Hebrews 7:1–22

The King of Righteousness

7For this ^aMelchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ²to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” ³without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

⁴Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the ¹spoils. ⁵And indeed ^bthose who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham ^cand blessed ^dhim who had the promises. ⁷Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. ⁸Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, ^eof whom it is witnessed that he lives. ⁹Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Need for a New Priesthood

^11fTherefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹²For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. ¹³For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has ²officiated at the altar.

¹⁴For it is evident that ^gour Lord arose from ^hJudah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning ³priesthood. ¹⁵And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest ¹⁶who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. ¹⁷For ⁴He testifies:

ⁱ“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek.”

¹⁸For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of ^jits weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹for ^kthe law made nothing ⁵perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of ^la better hope, through which ^mwe draw near to God.

Greatness of the New Priest

²⁰And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath ²¹(for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:

ⁿ“The Lord has sworn

And will not relent,

‘You are a priest ⁶forever

According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”),

²²by so much more Jesus has become a ⁷surety of a ^obetter covenant.