Beginning

The Priest Melchizedek

7 Melchizedek^[a] was the king of Salem and a priest for the Most High God. He met Abraham when Abraham was coming back after defeating the kings. When they met, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. ² And Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had brought back from the battle. First, Melchizedek’s name means “king of goodness.” Also, he is king of Salem, which means “king of peace.” ³ No one knows who Melchizedek’s father or mother was.^[b] No one knows where he came from. And no one knows when he was born or when he died. Melchizedek is like the Son of God; he continues being a priest forever.

⁴ You can see that Melchizedek was very great. Abraham, the great father, gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything that Abraham won in battle. ⁵ Now the law says that those in the tribe of Levi who become priests must get a tenth from the people. The priests collect it from their own people, even though the priests and the people are both from the family of Abraham. ⁶ Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi. But he got a tenth from Abraham. And he blessed Abraham, the man who had God’s promises. ⁷ And everyone knows that the more important person blesses the less important person. ⁸ Those priests get a tenth, but they are only men who live and then die. But Melchizedek, who got a tenth from Abraham, continues living, as the Scripture says. ⁹ It is Levi who gets a tenth from the people. But we might even say that when Abraham paid Melchizedek a tenth, then Levi also paid it. ¹⁰ Levi was not yet born. But Levi was in the body of his ancestor Abraham when Melchizedek met Abraham.

¹¹ The people were given the law^[c] concerning the system of priests from the tribe of Levi. But they could not be made spiritually perfect through that system of priests. So there was a need for another priest to come. I mean a priest like Melchizedek, not Aaron. ¹² And when a different kind of priest comes, the law must be changed, too. ¹³ We are saying these things about Christ. He belonged to a different tribe. No one from that tribe ever served as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴ It is clear that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah. And Moses said nothing about priests belonging to that tribe.

Jesus Is Like Melchizedek

¹⁵ And this becomes even more clear. We see that another priest comes, who is like Melchizedek.^{[d] 16} He was not made a priest by human rules and laws. He became a priest through the power of his life, which continues forever. ¹⁷ In the Scriptures, this is said about him:

¹⁸ The old rule is now set aside because it was weak and useless. ¹⁹ The law of Moses could not make anything perfect. But now a better hope has been given to us. And with this hope we can come near to God.

²⁰ Also, it is important that God made an oath when he made Jesus high priest. When the others became priests, there was no oath. ²¹ But Christ became a priest with God’s oath. God said:

²² So this means that Jesus is the guarantee of a better agreement^[e] from God to his people.

²³ Also, when one of the other priests died, he could not continue being a priest. So there were many priests. ²⁴ But Jesus lives forever. He will never stop serving as priest. ²⁵ So he is always able to save those who come to God through him. He can do this, because he always lives, ready to help those who come before God.

²⁶ So Jesus is the kind of high priest that we need. He is holy; he has no sin in him. He is pure and not influenced by sinners. And he is raised above the heavens. ²⁷ He is not like the other priests. They had to offer sacrifices every day, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people. But Christ does not need to do that. He offered his sacrifice only once and for all time. Christ offered himself! ²⁸ The law chooses high priests who are men with all their weaknesses. But the word of God’s oath came later than the law. It made God’s Son to be the high priest. And that Son has been made perfect forever.

Jesus Is Our High Priest

8 Here is the point of what we are saying: We do have a high priest who sits on the right side of God’s throne in heaven. ² Our high priest serves in the Most Holy Place. He serves in the true place of worship that was made by God, not by men.

³ Every high priest has the work of offering gifts and sacrifices to God. So our high priest must also offer something to God. ⁴ If our high priest were now living on earth, he would not be a priest. I say this because there are already priests here who follow the law by offering gifts to God. ⁵ The work that they do as priests is only a dim copy of what is in heaven. For when Moses was ready to build the Holy Tent, God warned him: “Be very careful to make everything by the plan I showed you on the mountain.”^{[f] 6} But the priestly work that has been given to Jesus is much greater than the work that was given to the other priests. In the same way, the new agreement that Jesus brought from God to his people is much greater than the old one. And the new agreement is based on promises of better things.

⁷ If there was nothing wrong with the first agreement,^[g] there would be no need for a second agreement. ⁸ But God found something wrong with his people. He says:^[h]

¹³ God called this a new agreement, so he has made the first agreement old. And anything that is old and worn out is ready to disappear.

Worship Under the Old Agreement

9 The first agreement^[i] had rules for worship. And it had a place on earth for worship. ² The Holy Tent was set up for this. The first area in the Tent was called the Holy Place. In it were the lamp and the table with the bread that was made holy for God. ³ Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place. ⁴ In it was a golden altar for burning incense. Also there was the Ark of the Covenant that held the old agreement. The Ark of the Covenant was covered with gold. Inside this Ark of the Covenant was a golden jar of manna and Aaron’s rod—the rod that once grew leaves. Also in it were the stone tablets of the old agreement. ⁵ Above the Ark of the Covenant were the creatures with wings that showed God’s glory. The wings of the creatures reached over the lid. But we cannot tell everything about these things now.

⁶ Everything in the Tent was made ready in this way. Then the priests went into the first room every day to do their worship. ⁷ But only the high priest could go into the second room, and he did that only once a year. He could never enter the inner room without taking blood with him. He offered that blood to God for himself and for the people’s sins. These were sins people did without knowing that they were sinning. ⁸ The Holy Spirit uses this to show that the way into the Most Holy Place was not open. This was while the system of the old Holy Tent was still being used. ⁹ This is an example for the present time. It shows that the gifts and sacrifices offered cannot make the worshiper perfect in his heart. ¹⁰ These gifts and sacrifices were only about food and drink and special washings. They were rules for the body, to be followed until the time of God’s new way.

Worship Under the New Agreement

¹¹ But Christ has come as the high priest of the good things we now have.^[j] The tent he entered is greater and more perfect. It is not made by men. It does not belong to this world. ¹² Christ entered the Most Holy Place only once—and for all time. He did not take with him the blood of goats and calves. His sacrifice was his own blood. He entered the Most Holy Place and set us free from sin forever. ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a cow are sprinkled on the people who are unclean and this makes their bodies clean again.

¹⁴ How much more is done by the blood of Christ. He offered himself through the eternal Spirit^[k] as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our hearts clean from useless acts. We are made pure so that we may serve the living God.

¹⁵ So Christ brings a new agreement from God to his people. Those who are called by God can now receive the blessings that God has promised. These blessings will last forever. They can have those things because Christ died so that the people who lived under the first agreement could be set free from sin.

¹⁶ When there is a will,^[l] it must be proven that the man who wrote that will is dead. ¹⁷ A will means nothing while the man is alive. It can be used only after he dies. ¹⁸ This is why even the first agreement could not begin without blood to show death. ¹⁹ First, Moses told all the people every command in the law. Next he took the blood of calves and mixed it with water. Then he used red wool and a branch of the hyssop plant to sprinkle the blood and water on the book of the law and on all the people. ²⁰ He said, “This is the blood which begins the agreement that God commanded you to obey.”^{[m] 21} In the same way, Moses sprinkled the blood on the Holy Tent and over all the things used in worship. ²² The law says that almost everything must be made clean by blood. And sins cannot be forgiven without blood to show death.

Christ’s Death Takes Away Sins

²³ So the copies of the real things in heaven had to be made clean by animal sacrifices. But the real things in heaven need much better sacrifices. ²⁴ For Christ did not go into the Most Holy Place made by men. It is only a copy of the real one. He went into heaven itself. He is there now before God to help us. ²⁵ The high priest enters the Most Holy Place once every year. He takes with him blood that is not his own blood. But Christ did not go into heaven to offer himself many times. ²⁶ Then he would have had to suffer many times since the world was made. But Christ came only once and for all time. He came at just the right time to take away all sin by sacrificing himself. ²⁷ Everyone must die once. After a person dies, he is judged. ²⁸ So Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, but not to offer himself for sin. He will come again to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

10 The law is only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future. It is not a perfect picture of the real things. The people under the law offered the same sacrifices every year. These sacrifices can never make perfect those who come near to worship God. ² If the law could make them perfect, the sacrifices would have already stopped. The worshipers would be made clean, and they would no longer feel guilty for their sins. ³ These sacrifices remind them of their sins every year, ⁴ because it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ So when Christ came into the world, he said:

⁸ In this Scripture he first said, “You do not want sacrifices and offerings. You do not ask for burnt offerings and offerings to take away sins.” (These are all sacrifices that the law commands.) ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am. I have come to do what you want.” So God ends the first system of sacrifices so that he can set up the new system. ¹⁰ Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do. And because of this, we are made holy through the sacrifice of his body. Christ made this sacrifice only once, and for all time.

¹¹ Every day the priests stand and do their religious service. Again and again they offer the same sacrifices. But those sacrifices can never take away sins. ¹² But Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, and it is good forever. Then he sat down at the right side of God. ¹³ And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. ¹⁴ With one sacrifice he made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says:

¹⁷ Then he says:

¹⁸ And when these have been forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice for sins.

Continue to Trust God

¹⁹ So, brothers, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood of Jesus’ death. ²⁰ We can enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way. It leads through the curtain—Christ’s body. ²¹ And we have a great priest over God’s house. ²² So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith. We have been cleansed and made free from feelings of guilt. And our bodies have been washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed. We can trust God to do what he promised.

²⁴ Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. ²⁵ You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing. But you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the Day^[o] coming.

²⁶ If we decide to go on sinning after we have learned the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. ²⁷ There is nothing but fear in waiting for the judgment and the angry fire that will destroy all those who live against God. ²⁸ Any person who refused to obey the law of Moses was found guilty from the proof given by two or three witnesses. He was put to death without mercy. ²⁹ So what do you think should be done to a person who does not respect the Son of God? He looks at the blood of the agreement, the blood that made him holy, as no different from other men’s blood. He insults the Spirit of God’s grace. Surely he should have a much worse punishment. ³⁰ We know that God said, “I will punish those who do wrong. I will repay them.”^[p] And he also said, “The Lord will judge his people.”^{[q] 31} It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with many sufferings, but you continued strong. ³³ Sometimes you were hurt and persecuted before crowds of people. And sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. ³⁴ You helped the prisoners. And you even had joy when all that you owned was taken from you. You were joyful because you knew that you had something better and more lasting.

³⁵ So do not lose the courage that you had in the past. It has a great reward. ³⁶ You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For in a very short time,

³⁹ But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved.