advanced teaching] if God allows us to. For it is impossible to get people who have [completely] fallen away [from God] to repent again, because they [continue to] crucify for themselves God's Son all over again, and hold Him up to contempt.

who tasted the goodness of God's word and the powers of the world to come, and then fell away ??6 it is impossible to make them repent afresh, since they crucify the Son of God in their own persons and hold him up to obloquy.

and who fell away, to restore again to repentance, crucifying to themselves the Son of God, and disgracing him publicly.

for the earth which drinks up the frequent show'rs that fall upon it, and produces plants fit for the use of him that cultivates it, is stiled heavenly land:

For God is true, and will not put away from him the memory of your work and of your love for his name, in the help which you gave and still give to the saints.

For when God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to make oath by, he did so by himself,

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

Men verily swear by him that is greater than themselves; And an oath to confirm the thing, is among them an end of all strife.

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.

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, having met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, also blessed him.

and it was to him that Abraham apportioned a tithe of all the spoil. He was first, as his name signifies, King of righteousness, and then King of Salem, that is, King of Peace;

He has no father, mother, or genealogy, no birth date recorded for him, nor a date of death. Like the Son of God, he continues to be a priest forever.

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

But this man who had no Levitical genealogy actually took tithes of Abraham, and blessed him to whom the promises belong.

now 'tis past dispute, he that is blessed is inferior to him that blesses:

and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive.

In one way of putting it, Levi himself, the collector of the tithes, through Abraham paid him tithes,

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

For it has been witnessed of him, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

And as he was not [constituted] without swearing,??21 for they were made priests without swearing, but he with swearing by him who says to him, The Lord swore, and he will not change, You are a priest forever;??22 by so much is Jesus the pledge of a better covenant.

but he with an oath, because of him who says to him, The Lord swore and will not change his mind, Thou are a priest into the age according to the order of Melchizedek.

Whereupon he is able also to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, being always alive in order to intercede on their behalf.

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 truly therefore the first had precepts of divine service for him, and a worldly holy place.

but into the second [inner tabernacle, the Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters [and then only] once a year, and never without [bringing a sacrifice of] blood, which he offers [as a substitutionary atonement] for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

The which is a similitude for the present season, according to which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot, as to the conscience, perfect him that rendereth the divine service: -

taking with him no blood of goats and calves, but his own, and secured our permanent deliverance.

And for this cause it is through him that a new agreement has come into being, so that after the errors under the first agreement had been taken away by his death, the word of God might have effect for those who were marked out for an eternal heritage.

For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it.

Nor was it necessary for Him to offer Himself [to God] often, like the head priest does, who enters the Holy of Holies year after year with blood that belongs to others [i.e., the blood of animal sacrifices].

since it would be necessary for him to suffer often, from the foundation of the world. But now once, at the end of the ages, he was made known for an annulment of sin by the sacrifice of himself.

so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.

but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, sat him down for ever on the righthand of God,

And has been waiting there from that time, till all who are against him are made a foot-rest for his feet.

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

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

let us come to him with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and the body washed with pure water:

let us hold the hope we avow without wavering (for we can rely on him who gave us the Promise);

How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for the Son of God, and profanes the blood of the covenant that made him holy, and insults the Spirit of grace?

For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him.

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:

And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him ; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.

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 Abraham did as God said when he was ordered to go out into a place which was to be given to him as a heritage, and went out without knowledge of where he was going.

By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

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

wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead,'so many as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable.

By faith Abraham offered up Isaac, when he was tempted, and he offered him being his only begotten son, which had received the promises:

Even him of whom it had been said - In Isaac, shall there be called to thee, a seed:

accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he did also in a figure receive him back.

'Twas by faith that the parents of Moses conceal'd him for three months after his birth, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

For he counted 'the reproaches that are heaped upon the Christ' of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, looking forward, as he did, to the reward awaiting him.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Faith made him institute the Passover and splash the blood upon the door-posts, to keep the angel that destroyed the firstborn from touching them.

looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls.

and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with you as with sons, My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when thou art reproved of him;

For whom the Lord loveth, him he chasteneth: yea, and he scourgeth every son that he receiveth."

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons: for what son is there whose father chastens him not?

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled.

lest there be a fornicator, or an ungodly person like Esau, who, in return for a single meal, parted with the birthright which belonged to him.

for you know that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: not being able to make Isaac to retract, though he importun'd him with tears.

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh:

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more'shall not we escape who turn away from him that warneth from heaven:

If then, we have a kingdom which will never be moved, let us have grace, so that we may give God such worship as is pleasing to him with fear and respect:

Let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name.

Now may God who gives peace, and brought Jesus, our Lord, up again from among the dead--even Him who, by virtue of the blood of the eternal Covenant, is the great Shepherd of the sheep--

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.

You know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he comes soon, I will see him with you.

But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

Such a man must not expect to get anything from the Lord??8 an irresolute person like him, who is uncertain about everything he does.

Let him that is poor triumph in the advantages of being a christian.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him.

Let no man under temptation, say, it is God that tempts him; for as he is incapable of moral evil, he can't influence any one thereto.

But each man is tempted by his own lusts that allure and entice him.

Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.

For anyone who merely listens to the message without obeying it is like a man who looks in a mirror at the face that nature gave him,

For he observed himself, and is gone away, and, straightway, it hath escaped him, - what manner of man, he was!

But he who goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on his acts.

and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool;

Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?

For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment.

What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him?

Can that faith save him? If a brother or a sister be naked,

and one of you says to him, "Blessings on you, keep warm, eat until you have aplenty," without giving him the things that are needed for the body, what good does it do?