Letters to the Churches

God also bearing joint-witness both with signs and wonders, and manifold powers, and distributions of the Holy Spirit, according to His will.

For not to messengers did He subject the coming world, concerning which we speak,

and one in a certain place did testify fully, saying, `What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, or a son of man, that Thou dost look after him?

Thou didst make him some little less than messengers, with glory and honour Thou didst crown him, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands,

all things Thou didst put in subjection under his feet,' for in the subjecting to him the all things, nothing did He leave to him unsubjected, and now not yet do we see the all things subjected to him,

and him who was made some little less than messengers we see--Jesus--because of the suffering of the death, with glory and honour having been crowned, that by the grace of God for every one he might taste of death.

For it was becoming to Him, because of whom are the all things, and through whom are the all things, many sons to glory bringing, the author of their salvation through sufferings to make perfect,

for both he who is sanctifying and those sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

saying, `I will declare Thy name to my brethren, in the midst of an assembly I will sing praise to Thee;' and again, `I will be trusting on Him;'

and again, `Behold I and the children that God did give to me.'

Seeing, then, the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself also in like manner did take part of the same, that through death he might destroy him having the power of death--that is, the devil--

and might deliver those, whoever, with fear of death, throughout all their life, were subjects of bondage,

for, doubtless, of messengers it doth not lay hold, but of seed of Abraham it layeth hold,

wherefore it did behove him in all things to be made like to the brethren, that he might become a kind and stedfast chief-priest in the things with God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people,

for in that he suffered, himself being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus,

being stedfast to Him who did appoint him, as also Moses in all his house,

for of more glory than Moses hath this one been counted worthy, inasmuch as more honour than the house hath he who doth build it,

for every house is builded by some one, and He who the all things did build is God,

and Moses indeed was stedfast in all his house, as an attendant, for a testimony of those things that were to be spoken,

and Christ, as a Son over his house, whose house are we, if the boldness and the rejoicing of the hope unto the end we hold fast.

Wherefore, (as the Holy Spirit saith, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear--

ye may not harden your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of the temptation in the wilderness,

in which tempt Me did your fathers, they did prove Me, and saw My works forty years;

wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, Always do they go astray in heart, and these have not known My ways;