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could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

14 Saying, Surely, blessing, I will bless thee; and multiply- || ing, 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 strife.

17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath :

18 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 :

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entéreth into that within the vail,

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.

CHAP. VII.

MELCHISEDEC AND CHRIST.

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, receiv. ed 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, 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 priest- 20 And inasmuch as not with-
hood, (for under it the people out an oath he was made
received the law,) what further || priest:
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 changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

13 For he, of whom these things are spoken, pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

21 (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:)

22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

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

14 For it is evident, that our
Lord sprang out of Juda: of
which tribe Moses spake noth-changeable priesthood.
ing concerning priesthood.

24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an un

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him,

15 And it is yet far more evident; for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there aris-seeing he ever liveth to make eth another priest, intercession for them.

16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.

26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up 18 For there is verily a disan-sacrifice, first for his own sins, nulling of the commandment and then for the people's: for going before, for the weak- this he did once, when he offerness and unprofitableness there-ed up himself. of.

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

28For 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.

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3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices wherefore, it is of necescity 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.

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8 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:

9 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.

10 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 :

11 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.

12 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.

CHAP. IX.

THE SACRIFICES OF THE
LAW.

THEN verily the first covenant

had also ordinances of divine || 10 Which stood only in meats service, and a worldly sanctuary. and drinks, and diverse washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shew-bread; which is called The Sanctuary.

3 And after the second vail, 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 :

8 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:

11 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;

12 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.

13 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;

14 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?

15 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. 16 For where a testament is,

9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sa-there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

crifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise

it is of no strength at all while || have suffered since the founda

the testator liveth.

18 Whereupon, neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

19 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,

20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

21 Moreover, he sprinkled likewise with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission.

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23 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.

24 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:

25 Nor yet that he should of fer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

26 (For then must he often

tion of the world;) but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment;

28 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.

CHAP. X.

CHRIST'S PERFECT SACRI-
FICE.

FOR the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect: 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers, once purged, should have had no more conscience of sins.

3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

5 Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

6 In burnt-offerings and sacri

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