and by a perfect obedience he procured eternal salvation for all that obey him;

having been designated by God to be a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

For God haying promised Abraham, when he could not swear by a greater, swore by himself,

For men indeed swear by a greater, and with them the oath is a term to all dispute, as making matters sure.

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

Without [any record of] father or mother, nor ancestral line, without [any record of] beginning of days (birth) nor ending of life (death), but having been made like the Son of God, he remains a priest without interruption and without successor.

For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well.

That is to say, not made by a law based on the flesh, but by the power of a life without end:

And by as much as [this was] not without an oath (for these on the one hand {have become priests} without an oath,

for these men hold office without any oath having been taken, but He holds it attested by an oath from Him who said to Him, "The Lord has sworn and will not recall His words, Thou art a Priest for ever" --

By as much as this, hath, Jesus, become surety of a better covenant also.

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

But now he has attained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also mediator of a better covenant which has been enacted upon better promises.

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel when that day comes, saith the Lord; I will set my laws within their mind, inscribing them upon their hearts; I will be a God to them, and they shall be a People to me;

Because, propitious, will I be as to their unrighteousnesses, and, of their sins, in nowise will I be mindful, any more.

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

For where there is a legal 'will,' there must also be a death brought forward in evidence--the death of him who made it.

It was therefore necessary that what was only a type of the heavenly sanctuary, should be purified by such sacrifices; but the heavenly sanctuary itself, by a more excellent sacrifice.

For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].

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

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, according to the custom of some, but exhorting, and by so much the more as this, by as much as ye behold, the day, drawing near.

Instead, [there will be] a fearful expectation of [coming] judgment and of [God's] raging fire which will consume His enemies.

by faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing;

unto whom it had been said, "That by Isaac shall there be a seed bearing thy name:"

Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Now, at the time, discipline seems to be a matter not for joy, but for grief; yet it afterwards yields to those who have passed through its training a result full of peace--namely, righteousness.

Try to be at peace with everyone, and strive for that consecration without which no one can see the Lord.

Looking with care to see that no man among you in his behaviour comes short of the grace of God; for fear that some bitter root may come up to be a trouble to you, and that some of you may be made unclean by it;

lest any one be a fornicator, or a profane person, as Esau, who in exchange for one morsel of food did sell his birthright,

For the order which said, If the mountain is touched even by a beast, the beast is to be stoned, seemed hard to them;

And the words, Still one more, make it clear that there will be a taking away of those things which are shaking, as of things which are made, so that there may be only those things of which no shaking is possible.

Let love of your fellow believers continue.

Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief ??which would be a loss to yourselves.

only, let your endurance be a finished product, so that you may be finished and complete, with never a defect.

Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position [as a born-again believer, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God];

But anyone is tempted to do evil when he is allured by his own evil desire and enticed by a bait.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

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

So speak ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty.

and one of you says to him, "Go [and be] at peace; keep warm and eat well," and yet you do not give him anything for his physical needs, what good is that?

In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works too, when she received the [Hebrew] spies as guests and protected them, and sent them away [to escape] by a different route?

Not many [of you] should become teachers [serving in an official teaching capacity], my brothers and sisters, for you know that we [who are teachers] will be judged by a higher standard [because we have assumed greater accountability and more condemnation if we teach incorrectly].

For in many things we all stumble. If any stumble not in word, this a perfect man, able to govern by a bridle also the whole body.

Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth.

Even so the tongue is a small part of the body, but it takes credit for great things. How much wood may be lighted by a very little fire!

Which of you is a wise and well-instructed man? Let him prove it by a right life with conduct guided by a wisely teachable spirit.

This "wisdom" is not the kind that comes from [God] above, but is earthly, unspiritual and demonic [i.e., it is motivated by an evil spirit and not the Holy Spirit].

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

men who know not of the morrow. For what is your life? For it will be a vapor that appears for a little while, and then also vanishes away--

Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Be as calm in your waiting; let your hearts be strong: because the coming of the Lord is near.

But above all, my fellow believers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be [a truthful] yes, and your no be [a truthful] no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

And the prayer of faith will rescue him who is depressed, and the Lord will rouse him. And if he should be a man who has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

but as he, who has called you, is holy: let your whole conduct be an imitation of his holiness.

For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish by the living and everlasting word of God.

ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

[And it also says, Isa. 8:14, that He would be], "A stone that people would stumble over and a rock over which they would trip and fall." The way they stumble is by disobeying the Gospel message. They were destined [though not forced] to do this.

Your adornment ought not to be a merely outward thing--one of plaiting the hair, putting on jewelry, or wearing beautiful dresses.

Instead of that, it should be a new nature within--the imperishable ornament of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is indeed precious in the sight of God.

Do not repay a wrong action with [another] wrong action, nor abusive [language] with [additional] abuse, but rather be a blessing [to one another]. For the purpose of your being called [by God] was so that you could receive a blessing [from Him eventually].

Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

If anyone speaks, [let it be] as the oracles of God; if anyone serves, [let it be] as by the strength that God provides, so that in all [things] God will be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power {forever and ever}. Amen.

Not as though ye were lords over the parishes: but that ye be an example to the flock.

As for you that are young, be you submissive to those of a more advanc'd age: and do you all of you pay a becoming deference to one another: be cloak'd with humility, for " God opposes the proud, and shows favour to the humble."

Through Silvanus, whom I know to be a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

Salute each other by a kiss of love. Peace to you, to all those in Christ Jesus. Truly.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you by a knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

For his divine power has given us everything that is needful for a life of piety, as we advance in the knowledge of him who called us by a glorious manifestation of his goodness.

so there will be an entrance richly provided for you into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

But I consider [it] right, for as long as I am in this habitation, to stir you up by a reminder,

for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them by a catastrophe, making them an example unto those that later should live ungodly;

But Balaam was rebuked for his own wrongdoing by a speechless donkey, who spoke out in a man's voice and prevented the prophet from continuing his foolishness.

These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved.

For, if, having escaped from the defilements of the world by a personal knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but, by the same having again become entangled, they are defeated, the, last, state hath become, for them, worse than, the first;

Dear friends, this [is] already the second letter I am writing to you, in [both of] which I am attempting to stir up your sincere mind by a reminder,

and that by the same means the world which then existed was destroyed by a deluge of water.

The day of the Lord will come like a thief--it will be a day on which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, the elements be destroyed in the fierce heat, and the earth and all the works of man be utterly burnt up.

Dear children, the last hour has come; and as you once heard that there was to be an anti-Christ, so even now many anti-Christs have appeared. By this we may know that the last hour has come.

And every man who has this hope fixed on Him, purifies himself so as to be as pure as He is.

Anyone who is a child of God does no sin, because he still has God's seed in him; he is not able to be a sinner, because God is his Father.

and not be as Cain, which was of the devil and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? For his own deeds were evil, and his brother's righteous.

The one who habitually keeps His commandments [obeying His word and following His precepts, abides and] remains in Him, and He in him. By this we know and have the proof that He [really] abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us [as a gift].

Loved ones, do not believe [the message of] every spirit [i.e., every person claiming to be a teacher], but test the spirits [i.e., require proof that they and their message are genuine] to see whether they represent God [or not], because many false prophets have begun circulating throughout the world.

This is love indeed--we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I wish, my beloved, you may be as prosperous with regard to your health and other circumstances, as in what concerns your soul.

For certain people have crept in unnoticed [just as if they were sneaking in by a side door]. They are ungodly persons whose condemnation was predicted long ago, for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom [viewing it as an opportunity to do whatever they want], and deny and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

you should save others [from hell, as though you were] snatching them out of the fire. And you should show pity toward some people, [coupled] with a fear [of the consequences of sin], hating the clothing contaminated by a physical sore [i.e., hating sin so much as to avoid it at all costs].

and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

I know [about] your suffering and your poverty (but you are [really] rich), and the slander of those who say they are Jews, though they [really] are not, but are a synagogue of Satan [i.e., they claimed to be an assembly of God's people, but in reality were serving Satan].

But I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication, and to eat idol-sacrifices.

And in front of the throne there seemed to be a sea of glass, resembling crystal. And midway between the throne and the Elders, and surrounding the throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer.

And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day’s wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

and the stars of heaven fell upon the earth, as a fig tree, shaken by a great wind, casts its unseasonable figs.

This is why they are before the high seat of God; and they are his servants day and night in his house: and he who is seated on the high seat will be a tent over them.

The second angel blew his trumpet; and what seemed to be a great mountain, all ablaze with fire, was hurled into the sea; and a third part of the sea was turned into blood.

They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like fiery pillars,