¹For this Melchizedek – king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ²to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything, who is firstly, by translation, “King of Righteousness”, and then also “King of Salem”, which means “King of Peace;” ³without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but being like the son of God – remains a priest perpetually. ⁴So you see how great this man is, to whom Abraham the patriarch for his part gave a tenth of the finest produce. ⁵And those who are of the sons of Levi receive the priesthood, and they have a commandment to tithe the people according to the law, that is their brothers, although they have come from the loins of Abraham, ⁶but he who had no genealogy from them tithed Abraham, and he blessed him who had the promises. ⁷Now without any contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸And in one case dying men receive tithes, but in the other case it is one who is borne witness to that he is living. ⁹And, so to speak, Levi who receives tithes has also been tithed through Abraham, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. ¹¹Now if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood – for under it the people had been placed under a law – what need would there still be for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not to be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹²Seeing that the priesthood is changing, a change in the law is also necessarily taking place. ¹³For these things speak about him who belongs to a different tribe, of which no-one has devoted himself to the altar. ¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord sprang from Judah, a tribe about which Moses did not say anything concerning priesthood. ¹⁵And it is all the more abundantly evident if another priest arises, after the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶who was not appointed according to a fleshly legal commandment, but according to the power of indissoluble life. ¹⁷For he testifies, ¹⁸For an annulment of the preceding commandment is taking place because of its weakness and unprofitableness. ¹⁹For the law perfected nothing, but the introduction of a better hope did, through which we approach God. ²⁰Inasmuch as it is not without swearing an oath – for the priests are appointed without the swearing of an oath, ²¹but he was appointed with the swearing of an oath, by saying to him,

According to the order of Melchizedek’ ” –

²²so Jesus has become the security of a better covenant. ²³And additional priests were appointed because they were prevented by death from continuing, ²⁴but he, because he remains throughout the age, has an intransmissible priesthood. ²⁵And on this ground he is able also to save those who come through him to God completely, as he is always alive to intercede for them. ²⁶For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, free from wrongdoing, undefiled, separate from sinners and having become higher than the heavens, ²⁷who does not need each day, as the high priests do, first to offer sacrifices for their own sins, then for those of the people, since he did this once and for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints men as priests having weakness, but the word of the swearing of an oath which came after the law appoints a son who has been brought to perfection throughout the age.

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.1 ↔ Genesis 14:18 ● v.17 ↔ Psalm 110:4, Genesis 14:18 ● v.21 ↔ Psalm 110:4, Genesis 14:18.