Month: November 2024

The Siege of Jerusalem

24 ^(A)In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (B)“Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. ³ And ^(C)utter a parable to ^(D)the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

⁶ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(G)Woe to the bloody city, to ^(H)the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice.^{[b] 7} For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on ^(I)the bare rock; ^(J)she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. ⁸ To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. ⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! ^(K)I also will make the pile great. ¹⁰ Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices,^[c] and let the bones be burned up. ¹¹ Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, ^(L)that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. ^12 (M)She has wearied herself with toil;^[d] its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! ¹³ On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, ^(N)you shall not be cleansed anymore till ^(O)I have satisfied my fury upon you. ^14 (P)I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; ^(Q)I will not spare; ^(R)I will not relent; ^(S)according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

Ezekiel's Wife Dies

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ^16 (T)“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. ¹⁷ Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. ^(U)Bind on your turban, and ^(V)put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, ^(W)nor eat the bread of men.” ¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and ^(X)at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did ^(Y)as I was commanded.

¹⁹ And ^(Z)the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” ²⁰ Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^(AA)Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and ^(AB)your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. ²² And ^(AC)you shall do as I have done; ^(AD)you shall not cover your lips, ^(AE)nor eat the bread of men. ^23 (AF)Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but ^(AG)you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. ²⁴ Thus shall Ezekiel be to you ^(AH)a sign; ^(AI)according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then ^(AJ)you will know that I am the Lord God.’

²⁵ “As for you, ^(AK)son of man, surely on the day when I take from them ^(AL)their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and also their sons and daughters, ^26 (AM)on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. ²⁷ On that day your mouth ^(AN)will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. ^(AO)So you will be a sign to them, and ^(AP)they will know that I am the Lord.”

Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (AQ)“Son of man, ^(AR)set your face toward ^(AS)the Ammonites and prophesy against them. ³ Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: ^(AT)Thus says the Lord God, Because you said, ^(AU)‘Aha!’ over my ^(AV)sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, ⁴ therefore behold, I am handing you over to ^(AW)the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. ⁵ I will make ^(AX)Rabbah a ^(AY)pasture for camels and Ammon^{[e] (AZ)}a fold for flocks. ^(BA)Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶ For thus says the Lord God: Because ^(BB)you have clapped your hands ^(BC)and stamped your feet and ^(BD)rejoiced with all the ^(BE)malice within your soul against the land of Israel, ⁷ therefore, behold, ^(BF)I have stretched out my hand against you, and ^(BG)will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

⁸ “Thus says the Lord God: Because ^(BH)Moab and ^(BI)Seir^[f] said, ‘Behold, the ^(BJ)house of Judah is like all the other nations,’ ⁹ therefore ^(BK)I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, ^(BL)Beth-jeshimoth, ^(BM)Baal-meon, and ^(BN)Kiriathaim. ¹⁰ I will give it ^(BO)along with the Ammonites ^(BP)to the people of the East as a possession, ^(BQ)that the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations, ^11 (BR)and I will execute judgments upon Moab. ^(BS)Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Edom

¹² “Thus says the Lord God: Because ^(BT)Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended ^(BU)in taking vengeance on them, ¹³ therefore thus says the Lord God, ^(BV)I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from ^(BW)Teman even to ^(BX)Dedan they shall fall by the sword. ¹⁴ And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom ^(BY)by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and ^(BZ)they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.

Prophecy Against Philistia

¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord God: Because ^(CA)the Philistines ^(CB)acted revengefully and took vengeance ^(CC)with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, ¹⁶ therefore thus says the Lord God, ^(CD)Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off ^(CE)the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. ¹⁷ I will execute great vengeance on them ^(CF)with wrathful rebukes. ^(CG)Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

Prophecy Against Tyre

26 ^(CH)In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (CI)“Son of man, because ^(CJ)Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ^(CK)‘Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,’ ³ therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(CL)Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up ^(CM)many nations against you, ^(CN)as the sea brings up its waves. ⁴ They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and ^(CO)make her a bare rock. ⁵ She ^(CP)shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of nets, ^(CQ)for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. And she shall become plunder for the nations, ⁶ and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the sword. ^(CR)Then they will know that I am the Lord.

⁷ “For thus says the Lord God: ^(CS)Behold, I will bring against Tyre ^(CT)from the north Nebuchadnezzar^[g] king of Babylon, ^(CU)king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers. ⁸ He will kill with the sword ^(CV)your daughters on the mainland. ^(CW)He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise ^(CX)a roof of shields against you. ^9 (CY)He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. ¹⁰ His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons and chariots, when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached. ¹¹ With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. ¹² They will plunder ^(CZ)your riches and loot ^(DA)your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and ^(DB)soil they will cast into the midst of the waters. ^13 (DC)And I will stop the music of your songs, and ^(DD)the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. ^14 (DE)I will make you a bare rock. ^(DF)You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, ^(DG)for I am the Lord; I have spoken, declares the Lord God.

¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: Will not ^(DH)the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, ^(DI)when the wounded groan, when slaughter is made in your midst? ¹⁶ Then all ^(DJ)the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and ^(DK)remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; ^(DL)they will sit on the ground and ^(DM)tremble every moment and ^(DN)be appalled at you. ¹⁷ And they will ^(DO)raise a lamentation over you and say to you,

¹⁹ “For thus says the Lord God: When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, ^(DR)when I bring up the deep over you, and the great waters cover you, ²⁰ then ^(DS)I will make you go down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you to dwell in the world below, among ruins from of old, ^(DT)with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set beauty ^(DU)in the land of the living. ²¹ I will bring you ^(DV)to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more. ^(DW)Though you be sought for, you will never be found again, declares the Lord God.”

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ^(A)things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by ^(B)the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of ^(C)things that are visible.

⁴ By faith ^(D)Abel offered to God ^(E)a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^(F)through his faith, though he died, he ^(G)still speaks. ⁵ By faith ^(H)Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God ^(I)must believe that he exists and ^(J)that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷ By faith ^(K)Noah, being warned by God concerning ^(L)events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of ^(M)the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸ By faith ^(N)Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place ^(O)that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in ^(P)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^(Q)living in tents ^(R)with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to ^(S)the city that has ^(T)foundations, ^(U)whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith ^(V)Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered ^(W)him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and ^(X)him as good as dead, were born descendants ^(Y)as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

¹³ These all died in faith, ^(Z)not having received the things promised, but ^(AA)having seen them and greeted them from afar, and ^(AB)having acknowledged that they were ^(AC)strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, ^(AD)they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed ^(AE)to be called their God, for ^(AF)he has prepared for them a city.

Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

Oholah and Oholibah

23 The word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (A)“Son of man, there were ^(B)two women, the daughters of one mother. ^3 (C)They played the whore in Egypt; ^(D)they played the whore ^(E)in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms^[a] handled. ⁴ Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. ^(F)They became mine, and they ^(G)bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is ^(H)Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

⁵ “Oholah played the whore ^(I)while she was mine, and ^(J)she lusted after her lovers ^(K)the Assyrians, warriors ⁶ clothed in purple, ^(L)governors and commanders, ^(M)all of them desirable young men, ^(N)horsemen riding on horses. ⁷ She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted. ⁸ She did not give up her whoring ^(O)that she had begun in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their whoring lust upon her. ⁹ Therefore ^(P)I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. ^10 (Q)These uncovered her nakedness; ^(R)they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became ^(S)a byword among women, ^(T)when judgment had been executed on her.

^11 (U)“Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became ^(V)more corrupt than her sister^[b] in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. ¹² She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, ^(W)all of them desirable young men. ¹³ And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way. ¹⁴ But she carried her whoring further. She saw men ^(X)portrayed on the wall, the ^(Y)images of ^(Z)the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, ¹⁵ wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. ¹⁶ When she saw them, she lusted after them and ^(AA)sent messengers to them ^(AB)in Chaldea. ¹⁷ And the Babylonians came to her ^(AC)into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, ^(AD)she turned from them in disgust. ¹⁸ When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. ¹⁹ Yet she increased her whoring, ^(AE)remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt ²⁰ and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. ²¹ Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed^[c] your young breasts.”

²² Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers ^(AF)from whom you turned in disgust, ^(AG)and I will bring them against you from every side: ²³ the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, ^(AH)Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, ^(AI)desirable young men, ^(AJ)governors and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. ²⁴ And they shall come against you from the north^[d] with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. ^(AK)They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and ^(AL)I will commit the judgment to them, and ^(AM)they shall judge you according to their judgments. ²⁵ And I will direct my jealousy against you, ^(AN)that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. ^(AO)They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. ^26 (AP)They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. ^27 (AQ)Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and ^(AR)your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.

²⁸ “For thus says the Lord God: ^(AS)Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, ^(AT)into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, ²⁹ and ^(AU)they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor ^(AV)and leave you naked and bare, and ^(AW)the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring ³⁰ have brought this upon you, because ^(AX)you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have gone the way of your sister; ^(AY)therefore I will give ^(AZ)her cup into your hand. ³² Thus says the Lord God:

for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. ³⁵ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because ^(BE)you have forgotten me and ^(BF)cast me behind your back, you yourself ^(BG)must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”

³⁶ The Lord said to me: ^(BH)“Son of man, ^(BI)will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations. ³⁷ For ^(BJ)they have committed adultery, ^(BK)and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even ^(BL)offered up^[e] to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. ³⁸ Moreover, this they have done to me: ^(BM)they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and ^(BN)profaned my Sabbaths. ³⁹ For when ^(BO)they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day ^(BP)they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, ^(BQ)this is what they did in my house. ⁴⁰ They even sent for men to come from afar, ^(BR)to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, ^(BS)painted your eyes, ^(BT)and adorned yourself with ornaments. ⁴¹ You sat on ^(BU)a stately couch, with a table spread before it ^(BV)on which you had placed my incense and ^(BW)my oil. ⁴² The ^(BX)sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards^[f] were brought from the wilderness; and they put ^(BY)bracelets on the hands of the women, and ^(BZ)beautiful crowns on their heads.

⁴³ “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’^{[g] 44} For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! ⁴⁵ But righteous men ^(CA)shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.”

⁴⁶ For thus says the Lord God: ^(CB)“Bring up a vast host against them, and make them ^(CC)an object of terror and ^(CD)a plunder. ^47 (CE)And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. ^(CF)They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and ^(CG)burn up their houses. ^48 (CH)Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. ⁴⁹ And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and ^(CI)you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and ^(CJ)you shall know that I am the Lord God.”

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The Full Assurance of Faith

^19 (A)Therefore, brothers,^[a] since we have confidence to enter ^(B)the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by ^(C)the new and living way that he opened for us through ^(D)the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have ^(E)a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts ^(F)sprinkled clean ^(G)from an evil conscience and our bodies ^(H)washed with pure water. ^23 (I)Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for ^(J)he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And ^(K)let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ^25 (L)not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ^(M)all the more as you see ^(N)the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For ^(O)if we go on sinning deliberately ^(P)after receiving the knowledge of the truth, ^(Q)there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ^27 (R)but a fearful expectation of judgment, and ^(S)a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ^28 (T)Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy ^(U)on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one ^(V)who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned ^(W)the blood of the covenant ^(X)by which he was sanctified, and has ^(Y)outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, ^(Z)“Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, ^(AA)“The Lord will judge his people.” ^31 (AB)It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after ^(AC)you were enlightened, you endured ^(AD)a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being ^(AE)publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For ^(AF)you had compassion on those in prison, and ^(AG)you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had ^(AH)a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has ^(AI)a great reward. ³⁶ For ^(AJ)you have need of endurance, so that ^(AK)when you have done the will of God you may ^(AL)receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

21 ^[a] The word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (A)“Son of man, ^(B)set your face toward Jerusalem and ^(C)preach against the sanctuaries.^[b] Prophesy against the land of Israel ³ and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: ^(D)Behold, I am against you and will draw ^(E)my sword from its sheath and ^(F)will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. ⁴ Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. ^5 (G)And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn ^(H)my sword from its sheath; ^(I)it shall not be sheathed again.

⁶ “As for you, son of man, ^(J)groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, ^(K)groan before their eyes. ^7 (L)And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news ^(M)that it is coming. ^(N)Every heart will melt, and ^(O)all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and ^(P)all knees will be weak as water. ^(Q)Behold, it is ^(R)coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.

⁸ And the word of the Lord came to me: ^9 (S)“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:

(Or ^(W)shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, ^(X)with everything of wood.)^{[c] 11} So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished ^(Y)to be given into the hand of the slayer. ^12 (Z)Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. ^(AA)Strike therefore upon your thigh. ¹³ For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise ^(AB)the rod?”^[d] declares the Lord God.

¹⁴ “As for you, ^(AC)son of man, prophesy. ^(AD)Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, ^(AE)yes, three times,^[e] the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them, ¹⁵ that their hearts may melt, and many stumble.^[f] At all their gates I have given the glittering sword. Ah, it is made like lightning; ^(AF)it is taken up^[g] for slaughter. ¹⁶ Cut sharply to the right; set yourself to the left, wherever your face is directed. ¹⁷ I also will ^(AG)clap my hands, ^(AH)and I will satisfy my fury; ^(AI)I the Lord have spoken.”

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came to me again: ¹⁹ “As for you, son of man, mark two ways for ^(AJ)the sword of the king of Babylon to come. Both of them shall come from the same land. And make ^(AK)a signpost; make it ^(AL)at the head of the way to a city. ²⁰ Mark a way ^(AM)for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah, into Jerusalem the fortified. ²¹ For the king of Babylon stands ^(AN)at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults ^(AO)the teraphim;^[h] he looks at the liver. ²² Into his right hand comes the divination for Jerusalem, ^(AP)to set battering rams, to open the mouth with murder, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, ^(AQ)to cast up mounds, to build siege towers. ²³ But to them it will seem like a false divination. ^(AR)They have sworn solemn oaths, but he brings their guilt to remembrance, ^(AS)that they may be taken.

²⁴ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, ^(AT)you shall be taken in hand. ²⁵ And you, O profane^{[i] (AU)}wicked one, prince of Israel, ^(AV)whose day has come, ^(AW)the time of your final punishment, ²⁶ thus says the Lord God: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. ^(AX)Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted. ²⁷ A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. ^(AY)This also shall not be, ^(AZ)until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.

²⁸ “And you, ^(BA)son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God ^(BB)concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach; say, ^(BC)A sword, a sword ^(BD)is drawn for the slaughter. ^(BE)It is polished to consume and to flash like lightning— ²⁹ while ^(BF)they see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the profane wicked, ^(BG)whose day has come, the time of their final punishment. ^30 (BH)Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, ^(BI)I will judge you. ³¹ And ^(BJ)I will pour out my indignation upon you; ^(BK)I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver you into the hands of ^(BL)brutish men, skillful to destroy. ³² You shall be fuel for the fire. Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. ^(BM)You shall be no more remembered, ^(BN)for I the Lord have spoken.”

Israel's Shedding of Blood

22 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “And you, ^(BO)son of man, ^(BP)will you judge, will you judge ^(BQ)the bloody city? ^(BR)Then declare to her all her abominations. ³ You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that ^(BS)her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! ⁴ You have become guilty ^(BT)by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought ^(BU)your days near, the appointed time of^[j] your years has come. ^(BV)Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. ⁵ Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; ^(BW)your name is defiled; ^(BX)you are full of tumult.

⁶ “Behold, ^(BY)the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. ⁷ Father and mother ^(BZ)are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner ^(CA)suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow ^(CB)are wronged in you. ^8 (CC)You have despised my holy things and ^(CD)profaned my Sabbaths. ^9 (CE)There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you ^(CF)who eat on the mountains; ^(CG)they commit lewdness in your midst. ¹⁰ In you ^(CH)men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. ^11 (CI)One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; ^(CJ)another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; ^(CK)another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. ¹² In you ^(CL)they take bribes to shed blood; ^(CM)you take interest and profit^[k] and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but ^(CN)me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.

¹³ “Behold, ^(CO)I strike my hand at ^(CP)the dishonest gain that you have made, and at ^(CQ)the blood that has been in your midst. ^14 (CR)Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? ^(CS)I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. ^15 (CT)I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and ^(CU)I will consume your uncleanness out of you. ¹⁶ And ^(CV)you shall be profaned by your own doing ^(CW)in the sight of the nations, ^(CX)and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me: ^18 (CY)“Son of man, the house of Israel has become ^(CZ)dross to me; all of them are ^(DA)bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are ^(DB)dross of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, ^(DC)to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you ^(DD)in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. ²² As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; ^(DE)I have poured out my wrath upon you.”

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is ^(DF)not cleansed ^(DG)or rained upon in the day of indignation. ^25 (DH)The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is ^(DI)like a roaring lion ^(DJ)tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ^26 (DK)Her priests ^(DL)have done violence to my law and ^(DM)have profaned my holy things. ^(DN)They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and ^(DO)they have disregarded my Sabbaths, ^(DP)so that I am profaned among them. ^27 (DQ)Her princes in her midst are like wolves ^(DR)tearing the prey, ^(DS)shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. ²⁸ And ^(DT)her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, ^(DU)seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land ^(DV)have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and ^(DW)have extorted from the sojourner without justice. ^30 (DX)And I sought for a man among them ^(DY)who should build up the wall ^(DZ)and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. ³¹ Therefore ^(EA)I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned ^(EB)their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

10 For since the law has but ^(A)a shadow ^(B)of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, ^(C)it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But ^(D)in these sacrifices ^(E)there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴ For ^(F)it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Consequently, ^(G)when Christ^[a] came into the world, he said,

⁸ When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in ^(I)sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹ then he added, ^(J)“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will ^(K)we have been sanctified through the offering of ^(L)the body of Jesus Christ ^(M)once for all.

¹¹ And every priest stands ^(N)daily at his service, ^(O)offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, ^(P)which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ^[b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he ^(Q)sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time ^(R)until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering ^(S)he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁷ then he adds,

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

Israel’s Rebellion

20 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month,^[a] some of the elders^[b] of Israel came to seek^[c] the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. ² The Lord’s message came to me: ³ “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me,^[d] declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ⁴ Are you willing to pronounce judgment on them?^[e] Are you willing to pronounce judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers, ⁵ and say to them:

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore^[f] to the descendants^[g] of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore^[h] to them, “I am the Lord your God.” ⁶ On that day I swore^[i] to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land that I had picked out^[j] for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,^[k] the most beautiful of all lands. ⁷ I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you,^[l] and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” ⁸ But they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols,^[m] nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out^[n] my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ⁹ I acted for the sake of my reputation,^[o] so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived,^[p] before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.^[q]

¹⁰ “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. ¹¹ I gave them my statutes^[r] and revealed my regulations to them. The one^[s] who carries^[t] them out will live by them!^{[u] 12} I also gave them my Sabbaths^[v] as a reminder of our relationship,^[w] so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them.^{[x] 13} But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out^[y] my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.^{[z] 14} I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ I also swore^[aa] to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. ¹⁶ I did this^[ab] because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols.^{[ac] 17} Yet I had pity on^[ad] them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “‘But I said to their children^[ae] in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations,^[af] nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. ²⁰ Treat my Sabbaths as holy^[ag] and they will be a reminder of our relationship,^[ah] and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” ²¹ But the children^[ai] rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys^[aj] them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out^[ak] my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. ²² But I refrained from doing so^[al] and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³ I also swore^[am] to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.^{[an] 24} I did this^[ao] because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on^[ap] their fathers’ idols. ²⁵ I also gave^[aq] them decrees^[ar] that were not good and regulations by which they could not live. ²⁶ I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices^[as]—they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire^[at]—so that I might devastate them, so that they would know that I am the Lord.’^[au]

²⁷ “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. ²⁸ I brought them to the land that I swore^[av] to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoked me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ So I said to them, “What is this high place you go to?”’ (So it is called “High Place”^[aw] to this day.)

³⁰ “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers^[ax] and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? ³¹ When you present your sacrifices^[ay]—when you make your sons pass through the fire—you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me,^[az] O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me!^[ba]

³² “‘What you plan^[bb] will never happen. You say, “We will be^[bc] like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.”^{[bd] 33} As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm^[be] and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the nations and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! ³⁵ I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. ³⁶ Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Sovereign Lord. ³⁷ I will make you pass under^[bf] the shepherd’s staff,^[bg] and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸ I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt^[bh] against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹ “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols,^[bi] if you will not listen to me.^[bj] But my holy name will not be profaned^[bk] again by your sacrifices^[bl] and your idols. ⁴⁰ For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them^[bm] in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things. ⁴¹ When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. ⁴² Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore^[bn] to give to your fathers. ⁴³ And there you will remember your conduct^[bo] and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves^[bp] because of all the evil deeds you have done. ⁴⁴ Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Prophecy Against the South

⁴⁵ (21:1)^[bq] The Lord’s message came to me: ⁴⁶ “Son of man, turn toward^[br] the south,^[bs] and speak out against the south.^[bt] Prophesy against the open scrub^[bu] land of the Negev, ⁴⁷ and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message! This is what the Sovereign Lord has said: Look here,^[bv] I am about to start a fire in you,^[bw] and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it. ⁴⁸ And everyone^[bx] will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”

Christ’s Service in the Heavenly Sanctuary

¹¹ But now Christ has come^[a] as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, ¹² and he entered once for all into the Most Holy Place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured^[b] eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity,^{[c] 14} how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our^[d] consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

¹⁵ And so he is the mediator^[e] of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised,^[f] since he died^[g] to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. ¹⁶ For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven.^{[h] 17} For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. ¹⁸ So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.^{[i] 19} For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.”^{[j] 21} And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. ²² Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. ²³ So it was necessary for the sketches^[k] of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices,^[l] but the heavenly things themselves required^[m] better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands—the representation^[n] of the true sanctuary^[o]—but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. ²⁵ And he did not enter to offer^[p] himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, ²⁶ for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. ²⁷ And just as people^[q] are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,^{[r] 28} so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many,^[s] to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin^[t] but to bring salvation.^[u]

Book 5 (Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107^[a]

The Wicked Will Die; The Righteous Will Live

18 The word of the Lord came to me.

A Parable About Israel’s Princes

19 Now you are to take up a lament for the princes of Israel. ² This is what you are to say:

This is a lament, and it was used as a lament.

The Earthly Tent

9 The first covenant had regulations for worship and for an earthly sanctuary. ² The first room of the tent was furnished with the lampstand, the table, and the Bread of the Presence.^[a] This room was called the Holy Place. ³ And behind the second curtain was the room of the tent called the Most Holy Place. ⁴ It had the golden censer for incense^[b] and the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered entirely with gold. Inside the Ark was the golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s staff that had sprouted buds, and the stone tablets of the covenant. ⁵ Above the Ark, the glorious cherubim overshadowed the atonement seat. We are not going to talk about these things in detail now.

⁶ After these things had been furnished in this way, the priests would always enter the first room of the tent to perform their ministries. ⁷ But only the high priest would enter the second section of the tent, once each year, and not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance. ⁸ By this the Holy Spirit indicates that, while the first room of the tent existed, a way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed.

⁹ This tent is a picture pointing to the present time. Since it is only a picture, the gifts and sacrifices that are brought there are not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. ¹⁰ They are only bodily regulations about foods, drinks, and various washings, which were in force until the time of the new order.

Rebellion Continues in the Land

The Judgment

God’s Grace

Closing Prayer

Closing Doxology

The Parable About the Cedar Sprig

17 The word of the Lord came to me. ² Son of man, present a challenging parable to the house of Israel. ³ Tell the Israelites that this is what the Lord God says.

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to me. ¹² Tell this to the rebellious house.

A Better Promise

8 The main point of what we are saying is this: We have the kind of high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. ² He is the minister in the Holy Place, which is the true sanctuary, which the Lord set up, not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, and for that reason this priest also needed to have something that he offered.

⁴ If this priest were on earth, he would not even be a priest, because there are priests^[a] who are designated by the law to offer gifts. ⁵ They serve at a place that is a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, a place exactly like that about which Moses was told when he was about to complete the tent.^[b] For God said, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.”^[c]

⁶ But now, Jesus has obtained a ministry that is as much superior as the covenant that he mediates is better, because it has been established on the basis of better promises. ⁷ Indeed, if that first covenant were without fault, there would have been no reason to look for a second. ⁸ But because God found fault with the people, he said:^[d]

¹³ When God said “new,” he made the first covenant obsolete, and something that is obsolete and growing old is going to disappear.

Rebellions in the Wilderness

God’s Grace

More Rebellions in the Wilderness

Four Judgments

¹² The word of the Lord came to me.

Jerusalem Is a Useless Vine

15 The word of the Lord came to me.

Jerusalem, the Prostitute^[b]

16 The word of the Lord came to me.

¹⁸ To be sure, the former requirement is annulled, because it was weak and useless— ¹⁹ for the law did not bring anything to its goal—but now a better hope is introduced, by which we approach God.

²⁰ And something like this did not happen without an oath. Indeed, others who became priests did so without an oath, ²¹ but this one became a priest with an oath, through the one who said to him:

²² In this way, Jesus has become the guarantor^[b] of a better covenant.^[c]

²³ There were many who became priests because death prevented any of them from continuing to remain in office. ²⁴ But because this one endures forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ So for this reason he is able to save forever those who come to God through him, because he always lives to plead on their behalf.

Jesus Is the High Priest We Need

²⁶ This is certainly the kind of high priest we needed: one who is holy, innocent, pure, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices on a daily basis, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. In fact, he sacrificed for sins once and for all when he offered himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses. But the word of the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been brought to his goal forever.

Psalm 106

Israel Forgets

Introduction

Rebellion in Egypt

God’s Grace

An Action Prophecy About the Prince’s Exile

12 The word of the Lord came to me.

⁷ I did that, exactly as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage, packed for exile, during the daytime, and then in the evening I dug through the wall by hand. When it was getting dark, I brought my baggage out. I carried it on my shoulder while they were watching.

⁸ In the morning the word of the Lord came to me. ⁹ “Son of man, hasn’t the house of Israel, that rebellious house, asked you, ‘What are you doing?’ ¹⁰ You are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says.”

¹⁷ The word of the Lord came to me.

Two Sayings About Prophecy

²¹ The word of the Lord came to me.

²⁶ The word of the Lord came to me.

False Prophets and Prophetesses

13 The word of the Lord came to me.

Rulings About Prophecy

14 Some men from the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. ² Then the word of the Lord came to me.

A Priest Forever

7 This Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, is the one who met Abraham as he was returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,^{[a] 2} and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.^[b] First, Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and then “king of Salem,” which is “king of peace.” ³ He is without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, and resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

⁴ Consider how great this man was. Even Abraham, the patriarch, gave him a tenth from the best of the spoils. ⁵ According to the law, those sons of Levi who received the priesthood have a command to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brother Israelites, even though they also came from Abraham’s body. ⁶ But here the one who was not descended from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ And without any question, it is the lesser who is blessed by the greater.

⁸ In the one case, those who are mortal collect the tenth; in the other case, the one who collects has testimony in Scripture^[c] that he lives. ⁹ And, through Abraham, even Levi, who collects the tenth, has paid a tenth, so to speak, ¹⁰ because he was still in the body of his forefather when Melchizedek met Abraham.

¹¹ So if everything could have been brought to its goal through the Levitical priesthood (for the people received the law on the basis of that priesthood), what further need was there for another priest to arise who was like Melchizedek, yet not said to be like Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, by necessity a change in the law also happens. ¹³ Yet these things are said about the one who belonged to another tribe, from which no one had served at the altar. ¹⁴ It is certainly clear that our Lord is descended from Judah. Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.

¹⁵ And this becomes even clearer if another priest arises like Melchizedek, ¹⁶ who became a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement about physical descent, but on the basis of the power of an endless^[d] life. ¹⁷ For it has been testified in Scripture about him: