< Hebrews 6 >

1 Wherefore, leaving the word of the beginning of the Christ, let us go on [to what belongs] to full growth, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith in God,
Therefore leaving elementary instruction about the Christ, let us advance to mature manhood and not be continually re-laying a foundation of repentance from lifeless works and of faith in God,
2 of [the] doctrine of washings, and of imposition of hands, and of resurrection of [the] dead, and of eternal judgment; (aiōnios g166)
or of teaching about ceremonial washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and the last judgement. (aiōnios g166)
3 and this will we do if God permit.
And advance we will, if God permits us to do so.
4 For it is impossible to renew again to repentance those once enlightened, and who have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of [the] Holy Spirit,
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once for all been enlightened, and have tasted the sweetness of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God, and [the] works of power of [the] age to come, (aiōn g165)
and have realized how good the word of God is and how mighty are the powers of the coming Age, and then fell away-- (aiōn g165)
6 and have fallen away, crucifying for themselves [as they do] the Son of God, and making a show of [him].
it is impossible, I say, to keep bringing them back to a new repentance, for, to their own undoing, they are repeatedly crucifying the Son of God afresh and exposing Him to open shame.
7 For ground which drinks the rain which comes often upon it, and produces useful herbs for those for whose sakes also it is tilled, partakes of blessing from God;
For land which has drunk in the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sakes, indeed, it is tilled, has a share in God's blessing.
8 but bringing forth thorns and briars, it is found worthless and nigh to a curse, whose end [is] to be burned.
But if it only yields a mass of thorns and briers, it is considered worthless, and is in danger of being cursed, and in the end will be destroyed by fire.
9 But we are persuaded concerning you, beloved, better things, and connected with salvation, even if we speak thus.
But we, even while we speak in this tone, have a happier conviction concerning you, my dearly-loved friends--a conviction of things which point towards salvation.
10 For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work, and the love which ye have shewn to his name, having ministered to the saints, and [still] ministering.
For God is not unjust so that He is unmindful of your labour and of the love which you have manifested towards Himself in having rendered services to His people and in still rendering them.
11 But we desire earnestly that each one of you shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end;
But we long for each of you to continue to manifest the same earnestness, with a view to your enjoying fulness of hope to the very End;
12 that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience have been inheritors of the promises.
so that you may not become half-hearted, but be imitators of those who through faith and patient endurance are now heirs to the promises.
13 For God, having promised to Abraham, since he had no greater to swear by, swore by himself,
For when God gave the promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,
14 saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee;
saying, "Assuredly I will bless you and bless you, I will increase you and increase you."
15 and thus, having had long patience, he got the promise.
And so, as the result of patient waiting, our forefather obtained what God had promised.
16 For men indeed swear by a greater, and with them the oath is a term to all dispute, as making matters sure.
For men swear by what is greater than themselves; and with them an oath in confirmation of a statement always puts an end to a dispute.
17 Wherein God, willing to shew more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, intervened by an oath,
In the same way, since it was God's desire to display more convincingly to the heirs of the promise how unchangeable His purpose was,
18 that by two unchangeable things, in which [it was] impossible that God should lie, we might have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us,
He added an oath, in order that, through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for Him to prove false, we may possess mighty encouragement--we who, for safety, have hastened to lay hold of the hope set before us.
19 which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil,
That hope we have as an anchor of the soul--an anchor that can neither break nor drag. It passes in behind the veil,
20 where Jesus is entered as forerunner for us, become for ever a high priest according to the order of Melchisedec. (aiōn g165)
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner on our behalf, having become, like Melchizedek, a High Priest for ever. (aiōn g165)

< Hebrews 6 >