Dual Panel1NOW this Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham when the latter was returning from the defeat of the kings, and blessed him.
2Abraham gave him a tribute of a tenth part of all the spoils of battle. Melchizedek means first "king of righteousness," and his other title is "king of peace", for Salem means peace.
3He had no father or mother and no family tree, He was not born nor did he die, but, being like the Son of God, is a perpetual priest.
4Now notice the greatness of this man. Even Abraham the paunch pays him a tribute of a tenth part of the spoils.
5Further, we know that, according to the Law, the descendants of Levi who accept the office of priest have the right to demand a "tenth" from the people, that is from their brothers, despite the fact that the latter are descendants of Abraham.
6But here we have one who is quite independent of Levitic ancestry taking a "tenth" from Abraham, and giving a blessing to Abraham, the holder of God's promises!
7And no one can deny that the receiver of a blessing is inferior to the one who gives it.
8Again, in the one case it is mortal men who receive the "tenths", and in the other it is one who, we are assured, is alive.
9One might say that even Levi, the proper receiver of "tenths", has paid his tenth to this man,
10for in a sense he already existed in the body of his father Abraham when Melchizedek met him. We may go further.
11It if were possible to bring men to spiritual maturity through the Levitical priestly system (for that is the system under which the people were given the Law), why does the necessity arise for another priest to make his appearance [after the order of Melchizedek], instead of following the normal priestly calling of Aaron?
12For if there is a transference of priestly powers, there will necessarily follow an alteration of the Law regarding priesthood.
13He who is described as our High Priest belongs to another tribe, no member of which had ever attended the altar!
14For it is a matter of history that our Lord was a descendant of Judah, and Moses made no mention of priesthood in connection with that tribe.
15How fundamental is this change becomes all the more apparent when we see this other priest appearing according to the Melchizedek pattern,
16and deriving his priesthood not by virtue of a command imposed from outside, but from the power of indestructible life within.
17For the witness to him, as we have seen, is: Thou are a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek.
18Quite plainly, then, there is a definite cancellation of the previous commandment because of its ineffectiveness and uselessness
19the Law was incapable of bringing anyone to real maturityfollowed by the introduction of a better hope, through which we approach God.
20This means a far better hope for us because Jesus has become our priest by the oath of God.
21Other men have been priests without any sworn guarantee, but Jesus has the oath of him that said of him: The Lord sware and will not repent himself, Thou art a priest for ever.
22And he is, by virtue of this fact, himself the living guarantee of a better agreement.
23Human High Priests have always been changing, for death made a permanent appointment impossible.
24But Christ, because he lives for ever, possesses a priesthood that needs no successor.
25This means that he can save fully and completely those who approach God through him, for he is always living to intercede on their behalf.
26Here is the High Priest we need. A man who is holy, faultless, unstained, separated from sinners and lifted above the very heavens.
27There is no need for him, like the High Priests we know, to offer up daily sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the people's. He made one sacrifice, once for all, when he offered up himself.
28The Law makes for its High Priests men of human weakness. But the word of the oath, which came after the Law, makes for High Priest the Son, who is perfect for ever!