Wherefore leaving {Greek: the word of the beginning of Christ.}the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto {Or, full growth}perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
{Some ancient authorities read, even the teaching of.}of the teaching of {Or, washings}baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
And this will we do, if God permit.
For as touching those who were once enlightened {Or, having both tasted of…and being made…and having tasted &c.}and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
and {Or, tasted the word of God that it is good}tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,
and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; {Or, the while}seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God:
but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned.
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that {Or, belong to}accompany salvation, though we thus speak:
for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister.
And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the {Or, full assurance}fulness of hope even to the end:
that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself,
saying, {Genesis 22:16 f.}Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.
Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, {Greek: mediated.}interposed with an oath;
that 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 lay hold of the hope set before us:
which we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil;
whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Querverweise zu Hebräer 6,20 Heb 6,20
For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, {Or, having brought}in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the {Or, captain}author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
who being the effulgence of his glory, and {Or, the impress of his substance}the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus;
In my Father's house are many {Or, abiding-places}mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
as he saith also in another place, {Psalms 110:4}Thou art a priest for everAfter the order of Melchizedek.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
{Or, Now to sum up what we are saying We have &c.}Now {Greek: upon.}in the things which we are saying the chief point is this We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God), abideth a priest continually.
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the chief spoils.
And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest's office have commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham:
but he whose genealogy is not counted from them hath taken tithes of Abraham, and hath blessed him that hath the promises.
But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.
And here men that die receive tithes; but there one, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
And, so to say, through Abraham even Levi, who receiveth tithes, hath paid tithes;
for he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.
Now if there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it hath the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be reckoned after the order of Aaron?
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
For he of whom these things are said {Greek: hath partaken of. See chapter 2:14}belongeth to another tribe, from which no man hath given attendance at the altar.
For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests.
And what we say is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest,
who hath been made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an {Greek: indissoluble.}endless life:
for it is witnessed of him, {Psalms 110:4}Thou art a priest for everAfter the order of Melchizedek.
For there is a disannulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness
(for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in thereupon of a better hope, through which we draw nigh unto God.
And inasmuch as it is not without the taking of an oath
(for they indeed have been made priests without an oath; but he with an oath {Or, through}by him that saith {Or, unto}of him, {Psalms 110:4}The Lord sware and will not repent himself,Thou art a priest for ever);
For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:
looking unto Jesus the {Or, captain}author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
who is he that condemneth? {Or, Shall Christ Jesus that died…us?}It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Blessed be {Or, God and the Father See Romans 15:6 margin}the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this {Greek: age.}world, but also in that which is to come:
and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church,
which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
I write unto you, my little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.