Hebrews 7–8

Chapter 7

Melchizedek’s Priesthood Like Christ’s

¹For this ^aMelchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the ^bMost High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

²to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

³Without father, without mother, ^awithout genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like ^bthe Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

⁴Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the ^apatriarch, ^bgave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

⁵And those indeed of ^athe sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment ¹in the Law to collect ²a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these ³are descended from Abraham.

⁶But the one ^awhose genealogy is not traced from them ^bcollected ¹a tenth from Abraham and ²blessed the one who ^chad the promises.

⁷But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

⁸In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, ^aof whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

⁹And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,

¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

^11aNow if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it ^bthe people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise ^caccording to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

¹²For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.

¹³For ^athe one concerning whom ^bthese things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord ¹was ^adescended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

¹⁵And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,

¹⁶who has become such not on the basis of a law of ^1aphysical requirement, but according to the power of ^ban indestructible life.

¹⁷For it is attested of Him,

“^aYou are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek.”

¹⁸For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment ^abecause of its weakness and uselessness

¹⁹(for ^athe Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better ^bhope, through which we ^cdraw near to God.

²⁰And inasmuch as it was not without an oath

²¹(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,

“^aThe Lord has sworn

And ^bwill not change His mind,

‘You are a priest ^cforever’ ”);

²²so much the more also Jesus has become the ^aguarantee of ^ba better covenant.

²³¹The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,

²⁴but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues ^aforever, holds His priesthood permanently.

²⁵Therefore He is able also to ^asave ¹forever those who ^bdraw near to God through Him, since He always lives to ^cmake intercession for them.

²⁶For it was fitting for us to have such a ^ahigh priest, ^bholy, ^cinnocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and ^dexalted above the heavens;

²⁷who does not need daily, like those high priests, to ^aoffer up sacrifices, ^bfirst for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did ^conce for all when He ^doffered up Himself.

²⁸For the Law appoints men as high priests ^awho are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints ^ba Son, ^cmade perfect forever.

Chapter 8

A Better Ministry

¹Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a ^ahigh priest, who has taken His seat at ^bthe right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

²a ^aminister ¹in the sanctuary and in the ^btrue ²tabernacle, which the Lord ^cpitched, not man.

³For every ^ahigh priest is appointed ^bto offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.

⁴Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who ^aoffer the gifts according to the Law;

⁵who serve ^aa copy and ^bshadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses ¹was ^cwarned by God when he was about to erect the ²tabernacle; for, “^dSee,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”

⁶But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the ^amediator of ^ba better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

A New Covenant

⁷For ^aif that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

⁸For finding fault with them, He says,

“^aBehold, days are coming, says the Lord,

¹When I will effect ^ba new covenant

With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

^9aNot like the covenant which I made with their fathers

On the day when I took them by the hand

To lead them out of the land of Egypt;

For they did not continue in My covenant,

And I did not care for them, says the Lord.

¹⁰“^aFor this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

After those days, says the Lord:

¹I will put My laws into their minds,

And I will write them ^bon their hearts.

And I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.

¹¹“^aAnd they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,

And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

For ^ball will know Me,

From ¹the least to the greatest of them.

¹²“^aFor I will be merciful to their iniquities,

^bAnd I will remember their sins no more.”

¹³¹When He said, “^aA new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. ^bBut whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ²ready to disappear.