Day 71 of 365

¹For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

²to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace;

³without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually.

⁴Now consider how great this man was, to whom even Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the best spoils.

⁵They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham,

⁶but he whose genealogy is not counted from them has accepted tithes from Abraham, and has blessed him who has the promises.

⁷But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

⁸Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives.

⁹We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes,

¹⁰for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him.

¹¹Now if there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

¹²For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law.

¹³For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

¹⁵This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest,

¹⁶who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life:

¹⁷for it is testified, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

¹⁸For there is an annulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

¹⁹(for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

²⁰Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath

²¹(for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him, "The Lord swore and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever.'"

²²By so much, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

²³Many, indeed, have been made priests, because they are hindered from continuing by death.

²⁴But he, because he lives forever, has his priesthood unchangeable.

²⁵Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.

²⁶For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

²⁷who does not need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.

²⁸For the Law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the Law appoints a Son forever who has been perfected.

¹Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

²a servant of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, and not man.

³For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.

⁴Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests who offer the gifts according to the Law;

⁵who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, "See, you shall make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain."

⁶But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as Law.

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

⁸For finding fault with them, he said, "Behold, the days come," says the Lord, "that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

⁹not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them," says the Lord.

¹⁰"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

¹¹They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

¹²For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins no more."

¹³In that he says, "A New Covenant," he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.

¹Now indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and an earthly sanctuary.

²For a tabernacle was prepared. In the first part were the lampstand, the table, and the show bread; which is called the Holy Place.

³After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

⁴having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;

⁵and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we cannot speak now in detail.

⁶Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services,

⁷but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the errors of the people.

⁸The Holy Spirit is indicating this, that the way into the Holy Place was not yet revealed while the first tabernacle was still standing;

⁹which is a symbol of the present age, where gifts and sacrifices are offered that are incapable, concerning the conscience, of making the worshipper perfect;

¹⁰being only (with meats and drinks and various washings) fleshly ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.

¹¹But Christ having come as a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation,

¹²nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption.

¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh:

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

¹⁵For this reason he is the mediator of a New Covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

¹⁶For where a last will and testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him who made it.

¹⁷For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives.

¹⁸Therefore even the first covenant has not been dedicated without blood.

¹⁹For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

²⁰saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you."

²¹Moreover he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry in like manner with the blood.

²²According to the Law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

²³It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

²⁴For Christ hasn't entered into holy places made with hands, which are representations of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

²⁵nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place year by year with blood not his own,

²⁶or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

²⁷Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,

²⁸so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without sin, to those who are eagerly waiting for him for salvation.

¹In you, Lord, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.

²Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. Turn your ear to me, and save me.

³Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For you are my hope, Lord God; my confidence from my youth.

⁶I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother's womb. I will always praise you.

⁷I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.

⁸My mouth shall be filled with your praise, with your honor all the day.

⁹Do not reject me in my old age. Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

¹⁰For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,

¹¹saying, "God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him."

¹²God, do not be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.

¹³Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.

¹⁴But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.

¹⁵My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I do not know its full measure.

¹⁶I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord God. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.

¹⁷God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.

¹⁸Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, do not forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.

¹⁹Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?

²⁰You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

²¹Increase my honor, and comfort me again.

²²I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.

²³My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!

²⁴My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.

¹Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

⁵"Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!

⁶Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding."

⁷He who corrects a mocker invites insult. He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.

⁸Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.

¹³The foolish woman is loud, Undisciplined, and knows nothing.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

¹⁵To call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,

¹⁶"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here." as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

¹⁷"Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he doesn't know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.