American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
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.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, {Or, thy reward shall be exceeding great}and thy exceeding great reward.
And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I {Or, go hence}go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house in mine heir.
And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son,
that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
If a man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:
God is not a man, that he should lie,Neither the son of man, that he should repent:Hath he said, and will he not do it?Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good?
And also the {Or, Victory Or, Glory}Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.
There are many devices in a man's heart;But the counsel of Jehovah, that shall stand.
in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised {Or, long ages ago}before times eternal;
And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
A Psalm of David.Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Jehovah will {Or, stretch}send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion:Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thy people {Hebrew: are freewill-offering.}offer themselves willinglyIn the day of thy {Or, army}power, in {Or, in the beauty of holiness}holy array:Out of the womb of the morning {Or, Thy youth are to thee as the dew}Thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent:Thou art a priest for everAfter the {Or, manner}order of Melchizedek.
The Lord at thy right hand {Or, Hath stricken}Will strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
He will judge among the nations, {Or, The places are full of &c.}He {Or, hath filled}will fill the places with dead bodies;He {Or, Hath stricken}will strike through the head {Or, over a wide land}in many countries.
He will drink of the brook in the way:Therefore will he lift up the head.