¹Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ , let ’s press on to perfection —not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works , of faith towards God ,

²of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands , of resurrection of the dead , and of eternal judgement.

³This will we do , if God permits .

⁴For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift , and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit ,

⁵and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come ,

⁶and then fell away , it is impossible to renew them again to repentance ; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again , and put him to open shame .

⁷For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled , receives blessing from God ;

⁸but if it bears thorns and thistles , it is rejected and near being cursed , whose end is to be burnt .

⁹But , beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you , and things that accompany salvation , even though we speak like this .

¹⁰For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labour of love which you showed towards his name , in that you served the saints, and still do serve them .

¹¹We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end ,

¹²that you won’t be sluggish , but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherited the promises .

¹³For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater , he swore by himself ,

¹⁴saying , “Surely blessing I will bless you , and multiplying I will multiply you .”[#Genesis 22:17]

¹⁵Thus , having patiently endured , he obtained the promise .

¹⁶For men indeed swear by a greater one , and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.

¹⁷In this way God , being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel , interposed with an oath ,

¹⁸that by two immutable things , in which it is impossible for God to lie , we may have a strong encouragement , who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us .

¹⁹This hope we have as an anchor of the soul , a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil ,

²⁰where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us , having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek .