Melchizedek and Abraham (Genesis 14:17–24)
1 UDB Now I will say more about this man Melchizedek. He was the king of the city of Salem and was also a priest of God, who rules the universe. He met Abraham and his men who were returning home from defeating the armies of the four kings. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. BSB BSB: This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
2 UDB Then Abraham gave to him one tenth of all the things he took after winning the battle. Now Melchizedek's name means first, "king who rules righteously," and, since Salem means "peace," his name also means "king who rules peacefully." BSB BSB: and Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness.” Then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
3 UDB The scriptures provide us with no record of Melchizedek's father, mother, or ancestors; nor do the scriptures tell us when he was born or when he died. It is as if he continues to be a priest forever. In this way, he is a little like the Son of God. BSB BSB: Without father or mother or genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God, he remains a priest for all time.
4 UDB You can realize how great this man Melchizedek was from the fact that Abraham, our famous ancestor, gave him a tenth of the best things he took from the battle with the kings. BSB BSB: Consider how great Melchizedek was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder.
5 UDB According to the laws God gave Moses, the descendants of Abraham's great-grandson Levi, who were priests, should take tithes from God's people who were their relatives, even though those people also were fellow descendants of Abraham. BSB BSB: Now the law commands the sons of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they too are descended from Abraham.
6 UDB But this man Melchizedek, who was not among the descendants of Levi, received a tenth of everything from Abraham. He also blessed Abraham, the man to whom God promised many descendants. BSB BSB: But Melchizedek, who did not trace his descent from Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
7 UDB Now everyone knows that the more important people bless the less important people, just as Melchizedek blessed Abraham. So we know that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham. BSB BSB: And indisputably, the lesser is blessed by the greater.
8 UDB In the case of the priests who are descendants of Levi, they are all men who will die one day, but even they received tithes. However, in the case of Melchizedek, who received a tenth of everything from Abraham—it is as if God testified that Melchizedek keeps on living, since scripture does not speak about him dying. BSB BSB: In the case of the Levites, mortal men collect the tenth; but in the case of Melchizedek, it is affirmed that he lives on.
9 UDB And it was as though Levi himself, and all the priests descended from him—those who received tithes from the people—paid tithes to Melchizedek because their ancestor Abraham paid tithes to him. When Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, it was as though Levi and all the priests descended from him acknowledged that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham. BSB BSB: And so to speak, Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham.
10 UDB This is true because we can say that Levi and his descendants were still in Abraham's body when Melchizedek met Abraham. BSB BSB: For when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor.
A Superior Priesthood 11 UDB God gave the law to his people at the same time he gave regulations about the priests. So, if the priests who were descended from Aaron and his ancestor Levi could have provided a way for God to forgive people for disobeying those laws, those priests would have been adequate. In that case, no other priest like Melchizedek would have been necessary. BSB BSB: Now if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on this basis the people received the law), why was there still need for another priest to appear—one in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron?
12 UDB But we know those priests were not adequate, because a new type of priest like Melchizedek has come. And since God appointed a new type of priest, he also had to change the law. BSB BSB: For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed as well.
13 UDB Jesus, the one about whom I am saying these things, is not a descendant of Levi. Instead, he comes from the tribe of Judah, which never gave any person who served as priest. BSB BSB: He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.
15 UDB Furthermore, we know that the priests descended from Levi were inadequate, since it is even more obvious that another priest has appeared who is like Melchizedek. BSB BSB: And this point is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
16 UDB This priest is Jesus; he became a priest, but not because he fulfilled what God's law required about being a descendant of Levi. Instead, he has the kind of power that came from a life that nothing can destroy. BSB BSB: one who has become a priest not by a law of succession, but by the power of an indestructible life.
17 UDB We know this since God confirmed it in the scripture passage in which he said to his Son, "You are a priest eternally, just as Melchizedek was a priest." BSB BSB: For it is testified: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
18 UDB God withdrew what he had first commanded about the priests because those priests are unable to make sinful people holy. BSB BSB: So the former commandment is set aside because it was weak and useless
19 UDB No one was able to become good by obeying the laws that God gave Moses. On the other hand, God gave us a better reason to have confidence in him because he makes it possible for us to come near to him. BSB BSB: (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
20 UDB Furthermore, when God appointed Christ as a priest, he solemnly declared it. When God appointed former priests, he did not do this. BSB BSB: And none of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath,
21 UDB But when he appointed Christ to be a priest, it was by these words that the psalmist wrote in scripture: "The Lord has solemnly declared and he will not change his mind, 'You will be a priest forever!'" BSB BSB: but Jesus became a priest with an oath by the One who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”
22 UDB Because of that, Jesus himself guarantees that the new covenant will be better than the old one. BSB BSB: Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23 UDB And formerly, priests could not keep serving as priests because they would always die. So there were many priests to take the place of the ones who died. BSB BSB: Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.
24 UDB But because Jesus lives eternally, he will continue to be a high priest forever. BSB BSB: But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood.
25 UDB So Jesus can completely and eternally save those who come to God since he lives forever to plead with God to forgive them and keep them safe. BSB BSB: Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
26 UDB Jesus is the kind of high priest that we need. He was holy, he did no wrong, and he was innocent. God has now separated him from living among sinners and has now taken him up to the highest heaven. BSB BSB: Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
27 UDB The Jewish high priests need to sacrifice animals day by day as well as year by year. They do this, firstly, to cover their own sins, and then to cover the sins of other people. But because Jesus never sinned, he does not need to do that. The only thing he needed to do to save people was to sacrifice himself once, and that is exactly what he did! BSB BSB: Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 UDB We need a high priest like Jesus because the priests, who were appointed as commanded in the law, sinned like all humans sin. But God solemnly declared after he had given his laws to Moses that he would appoint his Son to be high priest. Now his Son, who is God the Son, Jesus, is forever the only perfect high priest. BSB BSB: For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
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