| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, | 1Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, |
| 2and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | 2teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| 3And this we will do if God permits. | 3And we will do this if God permits. |
| 4For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, | 4For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, |
| 5and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, | 5tasted God's good word and the powers of the coming age, |
| 6and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. | 6and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. |
| 7For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. | 7For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for receives a blessing from God. |
| 8But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. | 8But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end. |
| 9Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. | 9Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation. |
| 10For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. | 10For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints--and you continue to serve them. |
| 11And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, | 11Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, |
| 12so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. | 12so that you won't become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance. |
| 13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, | 13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself: |
| 14saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” | 14I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. |
| 15And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. | 15And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. |
| 16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. | 16For men swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. |
| 17So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, | 17Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, |
| 18so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. | 18so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. |
| 19We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, | 19We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. |
| 20where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. | 20Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. |
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