God, who at many times and in many ways spoke anciently to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days spoke to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his substance, and sustaining all things by the word of his power, having made a purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, being made as much greater than the angels as he has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels said he at any time, You are my Son, to-day have I begotten you? And again, I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world he says, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he says, Who makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire; but of the Son, Thy throne, God, is forever and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of rectitude. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, thy God, anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy companions. And thou, Lord, in the beginning didst build from its foundations the earth, and the heavens are works of thy hands; they shall perish, but thou shalt continue; and they shall all become old like a garment, and like a mantle thou shalt fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same and thy years shall not fail. And to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand till I make thy enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to serve on account of those who are about to inherit salvation?

We ought therefore to attend the more to the things which we heard, lest at any time we should glide away [from them]. For if the word spoken by angels was firm, and every transgression

and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape who have neglected so great a salvation? which began to be spoken by the Lord, and was affirmed to us by those who heard, God bearing them witness with signs and prodigies, and various mighty works and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his will.

For he did not subject to angels the world to come, of which we speak. But one somewhere testified, saying, What is man that thou art mindful of him, or a son of man that thou visitest him? Thou didst make him a little lower than angels, thou didst crown him with glory and honor, thou didst subject all things under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, he left nothing not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we see Jesus, made a little less than angels, on account of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste death for every [man]. For it became him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, to perfect by sufferings the prince of their salvation, bringing many sons to glory. For both he that sanctifies and the sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will declare thy name to my brothers, in the midst of the assembly will I sing to thee. And again, I will trust in him. And again, Behold me and the children which God gave me. Since then the children have partaken of blood and flesh, he in like manner also partook of them, that through death he might destroy him that has the power of death, that is the devil, and liberate those who all their life were subjects of servitude to the fear of death. For indeed he helped not angels, but he helped the descendants of Abraham. Whence he ought in all things to be assimilated to the brothers, that he may be a merciful and faithful chief priest as to things relating to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he has himself suffered, having been tried, he is able to help the tried.

Whence, holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly call, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Jesus, who is faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was in his house. For this man is judged worthy of more glory than Moses, as much as he has more honor than the house [tabernacle] which he built. For every house is built by some one; but he that built all things

is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of things to be spoken; but Christ as a son over his house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope.

Wherefore, as the Holy Spirit says, To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, in the day of the trial in the wilderness, where your fathers fully proved and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was displeased with that generation and said, They always err in mind, and they did not know my ways, so I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. See, brothers, that there be not at any time in any one of you an evil mind of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day, that no one of you may be hardened by the deception of sin; for we have been made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of the confidence firm to the end. It was said, To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation; for who having heard committed provocation? Did not all indeed who came out of Egypt with Moses? And with whom was he displeased forty years? Was it not with those that sinned? whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they should not enter into his rest? was it not to them that disobeyed? And we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Let us fear, therefore, lest at any time a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to come short. For we have also received the good news as they did; but the word of the report did not profit them, not being accompanied with faith in those who heard. For we enter into the rest who believed, as he said, I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest, although of works made from the foundation of the world. For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day, thus; And God rested on the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, They shall not enter into my rest. Since then it remains that some entered into it, and those to whom it was first preached entered not in on account of unbelief, again he defines a certain day, To-day, saying in David, after so long a time, as it was said before, To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Joshua caused them to rest he would not have spoken of another day afterwards.

Therefore a sabbatism remains for the people of God. For he [Christ] who entered into his rest, also himself rested from his works, as God from his.

Let us use diligence, therefore to enter into that rest [the heavenly rest], that no one may fall, after the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living, and effective, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and reaching even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrows, and distinguishes thoughts and intentions of mind; and there is nothing which is not manifest in his sight; for all things are naked and exposed to his eyes, to whom our discourse relates.

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