Hebrews 6

1Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

1So let us stop going over the basic lessons about Christ again and again. Instead, let us go on to maturity. We don't need to start over again with the foundation of turning away from useless rituals and having faith in God.

2of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

2We don't need more teaching about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

3And this will we do, if God permit.

3And we will move forward to maturity, if God permits.

4For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

4For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have tasted the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit.

5and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,

5They have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,

6and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

6and then they turned away. It is impossible to bring them to repentance again because they are crucifying the Son of God all over again for themselves and making him a public disgrace.

7For 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:

7When the ground drinks up the rain that falls often on it and produces a good crop for those who farm it, it receives a blessing from God.

8but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned.

8But if the ground produces only thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed; in the end, it will be burned.

9But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak:

9Dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are sure of better things for you—things that go along with salvation.

10for 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.

10For God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did and the love you showed him by helping his people, as you continue to do.

11And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fulness of hope even to the end:

11Our great desire is for each of you to keep showing this same diligence until the end, so that your hope will be fully realized.

12that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

12Then you will not become lazy, but you will follow the example of those who receive what God has promised through their faith and patience.

13For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself,

13For example, when God made a promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself, since there was no one greater to swear by.

14saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

14He said, 'I will certainly bless you, and I will surely give you many descendants.'

15And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

15Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

16For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.

16Now when people swear an oath, they swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath settles all arguments.

17Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;

17God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who would receive the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.

18that 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:

18God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things cannot change, and it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for safety can have great confidence as we hold onto the hope set before us.

19which we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil;

19This hope is a strong and steady anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

20whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

20Jesus has already gone in there for us as our forerunner. He has become a high priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.