Hebrews 7–10

¹For this Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who did meet Abraham turning back from the smiting of the kings, and did bless him, ²to whom also a tenth of all did Abraham divide, (first, indeed, 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, and being made like to the Son of God, doth remain a priest continually. ⁴And see how great this one is, to whom also a tenth Abraham the patriarch did give out of the best of the spoils, ⁵and those, indeed, out of the sons of Levi receiving the priesthood, a command have to take tithes from the people according to the law, that is, their brethren, even though they came forth out of the loins of Abraham; ⁶and he who was not reckoned by genealogy of them, received tithes from Abraham, and him having the promises he hath blessed, ⁷and apart from all controversy, the less by the better is blessed— ⁸and here, indeed, men who die do receive tithes, and there he, who is testified to that he was living, ⁹and so to speak, through Abraham even Levi who is receiving tithes, hath paid tithes, ¹⁰for he was yet in the loins of the father when Melchisedek met him.

¹¹If indeed, then, perfection were through the Levitical priesthood—for the people under it had received law—what further need, according to the order of Melchisedek, for another priest to arise, and not to be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹²for the priesthood being changed, of necessity also, of the law a change doth come, ¹³for he of whom these things are said in another tribe hath had part, of whom no one gave attendance at the altar, ¹⁴for it is evident that out of Judah hath arisen our Lord, in regard to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵And it is yet more abundantly most evident, if according to the similitude of Melchisedek there doth arise another priest, ¹⁶who came not according to the law of a fleshly command, but according to the power of an endless life, ¹⁷for He doth testify—‘Thou art a priest—to the age, according to the order of Melchisedek;’ ¹⁸for a disannulling indeed doth come of the command going before because of its weakness, and unprofitableness, ¹⁹(for nothing did the law perfect) and the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw nigh to God. ²⁰And inasmuch as it is not apart from oath, (for those indeed apart from oath are become priests, ²¹and he with an oath through Him who is saying unto him, ‘The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest—to the age, according to the order of Melchisedek;’) ²²by so much of a better covenant hath Jesus become surety, ²³and those indeed are many who have become priests, because by death they are hindered from remaining; ²⁴and he, because of his remaining—to the age, hath the priesthood not transient, ²⁵whence also he is able to save to the very end, those coming through him unto God—ever living to make intercession for them. ²⁶For such a chief priest did become us—kind, harmless, undefiled, separate from the sinners, and become higher than the heavens, ²⁷who hath no necessity daily, as the chief priests, first for his own sins to offer up sacrifice, then for those of the people; for this he did once, having offered up himself; ²⁸for the law doth appoint men chief priests, having infirmity, but the word of the oath that is after the law appointeth the Son—to the age having been perfected.

Chapter 8

¹And the sum concerning the things spoken of is: we have such a chief priest, who did sit down at the right hand of the throne of the greatness in the heavens, ²of the holy places a servant, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord did set up, and not man, ³for every chief priest to offer both gifts and sacrifices is appointed, whence it is necessary for this one to have also something that he may offer; ⁴for if, indeed, he were upon earth, he would not be a priest—(there being the priests who are offering according to the law, the gifts, ⁵who unto an example and shadow do serve of the heavenly things, as Moses hath been divinely warned, being about to construct the tabernacle, for ‘See (saith He) thou mayest make all things according to the pattern that was shewn to thee in the mount;’)—

⁶And now he hath obtained a more excellent service, how much also of a better covenant is he mediator, which on better promises hath been sanctioned, ⁷for if that first were faultless, a place would not have been sought for a second. ⁸For finding fault, He saith to them, ‘Lo, days come, saith the Lord, and I will complete with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, a new covenant, ⁹not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day of My taking them by their hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt—because they did not remain in My covenant, and I did not regard them, saith the Lord,— ¹⁰because this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord, giving My laws into their mind, and upon their hearts I will write them, and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to Me for a people; ¹¹and they shall not teach each his neighbour, and each his brother, saying, Know thou the Lord, because they shall all know Me from the small one of them unto the great one of them, ¹²because I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawlessnesses I will remember no more;’— ¹³in the saying ‘new,’ He hath made the first old, and what doth become obsolete and is old is nigh disappearing.

Chapter 9

¹It had, indeed, then (even the first tabernacle) ordinances of service, also a worldly sanctuary, ²for a tabernacle was prepared, the first, in which was both the lamp-stand, and the table, and the bread of the presence—which is called ‘Holy;’ ³and after the second vail a tabernacle that is called ‘Holy of holies,’ ⁴having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid all round about with gold, in which is the golden pot having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tables of the covenant, ⁵and over it cherubim of the glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat, concerning which we are not now to speak particularly. ⁶And these things having been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle, indeed, at all times the priests do go in, performing the services, ⁷and into the second, once in the year, only the chief priest, not apart from blood, which he doth offer for himself and the errors of the people.

⁸The Holy Spirit this evidencing that not yet hath been manifested the way of the holy places, the first tabernacle having yet a standing; ⁹which is a simile in regard to the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which are not able, in regard to conscience, to make perfect him who is serving, ¹⁰only in victuals, and drinks, and different baptisms, and fleshly ordinances—till the time of reformation imposed upon them. ¹¹And Christ being come, chief priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands—that is, not of this creation— ¹²neither through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, did enter in once into the holy places, age-during redemption having obtained; ¹³for if the blood of bulls, and goats, and ashes of an heifer, sprinkling those defiled, doth sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, ¹⁴how much more shall the blood of the Christ (who through the age-during Spirit did offer himself unblemished to God) purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

¹⁵And because of this, of a new covenant he is mediator, that, death having come, for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, those called may receive the promise of the age-during inheritance, ¹⁶for where a covenant is, the death of the covenant-victim to come in is necessary, ¹⁷for a covenant over dead victims is stedfast, since it is no force at all when the covenant-victim liveth, ¹⁸whence not even the first apart from blood hath been initiated, ¹⁹for every command having been spoken, according to law, by Moses, to all the people, having taken the blood of the calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, he both the book itself and all the people did sprinkle, ²⁰saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God enjoined unto you,’ ²¹and both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the service with blood in like manner he did sprinkle, ²²and with blood almost all things are purified according to the law, and apart from blood-shedding forgiveness doth not come.

²³It is necessary, therefore, the pattern indeed of the things in the heavens to be purified with these, and the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these; ²⁴for not into holy places made with hands did the Christ enter—figures of the true—but into the heaven itself, now to be manifested in the presence of God for us; ²⁵nor that he may many times offer himself, even as the chief priest doth enter into the holy places every year with blood of others; ²⁶since it had behoved him many times to suffer from the foundation of the world, but now once, at the full end of the ages, for putting away of sin through his sacrifice, he hath been manifested; ²⁷and as it is laid up to men once to die, and after this—judgment, ²⁸so also the Christ, once having been offered to bear the sins of many, a second time, apart from a sin-offering, shall appear, to those waiting for him—to salvation!

Chapter 10

¹For the law having a shadow of the coming good things—not the very image of the matters, every year, by the same sacrifices that they offer continually, is never able to make perfect those coming near, ²since, would they not have ceased to be offered, because of those serving having no more conscience of sins, having once been purified? ³but in those sacrifices is a remembrance of sins every year, ⁴for it is impossible for blood of bulls…