| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teachings about the Messiah, let us continue to be carried along to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead actions, faith toward God, | 1Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God, |
| 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | 2teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| 3And this we will do, if God permits. | 3And this is what we intend to do, if God permits. |
| 4For it is impossible to keep on restoring to repentance time and again people who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have become partners with the Holy Spirit, | 4For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, |
| 5who have tasted the goodness of God's word and the powers of the coming age, | 5tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, |
| 6and who have fallen away, as long as they continue to crucify the Son of God to their own detriment by exposing him to public ridicule. | 6and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt. |
| 7For when the ground soaks up rain that often falls on it and continues producing vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated, it receives a blessing from God. | 7For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God. |
| 8However, if it continues to produce thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed, and in the end will be burned. | 8But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed; its fate is to be burned. |
| 9Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case, things that point to salvation. | 9But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. |
| 10For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have ministered to the saints and continue to minister to them. | 10For 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. |
| 11But we want each of you to continue to be diligent to the very end, in order to give full assurance to your hope. | 11But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, |
| 12Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are inheriting the promises through faith and patience. | 12so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises. |
| 13For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself, since he had no one greater to swear by. | 13Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, |
| 14He said, "I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants." | 14saying, "Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly." |
| 15And so he obtained what he had been promised, because he patiently waited for it. | 15And so by persevering, Abraham inherited the promise. |
| 16For people swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all argument. | 16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. |
| 17In the same way, when God wanted to make the unchangeable character of his purpose perfectly clear to the heirs of his promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, | 17In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath, |
| 18so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us. | 18so that we who have found refuge in him 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. |
| 19That hope, firm and secure like an anchor for our souls, reaches behind the curtain | 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, |
| 20where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. | 20where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. |
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