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Hebrews 6
New English Translation

6 Therefore we must progress beyond[a] the elementary[b] instructions about Christ[c] and move on[d] to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works[e] and faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings,[f] laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this is what we intend to do,[g] if God permits. 4 For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, 6 and then have committed apostasy,[h] to renew them again to repentance, since[i] they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again[j] and holding him up to contempt. 7 For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on[k] it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed;[l] its fate is to be burned. 9 But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish,[m] but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.”[n] 15 And so by persevering, Abraham[o] inherited the promise. 16 For people[p] swear by something greater than themselves,[q] and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute.[r] 17 In the same way[s] God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable,[t] and so he intervened with an oath, 18 so that we who have found refuge in him[u] may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain,[v] 20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.[w]

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 6:1 tn Grk “Therefore leaving behind.” The implication is not of abandoning this elementary information, but of building on it.
  2. Hebrews 6:1 tn Or “basic.”
  3. Hebrews 6:1 tn Grk “the message of the beginning of Christ.”
  4. Hebrews 6:1 tn Grk “leaving behind…let us move on.”
  5. Hebrews 6:1 sn It is clear from the context that the phrase “dead works” are works that need to be repented from and thus are sins. The same phrase occurs in Heb 9:14 in which the author of Hebrews states that our consciences need to be purified from them. As Bruce states, they are works “that belong to the way of death and not the way of life” (F. F. Bruce, Hebrews [NICNT], 138).
  6. Hebrews 6:2 sn See Hebrews 9:10 and Mark 7:4 for other references to the Jewish practice of ritual washings.
  7. Hebrews 6:3 tn Grk “and we will do this.”
  8. Hebrews 6:6 tn Or “have fallen away.”
  9. Hebrews 6:6 tn Or “while”; Grk “crucifying…and holding.” The Greek participles here (“crucifying…and holding”) can be understood as either causal (“since”) or temporal (“while”).
  10. Hebrews 6:6 tn Grk “recrucifying the son of God for themselves.”
  11. Hebrews 6:7 tn Grk “comes upon.”
  12. Hebrews 6:8 tn Grk “near to a curse.”
  13. Hebrews 6:12 tn Or “dull.”
  14. Hebrews 6:14 tn Grk “in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply you,” the Greek form of a Hebrew idiom showing intensity.sn A quotation from Gen 22:17.
  15. Hebrews 6:15 tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Abraham) has been specified for clarity.
  16. Hebrews 6:16 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anthrōpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”
  17. Hebrews 6:16 tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.
  18. Hebrews 6:16 tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”
  19. Hebrews 6:17 tn Grk “in which.”
  20. Hebrews 6:17 tn Or “immutable” (here and in v. 18); Grk “the unchangeableness of his purpose.”
  21. Hebrews 6:18 tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.
  22. Hebrews 6:19 sn The curtain refers to the veil or drape in the temple that separated the holy place from the holy of holies.
  23. Hebrews 6:20 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4, picked up again from Heb 5:6, 10.
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Hebrews 6
Legacy Standard Bible

Warning Against Falling Away

6 Therefore (A)leaving (B)the [a]elementary teaching about the [b]Christ, let us press on to [c](C)maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from (D)dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of (E)teaching about washings and (F)laying on of hands, and the (G)resurrection of the dead and (H)eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, (I)if God permits. 4 For in the case of those once having been (J)enlightened and having tasted of (K)the heavenly gift and having become (L)partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and having (M)tasted the good (N)word of God and the powers of (O)the age to come, 6 and having fallen away, it is (P)impossible to renew them again to repentance, [d](Q)since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often [e]falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those (R)for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is unfit and (S)close [f]to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

The Inheritance of the Promises

9 But we are convinced about you, (T)beloved, of things that are better and that belong to salvation, though we are speaking in this way. 10 For (U)God is not unrighteous so as to forget (V)your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having (W)ministered and continuing to minister to the [g]saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence [h]so as to realize the (X)full assurance of (Y)hope until the end, 12 so that you may not become dull, but (Z)imitators of those who through (AA)faith and patience (AB)inherit the promises.

13 For (AC)when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He (AD)swore by Himself, 14 saying, “(AE)I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply you.” 15 And so, (AF)having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 (AG)For men swear by [i]one greater than themselves, and with them (AH)an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 [j]In the same way God, desiring even more to show to (AI)the heirs of the promise (AJ)the unchangeableness of His purpose, guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which (AK)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of (AL)the hope set before us. 19 [k]This (AM)hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and confirmed and one which (AN)enters [l]within the veil, 20 (AO)where a forerunner has entered for us—Jesus, having become a (AP)high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 6:1 Lit word of the beginning
  2. Hebrews 6:1 Messiah
  3. Hebrews 6:1 Or perfection, cf. 5:9, 14
  4. Hebrews 6:6 Or while
  5. Hebrews 6:7 Lit comes
  6. Hebrews 6:8 Lit near to a curse
  7. Hebrews 6:10 Or holy ones
  8. Hebrews 6:11 Lit to the full
  9. Hebrews 6:16 Or Him who is greater
  10. Hebrews 6:17 Lit In which
  11. Hebrews 6:19 Lit Which hope we have
  12. Hebrews 6:19 Or inside
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