Hebrews 5–7

The Messiah, a High Priest

5For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service ^dto God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ²He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also subject to weakness. ^e3Because of this, he must make a sin offering for himself as well as for the people. ^f4No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was. ^g5In the same way, the Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, ^hi6also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. ^jk

⁷During His earthly life, ^lHe offered prayers and appeals ^mwith loud cries and tears ⁿto the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. ⁸Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. ^o9After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, ¹⁰and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The Problem of Immaturity

¹¹We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. ¹²Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. ^p13Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. ^q

Warning against Regression

6Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, ^r2teaching about ritual washings, ^slaying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ^t3And we will do this if God permits.

⁴For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, ^u5tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, ⁶and who have fallen away, because, ^vto their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. ^w7For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for receives a blessing from God. ⁸But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end. ^x

⁹Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation. ¹⁰For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love ^yyou showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them. ^z11Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, ¹²so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance. ^a

Inheriting the Promise

¹³For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:

¹⁴I will indeed bless you,

and I will greatly multiply you. ^bc

¹⁵And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham ^dobtained the promise. ¹⁶For men swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. ¹⁷Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, ^e18so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. ^f19We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. ^g20Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, ^hbecause He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. ⁱ

The Greatness of Melchizedek

7For this Melchizedek—

King of Salem, priest of the Most High God,

who met Abraham and blessed him

as he returned from defeating the kings,

²and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything;

first, his name means king of righteousness,

then also, king of Salem,

meaning king of peace;

³without father, mother, or genealogy,

having neither beginning of days nor end of life,

but resembling the Son of God ^j—

remains a priest forever.

⁴Now consider how great this man was—even Abraham the patriarch ^kgave a tenth of the plunder to him! ⁵The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people ^l—that is, from their brothers—though they have also descended from Abraham. ^m6But one without this ⁿlineage collected tenths from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ^o7Without a doubt, ^pthe inferior is blessed by the superior. ⁸In the one case, men who will die receive tenths, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. ^q9And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham, ¹⁰for he was still within his ancestor ^rwhen Melchizedek met him.

A Superior Priesthood

¹¹If then, perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law ^s), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron? ^t12For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. ¹³For the One these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar. ¹⁴Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, ^uand Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests.

¹⁵And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, ¹⁶who did not become a priest based on a legal command concerning physical ^vdescent but based on the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷For it has been testified:

You are a priest forever

in the order of Melchizedek. ^wx

¹⁸So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable ^y19(for the law perfected ^znothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. ^a

²⁰None of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath, ²¹but He became a priest with an oath made by the One who said to Him:

The Lord has sworn,

and He will not change His mind,

You are a priest forever. ^bc

²²So Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. ^d

²³Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. ²⁴But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently. ²⁵Therefore, He is always able to save ^ethose who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede ^ffor them.

²⁶For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ^g27He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself. ^h28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, ⁱwho has been perfected ^jforever.