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The Letter to the Hebrews 7

7 Now I will say more about Melchizedek. He ruled the city of Salem, and he served the greatest God as a priest. When Abraham was going home after defeating some of his enemies, Melchizedek met with him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham gave to him one tenth of everything that he took when he defeated his enemies. The name “Melchizedek” means “just king” in Hebrew. The title “ruler of the city of Salem” means “peaceful ruler,” since “Salem” sounds like the Hebrew word for “peaceful”. 3 When Moses wrote about Melchizedek, he did not say anything about his father, his mother, his other ancestors, when he was born, or when he died. So, Moses described him as if he were similar to God’s Son and as if he always served as a priest.

4 You can tell how important Melchizedek was from how Abraham, the ancestor of all the Israelites, offered him one tenth of the most valuable things that he took when he defeated his enemies. 5 In Moses’ law, God spoke to the men who are part of the clan of Levi and who serve as priests. He commanded them to receive one tenth of what the rest of the Israelites, who are their relatives, earned or grew. God commanded this despite the fact that all the Israelites are descendants of Abraham. 6 Now Melchizedek is not part of the clan of Levi. Despite that, he received one tenth of what Abraham took when he defeated his enemies. Further, he blessed Abraham, the man to whom God had promised that he would give him many descendants. 7 Now everyone agrees that more important people bless less important people. So, because he blessed Abraham, Melchizedek is more important than Abraham. 8 In Moses’ law, we learn about how priests receive one tenth of what the rest of the Israelites earn or grow, but these priests all die. In the story about Melchizedek, we learn that he also received one tenth of what Abraham took from his enemies, but he continues to live. 9 In fact, in a way, Levi and the priests from his clan gave one tenth of what they had to Melchizedek when Abraham gave him one tenth. This is true even though they are the ones who receive one tenth from what the Israelites have. 10 What I have said makes sense because Levi had not yet been born and was, in a way, still inside Abraham, his great-grandfather, when he and Melchizedek met together.

11 Now God made the law that he gave to the Israelites depend on having the descendants of Levi serve as priests. So, suppose that people could become what God wanted them to be through what these priests did to serve God. In that case, God would never have appointed another priest to serve in the way that Melchizedek was a priest instead of in the way that Aaron was a priest. However, God did appoint this kind of priest. 12 You can tell that God made the law depend on having the descendants of Levi serve as priests, because the law must change whenever the way that people serve as priests changes. 13 You can tell that God has changed how people serve as priests, because Jesus, whom God has called a priest, is not one of the descendants of Levi but is a descendant of one of Levi’s brothers. No descendant of this man has served as a priest. 14 In fact, we all know that our Lord Jesus is a descendant of Levi’s brother Judah, and Moses did not write down anything about descendants of Judah serving as priests. 15 Further, you can tell even more clearly that God has changed how people serve as priests, since God has appointed a different kind of priest, Jesus, who serves God like Melchizedek did. 16 He serves as a priest because nothing can keep him from living, which makes him a powerful priest. As this kind of priest, he does not depend on what God commanded in Moses’ law about how human priests are descendants of Levi. 17 You can tell that this is true about him, because God the Father said to him:

“You will never stop being a priest in the same way that Melchizedek was a priest.”

18 What this means is that God withdrew what he had first commanded about priests. He did this because that way of doing things was ineffective. 19 That way was ineffective because people could not become what God wanted them to be by doing what God previously commanded. Now what this also means is that God provided something better for us to confidently expect. When we confidently expect this, we go closer to God.

20-21 20-21Now God did not guarantee what he said when he made some of the descendants of Levi to be priests. However, he did guarantee what he said when he made the Messiah to be a priest. Here is what God said to him:

“The Lord has guaranteed what he says,

and he will not do something else:

‘You will never stop being a priest!’ ” So, just as Jesus serves as a greater priest because God guaranteed what he said when he made him a priest,

22 so also there is a better agreement, which Jesus guarantees.

23 Further, each one of the descendants of Levi died and so could not continue to serve as a priest. Because of that, there have been many descendants of Levi who have served as priests. 24 However, Jesus will never die. Because of that, he will always serve as a priest. 25 Because he always serves as a priest, he can fully rescue anyone who, because of what he has done, goes closer to God. He can do that because he will never die and thus can always ask God to help them.

26 Jesus is exactly the kind of ruling priest that we need. He honors God, he does not think about what is evil, and he does not do what would defile him. He is not one of the people who sin, and he now lives in the highest heaven. 27 Now each descendant of Levi who serves as a ruling priest has to present sacrifices to God every day. First, he presents a sacrifice to take away his own sins, and after that he presents a sacrifice to take away the sins of the rest of the Israelites. However, Jesus took away everyone’s sins when he presented himself as a sacrifice one time, so he does not need to present many sacrifices. 28 In the end, God commanded through Moses that some people should serve as priests, but these priests are weak and die. In contrast, when God guaranteed what he said, which he did after he had commanded those things through Moses, he enabled his Son to serve always as the most effective priest.

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