| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 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, | 1So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. |
| 2and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | 2You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| 3And this we will do if God permits. | 3And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. |
| 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 bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, |
| 5and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, | 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— |
| 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 then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. |
| 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. | 7When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. |
| 8But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. | 8But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. |
| 9Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. | 9Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come 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 how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. |
| 11And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, | 11Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. |
| 12so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. | 12Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. God’s Promises Bring Hope |
| 13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, | 13For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: |
| 14saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” | 14“I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” |
| 15And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. | 15Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. |
| 16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. | 16Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. |
| 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, | 17God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. |
| 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 God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies 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, | 19This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. |
| 20where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. | 20Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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