But we do see Jesus, who was made a little bit lower than the angels [i.e., by suffering death as a human being], and was crowned with splendor and honor because He suffered death. It was by God's unearned favor that He would experience death for every person.

For it was fitting for God [that is, an act worthy of His divine nature] that He, for whose sake are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the author and founder of their salvation perfect through suffering [bringing to maturity the human experience necessary for Him to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest].

For both He who sanctifies and those whom He is sanctifying have all one Father; and for this reason He is not ashamed to speak of them as His brothers;

as when He says: "I will proclaim Thy name to My brothers: in the midst of the congregation I will hymn Thy praises;"

and again, "As for Me, I will be one whose trust reposes in God;" and again, "Here am I, and here are the children God has given Me."

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

And might release these - as many as, by fear of death, were all their lifetime liable, to bondage.

For, as we all know, He (Christ) does not take hold of [the fallen] angels [to give them a helping hand], but He does take hold of [the fallen] descendants of Abraham [extending to them His hand of deliverance].

Whence he ought in all things to be assimilated to the brothers, that he may be a merciful and faithful chief priest as to things relating to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

For inasmuch as He has Himself felt the pain of temptation and trial, He is also able instantly to help those who are tempted and tried.

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, [thoughtfully and attentively] consider the Apostle and High Priest whom we confessed [as ours when we accepted Him as Savior], namely, Jesus;

Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

see to it, brethren, that there is never in any one of you--as perhaps there may be--a sinful and unbelieving heart, manifesting itself in revolt from the ever-living God.

but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin:

for we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold fast our first confidence firm unto the end; inasmuch as it is said,

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." For some that heard did provoke; but not all that came out of Egypt with Moses.

Therefore, as long as the promise of entering his rest remains valid, let us be afraid! Otherwise, some of you will fail to reach it,

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.

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.

For, as we know, when speaking of the seventh day He has used the words, "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works;"

So that as it is clear that some have to go in, and that the first hearers of the good news were not able to go in because they went against God's orders,

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.

For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

So, we should do our best to enter into that state of rest, so that no one fails [to do so] by following the same example of disobedience [i.e., as seen in the Israelites. See verses 2, 6].

For the word of God [is] living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart.

And there is, no created thing, can be secreted before him, but, all things, are naked and exposed to his eyes: - as to whom is, our discourse.

Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior].

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.

For, every high-priest who from among men is taken, on behalf of men, is appointed, as to the things pertaining unto God, that he may be offering bothgifts and sacrifices for sins, -

can deal gently with those who err through ignorance, since he himself is beset with weakness ??3 which obliges him to present offerings for his own sins as well as for those of the People.

And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”;

As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

who in the days of his flesh offered up both prayers and supplications, with loud crying and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard as a result of his reverence.

addressed by God as high priest according to the order of Melchisedec.

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.

But, to such as are mature, pertaineth, the strong food, to them who, by reason of habit, have their organs of perception well trained for discriminating both good and evil.

For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

and have fallen away, crucifying for themselves as they do the Son of God, and making a show of him.

For as the earth, which imbibeth the rain that is frequently coming upon it, and produceth herbs fit for those by whom it is cultivated, receiveth a blessing from God:

but, if it 'bears thorns and thistles,' it is regarded as worthless, it is in danger of being 'cursed,' and its end will be the fire.

But though we speak in this manner, my dear brethren, we expect better things of you, and such as are more suitable to your salvation.

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God’s people), as you do.

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,

so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.

For God when he gave the promise to Abraham forasmuch as he had nothing greater to swear by, sware by himself,

And so, having patiently waited, he realized the promise [in the miraculous birth of Isaac, as a pledge of what was to come from God].

For men indeed swear by a greater, and with them the oath is a term to all dispute, as making matters sure.

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

and Abraham gave him a tenth of all [the spoil]. He is, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace.

There is no record of his father, or mother, or lineage, nor again of any beginning of his days, or end of his life. In this he resembles the Son of God, and stands before us as a priest whose priesthood is continuous.

In the one case, mortal men collect the tenth, in the other, one who, as the witness states, lives on.

And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

for when Melchizedek met him, he was still in Abraham's body [i.e., Levi had not yet been born as a descendant of Abraham].

If then, perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron?

For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is of necessity a change of the law [concerning the priesthood] as well.

For, he as to whom these things are said, with a different tribe, hath taken partnership, from which, no one, hath given attendance at the altar;

For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests.

And this is still more abundantly clear when we read that it is as belonging to the order of Melchizedek that a priest of a different kind is to arise,

On the one hand, we have the abolition of a previous regulation as being both inefficient and useless

And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

(for they are become priests without the swearing of an oath, but he with the swearing of an oath, by him who said, as to him, The Lord has sworn, and will not repent of it, Thou art priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedec;)

By as much as this, hath, Jesus, become surety of a better covenant also.

And that is why he is able to save perfectly those who come to God through him, living for ever, as he does, to intercede of their behalf.

It was fitting for us to have such a High Priest [perfectly adapted to our needs], holy, blameless, unstained [by sin], separated from sinners and exalted higher than the heavens;

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.

For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak [frail, sinful, dying men], but the word of the oath [of God], which came after [the institution of] the Law, permanently appoints [as priest] a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Now [this is] the main point in what has been said: we have a high priest such as this, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

a Minister (Officiating Priest) in the holy places and in the true tabernacle, which is erected not by man, but by the Lord.

Now, as every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, he too must have something to offer.

If he were, however, still upon earth, he would not even be a priest, since there are already priests who offer the gifts as the Law directs.

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.

But now hath he obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises.

For if that first agreement had been as good as possible, there would have been no place for a second.

For finding fault, he says to them, Behold, days come, saith the Lord, and I will consummate a new covenant as regards the house of Israel, and as regards the house of Juda;

[It will] not be like the Agreement that I made with their forefathers on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the country of Egypt. For they did not [continue to] keep my Agreement, so I did not regard them [as acceptable], says the Lord.

And everyone will not [have to] teach his neighbor or his brother [anymore], telling them to 'Know the Lord,' because all of them will know me [as their Lord], from the least [important] ones to the most important ones.

Because, propitious, will I be as to their unrighteousnesses, and, of their sins, in nowise will I be mindful, any more.

In saying, A new covenant, he has regarded the first as out of use. Now, that which is out of use, and has become old, is ready to disappear.

Behind the second veil there was another tabernacle [the inner one or second section] known as the Holy of Holies,

Now these things having been prepared in this way, the priests enter into the first tent {continually} [as they] accomplish their service,

But [only] once a year the head priest goes alone into the inner room [i.e., Holy of Holies], and never without [animal] blood, which he offers [as a sacrifice] for himself and for the sins done in ignorance by the people.

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:

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;

Only as to eatings, and drinkings, and diversified immersions, - righteous-appointments of the flesh, which, until a season of rectifying, are in force.

But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things to come [that is, true spiritual worship], He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not a part of this [material] creation.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have contracted defilement make them holy so as to bring about ceremonial purity,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal [Holy] Spirit willingly offered Himself unblemished [that is, without moral or spiritual imperfection as a sacrifice] to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God?

And that is why he is the intermediary of a new Covenant; in order that, as a death has taken place to effect a deliverance from the offenses committed under the first Covenant, those who have received the Call may obtain the eternal inheritance promised to them.

Whenever such a Covenant as a will is in question, the death of the testator must of necessity be alleged.