1 Therefore leaving the principles of the utterance of Christ, let us go on to completion; not laying again the foundation of a new mind, separated from dead works, and of supernatural belief and trust toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of the Age-lasting judgment. *
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good utterance of God, and the powers of the age to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again into a new mind; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.
7 For the Earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth herbs well placed for them by whom it is prepared, receives blessing from God:
8 But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is near to cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that you have served the saints, and do serve.
11 And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of divinely inspired expectation to the end:
12 That you be not slothful, but followers of them who through supernatural belief and trust and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself,
14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you."
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men truly swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is, to them, an end of all strife.
17 Because of this God, having the purpose to show more abundantly the immutability of His counsel to the heirs of promise, confirmed it by an oath,
18 so that, by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we, who have fled for refuge to take possession of the divinely inspired expectation set before us, might have strong encouragement.
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the mind, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil;
20 Where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest into the Kingdom Age after the order of Melchisedec.