For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewn to his name, by having ministred to the saints, and yet ministring.

that ye would not be sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises.

but he, whose pedigree is not reckoned among them, took tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

Now if perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law) what farther need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec, and not after the order of Aaron?

who is made not according to the law of a temporary command, but according to the power of an endless life.

Moreover inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath,

(for they indeed are become priests without the solemnity of an oath; but He with an oath, by Him who said unto Him, "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:")

but He, because He abideth for ever, hath a priesthood that passeth not to any other:

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.

a minister of holy things, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord hath raised, and not man.

For if He were on earth, He could not be a priest, seeing there are priests already that offer gifts according to the law:

not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

And they shall not teach every one his neighbour, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the lest even to the greatest of them.

and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat: of which it is not necessary now to speak particularly.

but into the second only the high-priest went once a year; and that not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the sins of the people committed through ignorance.

The Holy Ghost shewing by this, that the way into the Holy of holies was not yet manifested, the first tabernacle being yet standing.

But Christ being come an high-priest of the good things to come, hath entered once for all into the holy places, through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this building,

For Christ is not entered into holy places made with hands, which were but types of the true ones; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

For the law having but a faint shadow of good things to come, and not the full image of the things, can never, even by the great annual sacrifices which they offer statedly, make the comers thereunto perfect.

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

Having said before, "Thou didst not desire, nor hadst pleasure in, sacrifice and offering, and whole burnt-offerings, and sacrifices for sin," (which are offered by the law) then He adds,

not forsaking our assemblies, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.

Cast not away therefore your couragious profession, which hath a great recompence of reward.

For ye have need of patience, that having done the will of God ye may receive the promise.

For yet a little while, and He, that is coming, will come, and will not delay:

But we are not of those who withdraw to perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Now faith is the confident expectation of things hoped for, and a conviction of things not seen:

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, for the things which are seen were not made of things which appear.

By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God:

By faith Noah being warned by God of things which were not yet seen, moved with pious fear, prepared an ark for the safety of his family; whereby he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

By faith Abraham when called to go out to a place which he was afterwards to receive for an inheritance obeyed: and went out, though he knew not whither he was going.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but seen them from afar, and been persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth.

But they desire a better, that is, an heavenly one; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He hath prepared for them a city.

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw he was a fine child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he continued firm as seeing Him who is invisible.

By faith he observed the passover and sprinkling of the blood, that he, who destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians, might not touch them.

By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with the unbelievers, having received the spies with peace.

And what need I say more? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and Barak, and Sampson, and Jephthah, and David, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Women received their dead raised to life again; and others were tortured to death, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

distressed, (of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts, and mountains, and dens, and caves of the earth.

And these all, though they obtained an honorable testimony by faith, yet received not the promise;

God having provided something better concerning us, that without us they might not be made perfect.

Wherefore consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, that ye may not give out, fainting in your minds:

for ye have not resisted unto blood in striving against sin.

Have ye forgotten the exhortation, which speaketh to you as to sons, saying, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor saint when rebuked by Him?

If ye endure chastening, God treateth you as sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not chastise?

But if ye be without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons.

Now if we had fathers of our flesh, who corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?

And make strait paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be turned out of the way, but rather be healed.

Ye are not come to a tangible mountain, and burning fire, and a thick cloud, and darkness, and tempest,

and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which they that heard, intreated that the word might not any more be thus delivered to them:

(for they could not bear the strict command, if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or shot through with a dart;

See that ye reject not Him that speaketh; for if they escaped not, who rejected him that gave forth divine oracles on earth, much less shall we, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven:

whose voice then shook the earth; but now He hath promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven."

Be not forgetful of hospitality; for thereby some have entertained angels, not knowing it.

Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed is not defiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Let your conversation be free from covetousness, and be contented with what ye have: for He hath said, I will not leave thee; I will never, never forsake thee.

So that we may say with courage, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

be not then carried about by various and strange doctrines; for it is good that the heart be established by grace, and not in meats, in which those that have been most exact, have not profited by them.

As the bodies of those animals, whose blood being offered for sin is brought into the holy place by the high-priest, are not eaten, but are burnt without the camp.

But to do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Be ruled by those that are your guides, and submit to them: for they watch for your souls; (as those that must give an account) that they may do it with joy and not with uneasiness: for this were unprofitable for you.

And if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.

Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from the Lord.

Be not therefore deceived, my beloved brethren: for every good gift,

for the wrath of man doth not practise the righteousness of God.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror,

But he that looketh well into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If any among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, this man's devotion is vain.

My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, in a partial respect of persons.

do ye not make a partial difference within yourselves, and become judges that reason wickedly?

Hear, my beloved brethren; hath not God chosen the poor of this world who are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which He hath promised to them that love Him? but ye have slighted the poor.

Do not the rich tyrannize over you; and drag you to their tribunals?

Do they not blaspheme the glorious name by which ye are called?

for He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou do not commit adultery, but committest murder, thou art a transgressor of the law.

For he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath not shewn mercy: but mercy triumpheth over judgement.

What is the advantage, my brethren, if any one say that he has faith, and he hath not works, can faith alone save him?

and one of you say to them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and be ye filled: but ye give them not the necessaries of life, what profit is it to them?

so faith, if it have not works, being alone, is dead.

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

Ye see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

And in like manner also was not the harlot Rahab justified by works, when she entertained the spies, and let them out another way?

My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we who are such shall pass a stricter trial than others: for in many things we all offend;

and if any offend not in word, he is a compleat man, able to manage also the whole body.

out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not so to be.

but if ye have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth;

this is not the wisdom, that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and diabolical:

Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence? even of your carnal appetites making war in your bodies?

Ye desire, and ye have not: ye are envious, and jealous, and cannot obtain: ye fight and contend; but ye have not, because ye ask not.

Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask wickedly; that ye may spend it in your pleasures.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Speak not against one another, my brethren; he that speaketh against his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

(though ye know not what will be on the morrow; for what is your life? a vapor, which appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away:) whereas ye ought to say,

To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.

Ye have condemned, ye have murdered the just one, who resisted you not.

Repine not, my brethren, against each other, that ye be not condemned: behold, the judge is at the door.

But above all, my brethren, swear not; neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay nay; that ye may not fall under condemnation.

Elias was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not upon the land for three years and six months:

In which ye rejoice, tho' now for a little while, if need be, ye are grieved through various trials.