Hebrews 6

Williams^{(i) 1} So then let us once for all quit the elementary teaching about Christ and continue progressing toward maturity; let us stop relaying a foundation of repentance from works that mean only death, and of faith in God, ² of teaching about ceremonial washings and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and final judgment. ³ And we will progress, if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible for those who have once for all been enlightened and have experienced the gift from heaven, who have been made sharers of the Holy Spirit ⁵ and have experienced how good God's message is and the mighty powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen by the wayside -- it is impossible, I say, to keep on restoring them to their first repentance, since they continue to crucify the Son of God to their detriment and hold Him up to contempt. ⁷ For a piece of ground that drinks in the rains so frequently falling on it, and continues yielding vegetation useful to those for whose sakes it is cultivated, receives from God His blessings. ⁸ But if it continues to yield thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and in danger of being cursed, and its final fate is burning. ⁹ But in your case, my dearly loved friends, even though we speak in such a tone, we are sure of better things, yea, things that point to salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget the work you have done and the love you have shown His name in the service you have rendered for your fellow-Christians, and still are doing. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to continue to show the same earnestness to the very end, that you may enjoy your hope to the fullest, ¹² so that you may not grow careless, but may follow the example of those who through their faith and patient endurance are now possessors of the blessings promised. ¹³ For when God made His promise to Abraham, He took an oath by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom He could take it, ¹⁴ saying: "I will certainly bless you over and over again, I will extensively increase your numbers." ¹⁵ And so by patiently waiting he obtained what God had promised him. ¹⁶ For it is a custom among men to take oath by something greater than themselves, and an oath taken for confirmation settles any dispute among them. ¹⁷ Therefore, because God wanted to make the strongest demonstration of the unchangeable character of His purpose, He interposed with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by these two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge with Him may have encouragement strong enough to make us seize upon the hope that lies ahead of us. ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor for our souls, secure and safe, which reaches up behind the heavenly veil, ^{20 (6:19)} where Jesus has blazed the way for us and became a High Priest with the rank of Melchizedek.