Hebrews
7
- This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest
of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and
blessed him,
- and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.
First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king
of Salem" means "king of peace."
- Without father or mother, without genealogy,
without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a
priest forever.
- Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch
Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!
- Now the law requires the descendants of
Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people--that is, their
brothers -- even though their brothers are descended from Abraham.
- This man, however, did not trace his descent
from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the
promises.
- And without doubt the lesser person is blessed
by the greater.
- In the one case, the tenth is collected
by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.
- One might even say that Levi, who collects
the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham,
- because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi
was still in the body of his ancestor.
- If perfection could have been attained through
the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the
people), why was there still need for another priest to come--one in the order
of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron ?
- For when there is a change of the priesthood,
there must also be a change of the law.
- He of whom these things are said belonged
to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.
- For it is clear that our Lord descended
from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
- And what we have said is even more clear
if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
- one who has become a priest not on the basis
of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible
life.
- For it is declared: "You are a priest
forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
- The former regulation is set aside because
it was weak and useless
- (for the law made nothing perfect), and
a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
- And it was not without an oath! Others became
priests without any oath,
- but he became a priest with an oath when
God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You
are a priest forever.'"
- Because of this oath, Jesus has become the
guarantee of a better covenant.
- Now there have been many of those priests,
since death prevented them from continuing in office;
- but because Jesus lives forever, he has
a permanent priesthood.
- Therefore he is able to save completely
those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for
them.
- Such a high priest meets our need--one who
is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
- Unlike the other high priests, he does not
need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for
the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he
offered himself.
- For the law appoints as high priests men
who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who
has been made perfect forever.
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