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¹ Now this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham and blessed him when he was returning from slaughtering the kings.[xr] ² To him Abraham gave a tenth of everything.[fn] In the first place, his name means "king of righteousness," and then he is also king of Salem, that is, "king of peace." ³ He has no father, mother, or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life. Like the Son of God, he continues to be a priest forever. ⁴ Just look at how great this man was! Even Abraham - the patriarch himself - gave him a tenth of what he had captured![xr] ⁵ The descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood have a commandment in the law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their own brothers, even though they are also descendants of Abraham.[xr] ⁶ But this man, whose descent is not traced from them, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the man who had received the promises.[xr] ⁷ It is beyond dispute that the less important person is blessed by the more important person. ⁸ The men who collect the tenth die, but we are told that[fn] he keeps on living.[xr] ⁹ One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰ for he was still in the body of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

¹¹ Now if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood - for on this basis the people received the law - what further need would there be to speak of appointing another kind of priest according to the order of Melchizedek, not one according to the order of Aaron?[xr] ¹² For when a change in the priesthood takes place, there must also be a change in the law. ¹³ For the person we are talking about belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served[fn] at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is obvious that our Lord was a descendant of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests coming from that tribe.[xr] ¹⁵ This point is even more obvious in that another priest who is like Melchizedek has appeared ¹⁶ who was appointed to be a priest,[fn] not on the basis of a regulation concerning his ancestry, but rather on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is declared about him,[xr] "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."[fn] ¹⁸ Indeed, the cancellation of the former regulation has occurred because it was weak and ineffective[xr] ¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we approach God.[xr] ²⁰ Now none of this happened without an oath. Others became priests without any oath, ²¹ but Jesus[fn] became a priest[fn] with an oath when God[fn] said to him,[xr] "The Lord has taken an oathand will not change his mind.You are a priest forever."[fn] ²² In this way, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.[xr] ²³ There have been many priests, since they have been prevented by death from continuing in office. ²⁴ But because Jesus[fn] lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore, because he always lives to intercede for them, he is able to save completely[fn] those who come to God through him.[xr] ²⁶ We need such a high priest - one who is holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.[xr] ²⁷ He has no need to offer sacrifices every day like those high priests, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he sacrificed himself.[xr] ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.[xr]