Study Desk

and then have fallen away — it is impossible to renew them so that they turn from their sin, as long as for themselves they keep executing the Son of God on the stake all over again and keep holding him up to public contempt.

For the land that soaks up frequent rains and then brings forth a crop useful to its owners receives a blessing from God;

For God is not so unfair as to forget your work and the love you showed for him in your past service to his people — and in your present service too.

For when God made his promise to Avraham, he swore an oath to do what he had promised; and since there was no one greater than himself for him to swear by, he swore by himself

We have this hope as a sure and safe anchor for ourselves, a hope that goes right on through to what is inside the parokhet,

There is no record of his father, mother, ancestry, birth or death; rather, like the Son of God, he continues as a cohen for all time.

Therefore, if it had been possible to reach the goal through the system of cohanim derived from Levi (since in connection with it, the people were given the Torah), what need would there have been for another, different kind of cohen, the one spoken of as to be compared with Malki-Tzedek and not to be compared with Aharon?

For if the system of cohanim is transformed, there must of necessity occur a transformation of Torah.

for everyone knows that our Lord arose out of Y'hudah, and that Moshe said nothing about this tribe when he spoke about cohanim.

For it is stated, "You are a cohen FOREVER, to be compared with Malki-Tzedek."

(for the Torah did not bring anything to the goal); and, on the other hand, a hope of something better is introduced, through which we are drawing near to God.

What is more, God swore an oath. For no oath was sworn in connection with those who become cohanim now;

one who does not have the daily necessity, like the other cohanim g'dolim, of offering up sacrifices first for their own sins and only then for those of the people; because he offered one sacrifice, once and for all, by offering up himself.

For the Torah appoints as cohanim g'dolim men who have weakness; but the text which speaks about the swearing of the oath, a text written later than the Torah, appoints a Son who has been brought to the goal forever.

For every cohen gadol is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so this cohen gadol too has to have something he can offer.

But what they are serving is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly original; for when Moshe was about to erect the Tent, God warned him, "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain."

But now the work Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises.

Indeed, if the first covenant had not given ground for faultfinding, there would have been no need for a second one.

For God does find fault with the people when he says, "‘See! The days are coming,' says Adonai , ‘when I will establish over the house of Isra'el and over the house of Y'hudah a new covenant.

"‘It will not be like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by their hand and led them forth out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, did not remain faithful to my covenant; so I, for my part, stopped concerning myself with them,' says Adonai.