CHOOSE YOUR BIBLE VERSION
Hebrews 4-9
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 4
1 Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith.
3
For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, 'AS I SWORE IN MY ANGER, THEY CERTAINLY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,' although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
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For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: 'AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS';
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and again in this passage, 'THEY CERTAINLY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'
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Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who previously had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,
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He again sets a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, 'TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.'
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For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
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Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
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For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
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Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.
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For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
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And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.
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Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.
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For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
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Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
Chapter 5
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; 2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is clothed in weakness; 3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins for himself, as well as for the people. 4 And no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just as Aaron also was.
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So too Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but it was He who said to Him, 'YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE FATHERED YOU';
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just as He also says in another passage, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.'
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In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior.
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Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
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And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him,
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being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
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Concerning him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become poor listeners.
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For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
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For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
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But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.
Chapter 6
1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
9
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things regarding you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we are speaking in this way.
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For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having served and by still serving the saints.
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And we desire that each one of you demonstrate the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
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so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.
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For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He swore by Himself,
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saying, 'INDEED I WILL GREATLY BLESS YOU AND I WILL GREATLY MULTIPLY YOU.'
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And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
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For people swear an oath by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath serving as confirmation is an end of every dispute.
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In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to the heirs of the promise the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, confirmed it with an oath,
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so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us.
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This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil,
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where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Chapter 7
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth 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. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
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Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.
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And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they are descended from Abraham.
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But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
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But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater.
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In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.
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And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes,
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for he was still in the loins of his forefather when Melchizedek met him.
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So if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?
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For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.
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For the one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.
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For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests.
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And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,
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who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.
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For it is attested of Him, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.'
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For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness
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(for the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better hope, through which we come near to God.
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And to the extent that it was not without an oath
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(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, 'THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER’?');
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by the same extent Jesus also has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
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The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing;
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Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.
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Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
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For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens;
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who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this once for all time when He offered up Himself.
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For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Chapter 8
1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, 'SEE,' He says, 'THAT YOU MAKE all things BY THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN TO YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.' 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
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For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no circumstances would have been sought for a second.
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For in finding fault with the people, He says, 'BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL BRING ABOUT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH,
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NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO BRING THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE ABOUT THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
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FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
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AND THEY WILL NOT TEACH, EACH ONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EACH ONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR THEY WILL ALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
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FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TOWARD THEIR WRONGDOINGS, AND THEIR SINS I WILL NO LONGER REMEMBER.'
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When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.
Chapter 9
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was equipped, the outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place, 4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s staff which budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship,
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but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
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The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
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which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
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since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
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But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation;
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and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption.
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For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,
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how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
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For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
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For where there is a covenant, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.
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For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.
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Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.
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For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
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saying, 'THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.'
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And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.
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And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
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Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these things, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
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For Christ did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
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nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year by year with blood that is not his own.
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Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
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And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment,
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so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
King James Version
Chapter 4
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
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Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
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For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
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Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
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For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
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Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Chapter 5
1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. 3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
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Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
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Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
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For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
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For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
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But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Chapter 6
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
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But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
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For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
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And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
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That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
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For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
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Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
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And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
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For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
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Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
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That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
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Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
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Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Chapter 7
1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: 6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. 8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. 9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
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If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
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For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
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For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
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For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
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And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
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Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
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For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
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For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
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For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
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And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:
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(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)
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By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
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And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
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But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
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Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
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For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
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Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
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For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Chapter 8
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
6
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
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For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
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For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
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Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
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For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
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And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
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For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Chapter 9
1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
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The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
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Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
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Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
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But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
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Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
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For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
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How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
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And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
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For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
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For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
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Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
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For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
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Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
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Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
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And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
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It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
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For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
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Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
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For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
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And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
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So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 4
1 Therefore, since the promise to enter his rest remains, let us beware that none of you be found to have fallen short. 2 For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.
3
For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what he has said,So I swore in my anger,"They will not enter my rest," even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world.
4
For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.
5
Again, in that passage he says, They will never enter my rest.
6
Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience,
7
he again specifies a certain day--today. He specified this speaking through David after such a long time:Today, if you hear his voice,do not harden your hearts.
8
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.
9
Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God's people.
10
For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.
11
Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.
12
For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13
No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens--Jesus the Son of God--let us hold fast to our confession.
15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.
16
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
Chapter 5
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also clothed with weakness. 3 Because of this, he must make an offering for his own sins as well as for the people. 4 No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was.
5
In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him,You are my Son;today I have become your Father,
6
also says in another place,You are a priest foreveraccording to the order of Melchizedek.
7
During his earthly life, he offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
8
Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.
9
After he was perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
10
and he was declared by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
11
We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand.
12
Although 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.
13
Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.
14
But solid food is for the mature--for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
Chapter 6
1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And we will do this if God permits.
4
For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit,
5
who tasted God's good word and the powers of the coming age,
6
and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.
7
For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God.
8
But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned.
9
Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation.
10
For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints--and by continuing to serve them.
11
Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end,
12
so that you won't become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.
13
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself:
14
I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.
15
And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.
16
For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute.
17
Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath,
18
so 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.
19
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
20
Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Chapter 7
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace. 3 Without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
4
Now consider how great this man was: even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him.
5
The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people--that is, from their brothers and sisters--though they have also descended from Abraham.
6
But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
7
Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior.
8
In the one case, men who will die receive a tenth, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives.
9
And in a sense Levi himself, who receives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abraham,
10
for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
11
Now if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron?
12
For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well.
13
For the one these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar.
14
Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests.
15
And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
16
who did not become a priest based on a legal regulation about physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life.
17
For it has been testified:You are a priest foreveraccording to the order of Melchizedek.
18
So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable
19
(for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
20
None of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath,
21
but he became a priest with an oath made by the one who said to him:The Lord has swornand will not change his mind,"You are a priest forever."
22
Because of this oath, Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23
Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office.
24
But because he remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently.
25
Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.
26
For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
27
He 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 time when he offered himself.
28
For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.
Chapter 8
1 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he wouldn't be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. 6 But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.
7
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one.
8
But finding fault with his people, he says:See, the days are coming, says the Lord,when I will make a new covenantwith the house of Israeland with the house of Judah --
9
not like the covenantthat I made with their ancestorson the day I took them by the handto lead them out of the land of Egypt.I showed no concern for them, says the Lord,because they did not continue in my covenant.
10
For this is the covenantthat I will make with the house of Israelafter those days, says the Lord:I will put my laws into their mindsand write them on their hearts.I will be their God,and they will be my people.
11
And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,and each his brother or sister, saying, "Know the Lord,"because they will all know me,from the least to the greatest of them.
12
For I will forgive their wrongdoing,and I will never again remember their sins.
13
By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.
Chapter 9
1 Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves. 3 Behind the second curtain was a tent called the most holy place. 4 It had the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 The cherubim of glory were above the ark overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now.
6
With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry.
7
But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
8
The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing.
9
This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper's conscience.
10
They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.
11
But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation),
12
he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
13
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?
15
Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
16
Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established.
17
For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living.
18
That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.
19
For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people,
20
saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.
21
In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.
22
According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23
Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.
24
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.
25
He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.
26
Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27
And just as it is appointed for people to die once--and after this, judgment--
28
so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
New Living Translation
Chapter 4
1 God's promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. 2 For this good news--that God has prepared this rest--has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn't share the faith of those who listened to God.
3
For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, 'In my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest,'' even though this rest has been ready since he made the world.
4
We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: 'On the seventh day God rested from all his work.'
5
But in the other passage God said, 'They will never enter my place of rest.'
6
So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.
7
So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: 'Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts.'
8
Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come.
9
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.
10
For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.
11
So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
14
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.
15
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
16
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Chapter 5
1 Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.
4
And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.
5
That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, 'You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.'
6
And in another passage God said to him, 'You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.'
7
While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.
8
Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
9
In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.
10
And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
11
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen.
12
You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
13
For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right.
14
Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Chapter 6
1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 2 You don't need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
4
For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened--those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit,
5
who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come--
6
and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.
7
When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God's blessing.
8
But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
9
Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don't believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation.
10
For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.
11
Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.
12
Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance.
13
For example, there was God's promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:
14
'I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.'
15
Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
16
Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.
17
God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.
18
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
19
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary.
20
Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Chapter 7
1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means 'king of justice,' and king of Salem means 'king of peace.' 3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors--no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.
4
Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.
5
Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham.
6
But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.
7
And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.
8
The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.
9
In addition, we might even say that these Levites--the ones who collect the tithe--paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him.
10
For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham's body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.
11
So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?
12
And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it.
13
For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests.
14
What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.
15
This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared.
16
Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
17
And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, 'You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.'
18
Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless.
19
For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
20
This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron's descendants became priests without such an oath,
21
but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, 'The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: 'You are a priest forever.''
22
Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.
23
There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office.
24
But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.
25
Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
26
He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.
27
Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins.
28
The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
Chapter 8
1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.
3
And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.
4
If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.
5
They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: 'Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.'
6
But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.
7
If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.
8
But when God found fault with the people, he said: 'The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.
9
This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD.
10
But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
11
And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.
12
And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.'
13
When God speaks of a 'new' covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
Chapter 9
1 That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. 2 There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. 3 Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. 4 In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron's staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark's cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.
6
When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties.
7
But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
8
By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.
9
This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.
10
For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies--physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.
11
So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.
12
With his own blood--not the blood of goats and calves--he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13
Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial impurity.
14
Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
15
That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
16
Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead.
17
The will goes into effect only after the person's death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.
18
That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal.
19
For after Moses had read each of God's commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God's law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool.
20
Then he said, 'This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.'
21
And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship.
22
In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
23
That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.
24
For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.
25
And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal.
26
If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.
English Standard Version
Chapter 4
1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4
For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
5
And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.”
6
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
7
again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.
9
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10
for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
11
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Chapter 5
1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”;
6
as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
7
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
8
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
9
And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
10
being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
11
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13
for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Chapter 6
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
9
Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.
10
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.
11
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,
12
so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
14
saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”
15
And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
16
For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
17
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
18
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
19
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
20
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Chapter 7
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
4
See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!
5
And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham.
6
But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
7
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.
8
In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.
9
One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,
10
for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
11
Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
12
For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
13
For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.
14
For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
15
This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,
16
who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.
17
For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
18
For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness
19
(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
20
And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,
21
but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”
22
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
23
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,
24
but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
25
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
27
He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
28
For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Chapter 8
1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8
For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
9
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
11
And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
13
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Chapter 9
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6
These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties,
7
but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
8
By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing
9
(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,
10
but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
11
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12
he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
13
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
16
For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.
17
For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
18
Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
19
For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20
saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”
21
And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
22
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
23
Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
25
Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,
26
for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
28
so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
New International Version
Chapter 4
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
3
Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, 'So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'' And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.
4
For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'On the seventh day God rested from all his works.'
5
And again in the passage above he says, 'They shall never enter my rest.'
6
Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,
7
God again set a certain day, calling it 'Today.' This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'
8
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.
9
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
10
for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
11
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.
16
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Chapter 5
1 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5
In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'
6
And he says in another place, 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'
7
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
8
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered
9
and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
10
and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
11
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.
12
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
13
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Chapter 6
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
4
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
5
who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age
6
and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
7
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
8
But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case--the things that have to do with salvation.
10
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
11
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.
12
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
13
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
14
saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'
15
And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16
People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.
17
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
18
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.
19
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
20
where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Chapter 7
1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means 'king of righteousness'; then also, 'king of Salem' means 'king of peace.' 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
4
Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!
5
Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people--that is, from their fellow Israelites--even though they also are descended from Abraham.
6
This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
7
And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater.
8
In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.
9
One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham,
10
because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
11
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood--and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood--why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
12
For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.
13
He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.
14
For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
15
And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
16
one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.
17
For it is declared: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'
18
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless
19
(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
20
And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,
21
but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: 'The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.''
22
Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.
23
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office;
24
but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.
25
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26
Such a high priest truly meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
27
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
28
For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Chapter 8
1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3
Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.
4
If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.
5
They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'
6
But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
8
But God found fault with the people and said: 'The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
9
It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
10
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
11
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'
13
By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Chapter 9
1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6
When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.
7
But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
8
The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.
9
This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.
10
They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
11
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.
12
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
13
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16
In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
17
because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
18
This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
19
When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.
20
He said, 'This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.'
21
In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.
22
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23
It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
25
Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
26
Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
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The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.