7 ¶ For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

² to whom Abraham also gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace;

³ without father, without mother, without lineage, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.

⁴ Now consider how great this one was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

⁵ And verily those that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they also have come out of the loins of Abraham;

⁶ but he whose descent is not counted in those took tithes from Abraham and blessed him that had the promises.

⁷ And without any contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

⁸ In the same manner, here men that die take tithes; but there he received them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

⁹ And as I may so say, Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.

¹⁰ For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

¹¹ ¶ If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec and not be called after the order of Aaron?

¹² For the priesthood being transposed, there is made of necessity a translation also of the law.

¹³ For he of whom these things are spoken pertains to another tribe, of which no one presided at the altar.

¹⁴ For it is manifest that our Lord sprang out of Juda, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

¹⁵ And it is yet far more manifest: if there arises another priest who is like unto Melchisedec,

¹⁶ who is not made according to the law of a carnal commandment, but by the virtue of an indissoluble life;

¹⁷ for the testimony is of this manner, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

¹⁸ For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness of it;

¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw near unto God.

²⁰ And even more, inasmuch as it is not without an oath

²¹ (for the others indeed without an oath were made priests, but this one with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord swore and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec);

²² by so much better testament is Jesus made surety.

²³ And the others, truly, were many priests because they were not able to continue by reason of death:

²⁴ but this man, because he continues forever, has the intransmissible priesthood.

²⁵ Therefore he is able also to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was expedient that we have such a high priest, who is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens,

²⁷ who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins and then for the people’s; for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

²⁸ For the law makes men high priests who have weakness; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, has made perfect a Son forever.