English Standard Version

New Living Translation

The Priestly Order of Melchizedek

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

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Melchizedek Is Greater Than Abraham

This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.

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and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

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Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.”

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He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

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There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors — no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.

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See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!

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Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.

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And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers,a though these also are descended from Abraham.

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Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel,a who are also descendants of Abraham.

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But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

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But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.

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It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

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And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

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In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.

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The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.

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One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,

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In addition, we might even say that these Levites — the ones who collect the tithe — paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him.

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for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

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For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.

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Jesus Compared to Melchizedek

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

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So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?b

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For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.

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And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it.

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For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.

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For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests.

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For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

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What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.

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This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,

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Jesus Is like Melchizedek

This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared.

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who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.

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Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.

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For it is witnessed of him,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”

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And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”c

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For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness

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Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless.

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(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

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For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

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And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,

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This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath,

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but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’”

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but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,
“The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow:
‘You are a priest forever.’”d

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This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

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Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.

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The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,

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There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office.

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but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.

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But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.

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Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermostb those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

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Therefore he is able, once and forever, to savee those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

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For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

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He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.f

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He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

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Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.

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For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

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The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.

Parallel

English Standard Version

New Living Translation

Hebrews 7

Hebrews 7