Hebrews 7:1-10 ▼

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 defeating the kings.

2 Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. 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, no birth date recorded for him, nor a date of death. 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!

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.

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.

7 It is beyond dispute that the less important person is blessed by the more important person.

8 Mortal men collect tithes, but we are informed by Scripture that Melchizedek keeps on living.

9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham,

10 because Levi was still inside his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.