Therefore, holy brothers, comrades of a heavenly calling, fix your thoughts then upon Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

While in my wrath I swore-- "They shall never enter upon my Rest."'

for we were receiv'd into the communion of Christ, upon condition of inviolably maintaining the hope we had at the beginning even unto the end,

And who were they to whom God swore that they should not enter upon his rest, if not those who had proved faithless?

We see, then, that they failed to enter upon it because of their want of faith.

Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

Upon that Rest we who have believed are now entering. As God has said-- 'In my wrath I swore--"They shall never enter upon my Rest;"' Although God's work was finished at the creation of the world;

for, in a passage referring to the seventh day, you will find these words-- 'God rested upon the seventh day after all his work.'

On the other hand, we read in that passage-- ' They shall never enter upon my Rest.'

Since, then, there is still a promise that some shall enter upon this Rest, and since those who were first told the Good News did not enter upon it, because of their disbelief,

For he who enters upon God's Rest does himself rest after his work, just as God did.

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.

And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

And no one takes this honourable office upon himself, but only accepts it when called to it by God, 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."

Of the teaching of immersions, and placing upon of hands, and of the rising up of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

but that which bears thorns and briars, is look'd upon as lying under a curse; whose end will be to be burnt.

It is my heart's desire that each of you would prove equally keen upon realizing your full hope to the very end,

Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who, through faith and patience, are now entering upon the enjoyment of God's promises.

"surely I will heap blessings upon thee, and will give thee a numerous posterity."

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells],

Now if anything final had been really accomplished through the Levitical priesthood, for even the giving of the Law was based upon it, what further need would there have been of appointing a different priest of the priesthood of Melchizedek, instead of choosing one of the priesthood of Aaron?

For he of whom these things are said, belongs to another tribe, from which no one attended upon the altar.

If then indeed he were upon earth, he would not even be a priest, there being those who offer the gifts according to the law,

(men who serve a mere outline and shadow of the heavenly ??as Moses was instructed, when he was about to execute the building of the tabernacle: see, God said, that you make everything on the pattern shown you upon the mountain).

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

For in rebuking them he saith, "Behold the days will come, saith the Lord, and I will finish upon the house of Israel, and upon the house of Judah, a new testament;

not according to that covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day when I laid hold upon their hand to lead them up out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I took no longer care of them, saith the Lord.

Because this is the covenant that I will covenant to the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: Giving my laws into their mind, I will write them also upon their hearts; and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to me for people.

For I will have mercy upon their wrong-doings, And their sins I will remember no more."

By this the Holy Spirit signifies that the way into the Holy Place [the true Holy of Holies and the presence of God] has not yet been disclosed as long as the first or outer tabernacle is still standing [that is, as long as the Levitical system of worship remains a recognized institution],

only in victuals, and drinks, and different baptisms, and fleshly ordinances -- till the time of reformation imposed upon them.

For such a Covenant takes effect only upon death, it does not come into force as long as the testator is alive.

saying, "This is the blood which confirms the Covenant that God has made binding upon you."

And in the same way he also sprinkled blood upon the Tent of worship and upon all the vessels used in the ministry.

Else had it been needful for him, ofttimes, to suffer, from the foundation of the world; but, now, once for all, upon a conjunction of the ages, for a setting aside of sin through means of his sacrifice, hath he been made manifest;

so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.

Wherefore upon his coming into the world He saith, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, but a body hast thou prepared me:

This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he,

By the new and living way which he made open for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Any one having set aside a law of Moses, apart from compassions, upon the testimony of two or three witnesses, dieth:

Sometimes, in consequence of the taunts and injuries heaped upon you, you became a public spectacle; and sometimes you suffered through having shown yourselves to be the friends of men who were in the very position in which you had been.

By faith, a fuller sacrifice, did Abel, offer unto God, than Cain, - through which, he received witness that he was righteous, there being a witnessing upon his gifts, by God; and, through it, though he died, he yet is speaking.

It was faith that enabled Noah, after he had received the divine warning about what could not then be foreseen, to build, in reverent obedience, an ark in which to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world, and became possessed of that righteousness which follows upon faith.

Through faith Abraham, upon being called to leave home and go into a land which he was soon to receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he was going to.

And so from one man--and that when his powers were dead--there sprang a people as numerous 'as the stars in the heavens or the countless grains of sand upon the shore.'

In faith died all these, not having received the promises, but from afar having seen them, and having been persuaded, and having saluted them, and having confessed that strangers and sojourners they are upon the earth,

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau [believing what God revealed to him], even regarding things to come.

By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

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.

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.

By faith they pass through the Red sea as through dry land: the undertaking of which the Egyptians having entered upon were drowned.

Of whom the world, was not worthy - upon deserts, wandering, and mountains, and in caves, - and in the caverns of the earth.

for God had resolved upon something still better for us, that they might not reach the fulfilment of their hopes except with us.

simply fixing our gaze upon Jesus, our Prince Leader in the faith, who will also award us the prize. He, for the sake of the joy which lay before Him, patiently endured the cross, looking with contempt upon its shame, and afterwards seated Himself-- where He still sits--at the right hand of the throne of God.

(For they did not bear that being assigned, And if a beast should touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or shall be pierced with a missile weapon:

See, may ye not refuse him who is speaking, for if those did not escape who refused him who upon earth was divinely speaking -- much less we who do turn away from him who speaketh from heaven,

Take care to keep open house: because in this way some have had angels as their guests, without being conscious of it.

Remember them which have the oversight of you, which have declared unto you the word of God: consider the conversation of their living, the end of whose conversation see that ye look upon, and follow their faith.

Do not continue to be swept off your course by all kinds of strange teachings. For it is good for your hearts to be strengthened by God's unearned favor [upon you] and not by [keeping regulations about] foods, which do not benefit those who observe them.

and more abundantly do I call upon you to do this, that more quickly I may be restored to you.

And if any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives with open hand to all men, and without upbraiding; and it will be given him.

But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.

But whoever looks at the faultless law that makes men free and keeps looking, so that he does not just listen and forget, but obeys and acts upon it, will be blessed in what he does.

When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man's religious observances are valueless.

and ye look upon him who wears the splendid apparel, and say, Do thou sit here well, and say to the poor, Do thou stand there, or sit here under my footstool:

But *you* have put dishonour upon the poor man. Yet is it not the rich who grind you down? Are not they the very people who drag you into the Law courts? --

And do not they blaspheme the excellent name which has been called upon you?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

But the wisdom from above is, before every thing else, pure; then peace-loving, gentle, open to conviction, rich in compassion and good deeds, and free from partiality and insincerity.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

on the contrary, he heaps his favours upon you. wherefore 'tis said, "God defeats the proud, but is gracious to the humble."

Be not speaking one against another, brethren! He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against law, and judgeth law; Now, if, upon law, thou art passing judgment, thou art not a doer of law, but a judge!

there is but one legislator, and judge, he that has the power of life and death: who art thou, to pass sentence upon another?

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Your gold and silver is cankered with rust; and the rust upon them is a testimony against you, and shall eat into your flesh as fire. Ye have heaped up treasures in the last days.

ye did live in luxury upon the earth, and were wanton; ye did nourish your hearts, as in a day of slaughter;

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience there upon, until he receive the early and the latter rain.

Do not make complaints against one another, Brothers, or judgment will be passed upon you. The Judge is already standing at the door!

Elias was a man of like passions to us, and he prayed with prayer that it should not rain; and it did not rain upon the earth three years and six months;

These people have been [specially] selected, and [their acceptance was] pre-planned by God the Father, and they were set apart through [the work of] the Holy Spirit. This resulted in their obedience and sprinkling [Note: This is a figurative reference to the Old Testament practice of cleansing, See Exodus 24:7-8] by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God's unearned favor and peace be continually upon you.

They were eager to know the time which the Spirit of Christ within them kept indicating, or the characteristics of that time, when they solemnly made known beforehand the sufferings that were to come upon Christ and the glories which would follow.

Wherefore having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, hope perfectly upon the grace that is being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ,

If you address as Father, the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in [reverent] fear [of Him] and with profound respect for Him throughout the time of your stay on earth.

considering, that it was not by such perishable things as silver or gold, that you were releas'd from those vain rites and customs impos'd upon you by your fathers,

who was destin'd before the creation of the world, tho' 'tis of late only that he has appear'd, upon your account:

are faithful to God, who raised Him from among the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are resting upon God.

Beloved, I call upon you, as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly desires, that war against the soul,

Keep your behavior excellent among the [unsaved] Gentiles [conduct yourself honorably, with graciousness and integrity], so that for whatever reason they may slander you as evildoers, yet by observing your good deeds they may [instead come to] glorify God in the day of visitation [when He looks upon them with mercy].

For to this were ye called: for also Christ suffered for you, leaving behind to you an underwriting, that ye should follow upon his footsteps:

He committed no sin, no guile was ever found upon his lips;

who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.

For in this way in former times the holy women, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands and adapting themselves to them;

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

For Christ himself died to atone for sins once for all--the good on behalf of the bad--that he might bring you to God; his body being put to death, but his spirit entering upon new Life.

Keep open house for all with a glad heart;

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you: