Beginning

How God dealt lovingly with the people of the old time in sending them his prophets, but has shown much more mercy to us, in that he sent us his own Son. Of the most excellent glory of Jesus Christ, who in all things is like his Father.

1 God in time past diversely and many ways spoke to the fathers by the prophets. ² But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he has made heir of all things; by whom also he made the world. ³ Which Son, being the brightness of his glory and very image of his substance, bearing up all things with the word of his power, has in his own person purged our sins, and is seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ and is more excellent than the angels, inasmuch as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

⁵ For to which of the angels did he say at any time: You are my Son; this day I have begotten you? And again: I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son. ⁶ And again, when he brings the first begotten Son into the world, he says: And all the angels of God shall worship him.

⁷ And of the angels he says: He makes his angels spirits, and his ministers flames of fire. ⁸ But to the Son he says: O God, your seat shall be for ever and ever. The sceptre of your kingdom is a right sceptre. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, who is your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. ¹⁰ And: You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. ¹¹ They shall perish, but you shall endure. They all will grow old as does a garment, ¹² and as a vesture you will change them, and they will be changed. But you are always, and your years shall not fail. 

¹³ To which of the angels did he say at any time: Sit on my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool? ¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for the sakes of those who will be heirs of salvation?

He exhorts us to be obedient to the new law that Christ has given us, and not to be offended at the infirmity and low degree of Christ, because it was necessary that for our sakes he should take such a humble state upon him, so that he could be like his brethren.

2 Therefore we ought to give the more heed to the things that we have heard, lest we perish. ² For if the word that was spoken by angels was sure, so that every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense in reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? – which at the first began to be preached by the Lord himself, and afterward was confirmed to us by those who heard it, ⁴ God bearing witness to it both with signs and wonders also, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will.

⁵ It is not to the angels that he has put in subjection the world to come, of which we speak. ⁶ But one in a certain place witnesses, saying, What is man, that you are mindful of him? ⁷ After you had for a season made him lower than the angels, you crowned him with honour and glory, and have set him above the works of your hands. ⁸ You have put all things in subjection under his feet.

In that he put all things under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. ⁹ Nevertheless, we do not yet see all things subdued, but we see him who was made less than the angels. We see that it was Jesus who is crowned with glory and honour for the suffering of death: that he, by the grace of God, was to taste of death for all men.

¹⁰ For it was fitting for him, for whom all things are and by whom all things are, in accordance with the way that he brought many sons to glory, to make the Lord of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, for which sake he is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹² saying: I will declare your name to my brethren, and in the midst of the congregation I will praise you. ¹³ And again: I will put my trust in him. And again: Behold, here am I and the children that God has given me.

¹⁴ Considering then that the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part with them, in order to put down through death him that had lordship over death – that is to say, the devil – ¹⁵ and to deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. ¹⁶ For in no place does he take on him the angels, but he takes the seed of Abraham on him. ¹⁷ Therefore it was fitting for him to be made like his brethren in all things, so that he could be merciful, and a faithful high priest in things concerning God, in order to purge the people’s sins. ¹⁸ For in that he himself suffered and was tried, he is able to succour those who are tried.

He calls upon us to hear and honour the word of Christ, who is more worthy than Moses. The punishment of persons who stubbornly harden their hearts.

3 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the celestial calling, consider the ambassador and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, ² who was faithful to him who appointed him, even as Moses was in all his house. ³ And yet this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who has prepared the house has more honour in the house.

  ⁴ Every house is built by some man. But he who ordained all things is God. ⁵ And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, to bear witness of those things that were to be spoken afterward. ⁶ But Christ as a son has rule over the house – whose house we are, if so be that we hold fast the confidence and the assurance of that hope to the end.

⁷ Therefore as the Holy Spirit says: Today if you hear his voice, ⁸ harden not your hearts, as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness, ⁹ where your fathers tried me, proved me, and saw my works forty years long. ¹⁰ Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do ever err in their hearts; they have not acknowledged my ways. ¹¹ So I swore in my wrath that they would not enter into my rest.

¹² Take heed, brethren, that there be in none of you an evil heart in unbelief, that he should depart from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you grow hard-hearted through the deceitfulness of sin.

¹⁴ We are partakers of Christ if we keep sure until the end the first confidence, ¹⁵ as long as it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as when you rebelled. ¹⁶ For some, when they heard, rebelled – though not everyone who came out of Egypt under Moses. ¹⁷ But with whom was he displeased for forty years? Was he not displeased with those who sinned, whose bodies were overthrown in the desert? ¹⁸ To whom did he swear that they would not enter into his rest, but to those who did not believe? ¹⁹ And we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

The Sabbath or rest of the Christian. The punishment of unbelievers. The nature of the word of God.

4 Let us fear, therefore, lest any of us, forsaking the promise of entering into his rest, should seem to come behind. ² For to us it has been declared as well as to them. But it did not profit them to hear the word, because they who heard it did not couple it with faith. ³ But we who have believed do enter into his rest, while contrariwise he said to the others: I have sworn in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.

And he spoke this long after the works were made and the foundation of the world laid. ⁴ For he spoke in a certain place about the seventh day this way: And God did rest on the seventh day from all his works. ⁵ And then again in this place: They shall not come into my rest. ⁶ We see therefore that it follows that some will enter into his rest, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter in due to unbelief. ⁷ Again, speaking in David, he appointed a certain present day after so long a time, saying as mentioned above, this day, if you hear his voice, be not hard-hearted.

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, then he would not afterward have spoken of another day. ⁹ There remains therefore yet a rest for the people of God. ¹⁰ For the person who has entered into his rest does cease from his own works, as God did from his.

¹¹ Let us exercise ourselves therefore to enter into that rest, lest anyone should fall into unbelief after the same example. ¹² For the word of God is alive and mighty in operation, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and enters through even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and intents of the heart; ¹³ neither is there any creature invisible in the sight of him. For all things are naked and bare to the eyes of him of whom we speak.

Christ is our high priest and seat of grace, and surpasses the high priests of the old law.

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has entered into heaven (I mean Jesus, the Son of God), let us hold fast our profession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities, but one who was in all points tempted like we are, but yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore go boldly to the seat of grace, so that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

5 For every high priest that is taken from among men is ordained for man, in things pertaining to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin.  ² He can have compassion on the ignorant and on those who are out of the way, because he himself also is compassed with infirmity – ³ concerning which infirmity he is bound to offer for sins, as well for his own part as for the people’s.

⁴ And no man takes honour to himself, but he who is called by God, as was Aaron. ⁵ So also likewise, Christ did not glorify himself to be made the high priest, but he who said to him, You are my Son, this day I have begotten you, glorified him. ⁶ As he also in another place speaks: You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

⁷ He, in the days of his flesh, did offer up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to him that was able to save him from death, and was also heard, because of his godliness. ⁸ And though he was God’s Son, yet he learned obedience by those things that he suffered, ⁹ and was made perfect, and the author of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰ and is called by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

¹¹ About this we have many things to say, which are hard to explain because you are dull of hearing. ¹² For when as concerning the time you ought to be teachers, yet you need us to again teach you the first principles of the word of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ¹³ For everyone who is fed with milk is inexpert in the word of righteousness. For he is but a babe. ¹⁴ But strong meat belongs to those who are of full age, who through regular use have their wits exercised to judge both good and evil also.

He continues with the thing that he began in the latter end of chapter 5, and exhorts them not to faint, but to be steadfast and patient, seeing as God is trustworthy and faithful in his promise.

6 Therefore let us leave the questions that belong to the beginning of a Christian life, and let us go on to maturity, and not now again lay the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ² of baptism, of doctrine, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection from death, and of eternal judgment. ³ And so will we do, if God permits.

⁴ For it is not possible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted of the good word of God and of the power of the world to come, ⁶ if they fall, to be renewed again to repentance, seeing they have (as concerning themselves) crucified the Son of God afresh, making a mock of him. ⁷ For that earth which drinks in the rain that comes oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for those who tend it, receives blessing from God. ⁸ But that ground which bears thorns and briars is reproved, and is near to cursing: whose end is to be burned.

  ⁹ Nevertheless, dear friends, we trust to see better of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we speak this way. ¹⁰ For God is not unrighteous, that he should forget your work and labour that proceeds of love – which love you have shown in his name, you who have ministered to the saints, and still minister. ¹¹ Yea and we desire that every one of you show the same diligence to secure your hope right to the end: ¹² that you faint not, but follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. ¹³ For when God made promise to Abraham, because he had no greater thing to swear by, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying: Surely I will bless you and multiply you indeed. ¹⁵ And so after he had waited a long time, Abraham enjoyed the promise.

¹⁶ Men will swear by one who is greater than themselves, and an oath to confirm the thing is among them an end of all strife. ¹⁷ So God, wanting very much to show to the heirs of promise the certainty of his counsel, added an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two immutable things (in which it was impossible that God should lie) we may have perfect consolation – we who have fled to hold fast the hope that is set before us, ¹⁹ which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast. Which hope also enters in, into those things that are within the veil, ²⁰ to where the forerunner has entered in for us – I mean Jesus, who is made a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.