The Priestly Family of Melchizedek
1 Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He was the one who went out and gave Abraham his blessing, when Abraham returned from killing the kings. 2 Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had.
The meaning of the name Melchizedek is “King of Justice.” But since Salem means “peace,” he is also “King of Peace.” 3 We are not told he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is like the Son of God and will be a priest forever.
4 Notice how great Melchizedek was! Our famous ancestor Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had taken from his enemies. 5 The Law teaches that even Abraham's descendants must give a tenth of what they possess. And they are to give this to their own relatives, who are the descendants of Levi and are priests. 6 Although Melchizedek wasn't a descendant of Levi, Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had been given God's promise. 7 Everyone agrees a person who gives a blessing is greater than the one who receives the blessing.
8 Priests are given a tenth of what people earn. But all priests die, except Melchizedek, and the Scriptures teach that he is alive. 9 Levi's descendants are now the ones who receive a tenth from people. We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth, Levi also gave him a tenth. 10 This is because Levi was born later into the family of Abraham, who gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
11 Even though the Law of Moses says the priests must be descendants of Levi, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a priest like Melchizedek, rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron. 12 And when the rules for selecting a priest are changed, the Law must also be changed.
13 The person we are talking about is our Lord, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. 14 Everyone knows he came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said priests would come from that tribe.
15 All of this becomes clearer, when someone who is like Melchizedek is appointed to be a priest. 16 That person wasn't appointed because of his ancestors, but because his life can never end. 17 The Scriptures say about him,
“You are a priest forever,
just like Melchizedek.”
18 In this way a weak and useless command was put aside, 19 because the Law cannot make anything perfect. At the same time, we are given a much better hope, and it can bring us close to God.
20-21 God himself made a promise when this priest was appointed. But he did not make a promise like this when the other priests were appointed. The promise he made is,
“I, the Lord, promise that you
will be a priest forever!
And I will never
change my mind!”
22 This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God. 23 There have been a lot of other priests, and all of them have died. 24 But Jesus will never die, and so he will be a priest forever! 25 He is forever able to save the people he leads to God, because he always lives to speak to God for them.
26 Jesus is the high priest we need. He is holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. Jesus is honored above all beings in heaven, 27 and he is better than any other high priest. Jesus doesn't need to offer sacrifices each day for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. He offered a sacrifice once for all, when he gave himself. 28 The Law appoints priests who have weaknesses. But God's promise, which came later than the Law, appoints his Son. And he is the perfect high priest forever.
aza 7
Yecu kwiri Kiziiz kir kweleny kaka malkizaaḏikŋw
1 na malkizaaḏik ŋgwu, kwir kweleny kweḏi zaliimŋw, kwir kiziiz keḏi Allah wuṯemḏelu purpur, ner kadriḏi ibrahiim gi, muŋw aɽa muŋw gwu iɽinyiiḏa lelenyi, nuŋw ortaḏa ŋunduŋwu; 2 na ibrahiim inḏeḏa kwete kweḏi wri kweḏi kwɔmne tatap eḏorɔ kwuŋwun. na yiriny yuŋwun ṯay ṯi kwupizena eḏeni kweleny kweḏi ṯofḏana, nuŋw eni tɔk kweleny kweḏi zaliimŋw, ŋenuŋw, kweleny kweḏi ŋiɽena. 3 nuŋw ere eḏi ṯernyin ŋwuzi lenyin gi mac, ya likwurna tɔk mac, nuŋw ere eḏi ŋwamin ŋwiŋna mac, nuŋw ere eḏi ŋwamin ŋweḏi kwaḏanŋw tɔk mac; aɽanaŋw gwu Tor teḏi Allah, eṯuŋw nanniḏa kwir kiziiz dɔk dɔk.
4 na izarṯi, kweni kwete kwuṯemḏizelu! na ibrahiim, kwir kwukwurna, inḏeḏa ŋunduŋwu kwete kweḏi wri kweḏi kwɔmne tatap kwumɔŋw afa ki ṯuwən-na. 5 na kla lir ŋelŋe ŋeḏi laawi leṯafi ŋɔḏɽor ŋeḏi yiziiz, eṯir eḏi amra kuruu-na eḏafi kwete kweḏi wri nani gwu lizi, lir lieŋgen leŋen, ner orɔ ŋunduŋa kinna tɔk ŋelŋe ŋeḏi ibrahiim. 6 lakin na malkizaaḏik, kwiti kweḏi likwurna leŋen mac, nuŋw afi kwete kweḏi wri nani gwu ibrahiim, nuŋw ortaḏa ŋunduŋwu kwumafa ṯikitaḏa tatap teḏi Allah. 7 nuŋw ere kwere mac kweŋgi derne eḏaruŋw, ŋgwa kwir kwɔkwɽeny kweṯafi ṯortaḏa nani gwu ŋgwa kwuṯemḏelu. 8 na kwokwony, eti lizi linḏi eḏay afi kwɔmne kwete kweḏi wri, lakin ki ŋiɽaŋal-na ŋa, eṯuŋw afi ŋgwa ŋimerzi lɔ, ŋenuŋw, kweri miiḏi. 9 a kweḏir ŋuma keni eḏaruŋw: na laawi ŋundu, kwunderṯa kweṯafi kwete kweḏi wri, nuŋw inḏeḏa kwete kweḏi wri ibrahiim ŋgi, 10 kaka urŋw gwu lola kinneni kari-na keḏi kwukwurna kwuŋwun ki lomur ta kla, mer kadriḏi malkizaaḏik gi.
11 eŋgi lizi eḏi ŋuma eḏi ṯimayini dap ŋiziiz ŋi ŋeḏi laawi (ŋinderta ŋimɔ ŋi lizi afi kuruu), eŋgir ere naŋni kiziiza kir ter mac eḏi ruwene lu, keḏi nizama kwir kaka kweḏi malkizaaḏik, ki lobi leḏi kiziiz kete keḏi nizama kwir kaka kweḏi haruun. 12 ma timorḏaza nani teḏi ŋiziiz ta, lazim er morḏazi kuruu tɔk. 13 na ŋgwa kwandizar gi ŋiɽaŋali ŋu, nuŋw orɔ kweḏi gabiila kir ter, kiti kinna kimeḏi kiziiza kere mac eḏaki ŋɔḏɽor ŋeḏi ŋweḏgwun. 14 ŋilŋiiḏir zi ŋu ŋeḏi Kweleny kweri eḏaruŋw, kwiri kwete kweḏi ŋelŋe ŋeḏi yahuuḏa, na muuza kwende kwaruŋw ḏuṯ, yiziiz yinḏi eḏila nani gwu gabiila ŋgu.
15 ŋilŋiiḏir zi ŋu derder ma Kiziiz kiaŋ ruwene lu kir kete kaka malkizaaḏik, 16 kimorɔ Kiziiz, ŋiti ŋiri ŋeḏi kuruu keḏi ŋelŋe mac, lakin ŋuma ŋi ŋeḏi ŋimiiḏa ŋiti ŋeḏir zi ŋuma mac eḏi zi kiraza lu. 17 kaka unḏizer ŋi ki ŋeni ŋundu,
a kwiri Kiziiz ketinanniḏa dɔk,
keḏi nizama kwir kaka kweḏi malkizaaḏik.
18 na nizam kweḏi kerrenyŋw ner afrazi tay tete, kaka enuŋw gwu kwumajili, kwiti kwumeḏi fayḏa-na kwere mac. 19 kaka iti eḏi gwu kuruu ŋuma-na mac eḏi ŋi ṯimazi kwɔmne kwere dap. lakin kirem Allah wumenja ṯəkiza kizen ṯiṯemḏelu, ṯeṯir ṯi duŋgwaḏa ŋunduŋwu nana.
20 enjaŋw gwu ṯəkiza kizen kḏu ṯiṯemḏelu, nuŋw ṯemzi rɔgwɽɔ ruŋwun. 21 na ŋeḏi kla leḏi kerrenyŋw mer zi alla eḏorɔ yiziiz, na mer zi enji ki ŋɔḏɽor-na ŋu, ner zi ere ṯemzici rɔgwɽɔ mac; lakin na Kweleny ṯemzi rɔgwɽɔ nuŋw andaci Kiziiza ŋgu ŋwu:
Kweleny kwumɔṯemzi rɔgwɽɔ
na ŋwere eḏorli ŋiɽaŋali mac, ŋaruŋw:
a kwiri Kiziiz ketinanniḏa dɔk.
22 ŋinderta ŋu ŋimɔruzi Yecuŋw arbun weḏi ṯikitaḏiza ṯiṯemḏelu. 23 na yiziiz yeḏi kerrenyŋw uri, kaka eṯir gwu mumur ḏina mezi gwu ŋiɽany ṯinyini eḏi nanna ki ŋɔḏɽor-na dɔk dɔk; 24 lakin na Yecu ta, eṯuŋw nanna ki ŋiziiz-na ŋuŋun dɔk, kaka eṯuŋw gwu miiḏi dɔk. 25 kaka ṯaŋwu, eṯuŋw eḏi ŋuma eḏi zi kileḏi minmin kla leṯi duŋgwaḏa Allah nana ŋundu ŋgi, kaka enuŋw gwu kwumiiḏu ŋwamin tatap dɔk dɔk eḏi zi roce.
26 ṯaŋwu ner ofḏani eḏeḏi deŋgeri-na Kiziiza kir kweleny, kir kiziiz kir kaka ŋunduŋwu, kirlinelu ter, kiira loma-na lere, kizuɽu-na cucuɽic, kimɔruci lizi-na liki, kimer allazi eḏi ṯamḏu lerya la pucpuc. 27 na ŋundu ta, nuŋw ere naŋni mac eḏi kekite karama ŋwamin rac kaka yiziiz kya; keḏi ŋikya ŋere ŋuŋun kerreny, mindaŋ eḏi ma kete keḏi ŋikya ŋeḏi lizi liḏaḏu; kaka erreŋw zi gwu ŋu tamin tutuput ṯuɽuk muŋw gwu ṯiŋaḏa rɔgwɽɔ lu ruŋwun. 28 kaka eṯi gwu kuruu keḏi kerrenyŋw alla loru leni lajila, eḏorɔ yiziiz yir leleny, lakin ŋiɽaŋal ŋeḏi ṯiṯemza rɔgwɽɔ ŋa ŋukwaḏaḏi kuruu, ŋinderṯa ŋimɔ eca Toru-na, tiṯimayina tuc dap dap.