1 For this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was coming back from the defeat of the kings, and put his blessing on him,
2 to whom Abraham contributed a tenth of all his spoils, who first of all, in accordance with the meaning of his name, is king of righteousness, and then king of Salem, which means king of peace;
3 with no father, no mother, no ancestry; no beginning to his days, no end to his life, but, like the Son of God, as priest continues on and on with no successor.
4 Now see how great this man must have been that even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of his spoils.
5 And those of the descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood are authorized by the law to collect a tenth from the people; that is, from their own brothers, though they have sprung from Abraham.
6 But in this case, the man whose ancestry is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, and put his blessing on the man who had the promises from God.
7 Now beyond any contradiction, it is always the inferior that is blessed by the superior.
8 In the one case, mortal men collect the tenth, in the other, one who, as the witness states, lives on.
9 And I might almost say, Levi too, who now collects the tenth, through Abraham paid the tenth,
10 for he was a vital part of his forefather though yet unborn, when Melchizedek met him.
11 Now if perfection had been reached through the Levitical priesthood -- for on it as a basis even the law was enacted for the people-- what further need would there have been of appointing a different priest, with the rank of Melchizedek, instead of designating one with the rank of Aaron?
12 For when a change in the priesthood takes place, a change in its law necessarily takes place.
13 For He of whom this is said became a member of a different tribe no member of which ever officiated at the altar.
14 For it is very clear that our Lord sprang from Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing as to priests.
15 And it is still more overwhelmingly clear, since a different priest in the likeness of Melchizedek is appointed,
16 who is appointed not on the basis of a physical qualification but on the basis of a power flowing from a life that cannot end.
17 For the Scripture bears witness: "You are a priest forever, with the rank of Melchizedek."
18 Indeed, the rescinding of a previous regulation takes place, because it was weak and ineffective --
19 for the law had never made anything perfect -- and so a better hope is brought to us, through which we have approach to God.
20 And by so much as He was not appointed without God's taking an oath --
21 for the Levitical priests were appointed without His taking an oath, but He with His oath, when He said to Him: "The Lord took oath and will not change, You are a priest forever" --
23 And the Levitical priests, on the one hand, have become numerous, because they have been prevented by death from continuing in office,
24 but He, on the other hand, because He Himself lives on forever, enjoys the only priesthood that has no successors in office.
25 Therefore, because He Himself lives always to intercede for them always, He is able to save completely any and all who come to God through Him.
26 For we needed such a High Priest, holy, innocent, unstained, far removed from sinful men, and elevated far above the very heavens,
27 who does not need, as did the Levitical priests, to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; this latter is just what He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints imperfect men as high priests, but the assertion about the taking of an oath, which was spoken after the time of the law, appoints a Son who is perfectly qualified to be High Priest forever.