| New Living Translation | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1This 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. | 1For this Melchizedek-- King of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, |
| 2Then 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.” | 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything; first, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace; |
| 3There 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. | 3without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God-- remains a priest forever. |
| 4Consider 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. | 4Now consider how great this man was--even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him! |
| 5Now 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, who are also descendants of Abraham. | 5The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people--that is, from their brothers--though they have also descended from Abraham. |
| 6But 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. | 6But one without this lineage collected tenths from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. |
| 7And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. | 7Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. |
| 8The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. | 8In the one case, men who will die receive tenths, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. |
| 9In 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. | 9And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham, |
| 10For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him. | 10for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. |
| 11So 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? | 11If then, perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron? |
| 12And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. | 12For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. |
| 13For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. | 13For the One these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar. |
| 14What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. Jesus Is like Melchizedek | 14Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests. |
| 15This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. | 15And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, |
| 16Jesus 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. | 16who did not become a priest based on a legal command concerning physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. |
| 17And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” | 17For it has been testified: You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. |
| 18Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. | 18So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable |
| 19For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. | 19(for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. |
| 20This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, | 20None of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath, |
| 21but 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.’” | 21but He became a priest with an oath made by the One who said to Him: The Lord has sworn, and He will not change His mind, You are a priest forever. |
| 22Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. | 22So Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. |
| 23There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. | 23Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. |
| 24But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. | 24But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently. |
| 25Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. | 25Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them. |
| 26He 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. | 26For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. |
| 27Unlike 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. | 27He doesn't need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do--first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself. |
| 28The 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. | 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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