Hebrews 7–10

Chapter 7

¹For this Melchisedec, King of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from smiting the kings, and blessed him; ²to whom Abraham gave also the tenth portion of all; first being interpreted King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, which is King of peace; ³without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but assimilated to the Son of God, abides a priest continually. ⁴Now consider how great this personage was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth out of the spoils. ⁵And they indeed from among the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have commandment to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is from their brethren, though these are come out of the loins of Abraham: ⁶but he who has no genealogy from them has tithed Abraham, and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷But beyond all gainsaying, the inferior is blessed by the better. ⁸And here dying men receive tithes; but there one of whom the witness is that he lives; ⁹and, so to speak, through Abraham, Levi also, who received tithes, has been made to pay tithes. ¹⁰For he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchisedec met him.

¹¹If indeed then perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, for the people had their law given to them in connexion with it, what need was there still that a different priest should arise according to the order of Melchisedec, and not be named after the order of Aaron? ¹²For, the priesthood being changed, there takes place of necessity a change of law also. ¹³For he, of whom these things are said, belongs to a different tribe, of which no one has ever been attached to the service of the altar. ¹⁴For it is clear that our Lord has sprung out of Juda, as to which tribe Moses spake nothing as to priests. ¹⁵And it is yet more abundantly evident, since a different priest arises according to the similitude of Melchisedec, ¹⁶who has been constituted not according to law of fleshly commandment, but according to power of indissoluble life. ¹⁷For it is borne witness, Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedec. ¹⁸For there is a setting aside of the commandment going before for its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹(for the law perfected nothing,) and the introduction of a better hope by which we draw nigh to God. ²⁰And by how much it was not without the swearing of an oath; ²¹(for they are become priests without the swearing of an oath, but he with the swearing of an oath, by him who said, as to him, The Lord has sworn, and will not repent of it, Thou art priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedec;) ²²by so much Jesus became surety of a better covenant. ²³And they have been many priests, on account of being hindered from continuing by death; ²⁴but he, because of his continuing for ever, has the priesthood unchangeable. ²⁵Whence also he is able to save completely those who approach by him to God, always living to intercede for them. ²⁶For such a high priest became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and become higher than the heavens: ²⁷who has not day by day need, as the high priests, first to offer up sacrifices for his own sins, then for those of the people; for this he did once for all in having offered up himself. ²⁸For the law constitutes men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the swearing of the oath which is after the law, a Son perfected for ever.

Chapter 8

¹Now a summary of the things of which we are speaking is, We have such a one high priest who has sat down on the right hand of the throne of the greatness in the heavens; ²minister of the holy places and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord has pitched, and not man. ³For every high priest is constituted for the offering both of gifts and sacrifices; whence it is needful that this one also should have something which he may offer. ⁴If then indeed he were upon earth, he would not even be a priest, there being those who offer the gifts according to the law, ⁵(who serve the representation and shadow of heavenly things, according as Moses was oracularly told when about to make the tabernacle; for See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern which has been shewn to thee in the mountain.)

⁶But now he has got a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is mediator of a better covenant, which is established on the footing of better promises. ⁷For if that first was faultless, place had not been sought for a second. ⁸For finding fault, he says to them, Behold, days come, saith the Lord, and I will consummate a new covenant as regards the house of Israel, and as regards the house of Juda; ⁹not according to the covenant which I made to their fathers in the day of my taking their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in my covenant, and I did not regard them, saith the Lord. ¹⁰Because this is the covenant that I will covenant to the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: Giving my laws into their mind, I will write them also upon their hearts; and I will be to them for God, and they shall be to me for people. ¹¹And they shall not teach each his fellow-citizen, and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because all shall know me in themselves, from the little one among them unto the great among them. ¹²Because I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses, and their sins and their lawlessnesses I will never remember any more. ¹³In that he says New, he has made the first old; but that which grows old and aged is near disappearing.

Chapter 9

¹The first therefore also indeed had ordinances of service, and the sanctuary, a worldly one. ²For a tabernacle was set up; the first, in which were both the candlestick and the table and the exposition of the loaves, which is called Holy; ³but after the second veil a tabernacle which is called Holy of holies, ⁴having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, covered round in every part with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, and the rod of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tables of the covenant; ⁵and above over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; concerning which it is not now the time to speak in detail. ⁶Now these things being thus ordered, into the first tabernacle the priests enter at all times, accomplishing the services; ⁷but into the second, the high priest only, once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people:

⁸the Holy Spirit shewing this, that the way of the holy of holies has not yet been made manifest while as yet the first tabernacle has its standing; ⁹the which is an image for the present time, according to which both gifts and sacrifices, unable to perfect as to conscience him that worshipped, are offered, ¹⁰consisting only of meats and drinks and divers washings, ordinances of flesh, imposed until the time of setting things right. ¹¹But Christ being come high priest of the good things to come, by the better and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, (that is, not of this creation,) ¹²nor by blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, has entered in once for all into the holy of holies, having found an eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls, and a heifer’s ashes sprinkling the defiled, sanctifies for the purity of the flesh, ¹⁴how much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God, purify your conscience from dead works to worship the living God?

¹⁵And for this reason he is mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, the called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. ¹⁶(For where there is a testament, the death of the testator must needs come in. ¹⁷For a testament is of force when men are dead, since it is in no way of force while the testator is alive.) ¹⁸Whence neither the first was inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹For every commandment having been spoken according to the law by Moses to all the people; having taken the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, he sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined to you. ²¹And the tabernacle too and all the vessels of service he sprinkled in like manner with blood; ²²and almost all things are purified with blood according to the law, and without blood-shedding there is no remission.

²³It was necessary then that the figurative representations of the things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with sacrifices better than these. ²⁴For the Christ is not entered into holy places made with hand, figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us: ²⁵nor in order that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy places every year with blood not his own; ²⁶since he had then been obliged often to suffer from the foundation of the world. But now once in the consummation of the ages he has been manifested for the putting away of sin by his sacrifice. ²⁷And forasmuch as it is the portion of men once to die, and after this judgment; ²⁸thus the Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear to those that look for him the second time without sin for salvation.

Chapter 10

¹For the law, having a shadow of the coming good things, not the image itself of the things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually yearly, perfect those who approach. ²Since, would they not indeed have ceased being offered, on account of the worshippers once purged having no longer any conscience of sins? ³But in these there is a calling to mind of sins yearly. ⁴For blood of bulls and goats is incapable of taking away sins. …