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6 ¶ Therefore, leaving now the word of the beginning of the establishment of the Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from works of death, and of faith in God,

² of the doctrine of the baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

³ And this we will indeed do, if God permits.

⁴ For it is impossible that those who once received the light and tasted of that heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit

⁵ and likewise have tasted the good word of God and the virtue of the age to come,

⁶ and have backslidden, be renewed again by repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God and putting him to an open shame.

⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it and brings forth herbs in season for those by whom it is dressed receives blessing from God;

⁸ but that which bears thorns and briers is rejected and is near unto cursing, whose end shall be by fire.

⁹ ¶ But, beloved, we expect better things than these of you, things near unto saving health, though we thus speak.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of charity which ye have showed in his name, having helped the saints and helping them.

¹¹ But we desire that each one of you show the same diligence until the end for the fulfillment of your hope,

¹² that ye not become slothful, but imitators of those who by faith and patience inherit the promises.

¹³ For when God promised unto Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,

¹⁴ saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee.

¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

¹⁶ For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all controversy.

¹⁷ In which God, desiring to show more abundantly unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath,

¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is 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,

¹⁹ which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters even into that which is within the veil,

²⁰ where our precursor, Jesus, has entered for us and is made high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7 ¶ 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 Abraham also 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 lineage, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.

⁴ Now consider how great this one was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

⁵ And verily those that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they also have come out of the loins of Abraham;

⁶ but he whose descent is not counted in those took tithes from Abraham and blessed him that had the promises.

⁷ And without any contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

⁸ In the same manner, here men that die take tithes; but there he received them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

⁹ And as I may so say, Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.

¹⁰ For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

¹¹ ¶ 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?

¹² For the priesthood being transposed, there is made of necessity a translation also of the law.

¹³ For he of whom these things are spoken pertains to another tribe, of which no one presided at the altar.

¹⁴ For it is manifest that our Lord sprang out of Juda, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

¹⁵ And it is yet far more manifest: if there arises another priest who is like unto Melchisedec,

¹⁶ who is not made according to the law of a carnal commandment, but by the virtue of an indissoluble life;

¹⁷ for the testimony is of this manner, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

¹⁸ For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness of it;

¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw near unto God.

²⁰ And even more, inasmuch as it is not without an oath

²¹ (for the others indeed without an oath were made priests, but this one with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord swore and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec);

²² by so much better testament is Jesus made surety.

²³ And the others, truly, were many priests because they were not able to continue by reason of death:

²⁴ but this man, because he continues forever, has the intransmissible priesthood.

²⁵ Therefore he is able also to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was expedient that we have such a high priest, who is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens,

²⁷ who needs 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.

²⁸ For the law makes men high priests who have weakness; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, has made perfect a Son forever.