1 Ko tenei Merekihereke hoki, kingi o harema, tohunga o te Atua o te Runga Rawa, i tutaki nei ki a Aperahama i a ia e hoki ana i te patunga i nga kingi, i manaaki nei i a ia,
2 A hoatu ana e Aperahama ki a ia nga whakatekau o nga mea katoa, ko te whakamaoritanga o tona ingoa i te tuatahi ko te Kingi o te tika, i to muri hoki ko te Kingi o Harema, ara ko te Kingi o te rangimarie:
3 He mea matuakore, whaeakore, kahore nei ona whakapapa tupuna, kahore he timatanga o ona ra, kahore he mutunga o tona ora; he tangata kua whakaritea ki te Tama a te Atua, mau tonu ana ia hei tohunga.
4 Na, whakaaroa te nui o tenei tangata i hoatu nei ki a ia e te tupuna nui, e Aperahama, nga whakatekau o nga taonga parakete.
5 Ko nga tama hoki a Riwai, ara nga mea kua riro nei i a ratou te mahi tohunga, he ture kei a ratou kia tangohia ta te ture i whakarite ai, nga whakatekau a te iwi, he mea na o ratou teina i puta mai nei ano i te hope o Aperahama:
6 Ko tenei tangata ia, ehara nei i te mea no to ratou kawai, riro ana i a ia nga whakatekau a Aperahama, a manaakitia ana e ia te tangata i a ia nei nga kupu whakaari.
7 E kore rawa ia tenei e taea te whakateka, ara ko te mea iti e manaakitia ana e te mea nui.
8 I konei e riro ana nga whakatekau i nga tangata, he matemate nei; i reira ia, i tera e kiia nei kei te ora ia.
9 Me penei ano te ki, ko Riwai e tango whakatekau nei, hoatu ana e ia he whakatekau i ta Aperahama meatanga ra.
10 I roto tonu hoki ia i te hope o tona papa i te tutakitanga o Merekihereke ki a ia.
11 Na, ki te mea na ta te Riwai mahi tohunga i tino rite ai, a i na runga hoki i tera te rironga o te ture i te iwi, he aha atu te mea e whakatika ake ai tetahi atu tohunga i runga i to Merekihereke ritenga; te kiia ai i runga i to Arona ritenga?
12 Ka whakaputaia ketia nei hoki te mahi tohunga, ina kua puta ke ano hoki te ture.
13 Ko te tangata hoki mona enei korero, he hapu ke tona, kahore nei tetahi o ratou i whakatata ki te aata.
14 He mea takoto marama hoki tenei, i puta ake to tatou Ariki i roto i a Hura: hore rawa he kupu a Mohi mo te mahi tohunga a tera iwi.
15 A ka tino marama rawa ta matou i korero ai, ina whakatika ake tetahi atu tohunga i te ritenga o Merekihereke;
16 Ko tona whakatohungatanga nei hoki ehara i te mea no runga i te ture o nga tikanga o te kikokiko, engari no runga i te kaha o te ora e kore e mutu.
17 Kua whakaaturia mai nei hoki e ia, Hei tohunga koe ake ake i runga i te ritenga o Merekihereke.
18 Kua whakakahoretia hoki te ture i whakatakotoria i mua, no te mea kahore ona kaha, kahore ona hua,
19 Kahore hoki he mea i tino tika i te ture; kua mauria mai ano he mea e hira ake ai te tumanako, na reira nei tatou ka whakatata atu ki te Atua.
20 Na kihai nei i mahue te oati:
21 Ko era hoki kahore he oati i to ratou whakatohungatanga; he oati ia i to tenei, na tera i ki mai ra ki a ia, Kua oati te Ariki, a e kore e puta ke tona whakaaro, hei tohunga koe ake ake i runga i te ritenga o Merekihereke:
22 Koia i nui ke ai te pai o te kawenata ko Ihu nei tona kaiwhakamau.
23 He tokomaha hoki ratou i whakatohungatia, ta te mea kihai i tukua e te mate kia tu tonu;
24 Ko tenei ia, e mau tonu ana ake ake, e kore ano e puta ke tana mahi tohunga.
25 Na, e taea ano e ia te tino whakaora te hunga e na runga atu ana i a ia ki te Atua; e ora tonu ana hoki ia hei inoi mo ratou.
26 He pai rawa hoki tenei tu tohunga nui mo tatou, te tapu, te kinokore, te pokekore, he mea motu ke i te hunga hara, kua whakanekehia ake ano hoki ki runga ake i nga rangi;
27 Kahore ana mea e pera ai ia me nga tohunga nui, e whakaeke patunga tapu ai ia i ia ra, mo ona hara ake i te tuatahi, muri iho mo o te iwi; kotahi tonu hoki tana meatanga i tenei, i tana whakaekenga atu i a ia ake.
28 Ko nga tohunga nui hoki e whakaturia ana e te ture, he tangata e pehia ana e te ngoikore; ko ta te kupu ia o te oati, i muri nei i te ture, ko te Tama, kua oti nei te mea kia tino tika ake ake.
1 For this Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who gave Abraham his blessing, meeting him when he came back after putting the kings to death,
2 And to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of everything which he had, being first named King of righteousness, and then in addition, King of Salem, that is to say, King of peace;
3 Being without father or mother, or family, having no birth or end to his life, being made like the Son of God, is a priest for ever.
4 Now see how great this man was, to whom our father Abraham gave a tenth part of what he had got in the fight.
5 And it is true that by the law, those of the sons of Levi who have the position of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham.
6 But this man, who was not of their family, took the tenth from Abraham, and gave a blessing to him to whom God had given his undertaking.
7 But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater.
8 Now at the present time, men over whom death has power take the tenth; but then it was taken by one of whom it is witnessed that he is living.
9 And we may say that in Abraham, even Levi, who has a right to take the tenth part, gave it;
10 Because he was still in his father's body when Melchizedek came to him.
11 Now if it was possible for things to be made complete through the priests of the house of Levi (for the law was given to the people in connection with them), what need was there for another priest who was of the order of Melchizedek and not of the order of Aaron?
12 Because if the priests are changed, it is necessary to make a change in the law.
13 For he of whom these things are said comes of another tribe, of which no man has ever made offerings at the altar.
14 Because it is clear that our Lord comes out of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests from that tribe.
15 And this is even more clear if a second priest has come up who is like Melchizedek,
16 That is to say, not made by a law based on the flesh, but by the power of a life without end:
17 For it has been witnessed of him, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
18 So the law which went before is put on one side, because it was feeble and without profit.
19 (Because the law made nothing complete), and in its place there is a better hope, through which we come near to God.
20 And as this is not without the taking of an oath
21 (For those were made priests without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by him who says of him, The Lord gave his oath, which he will not take back, that you are a priest for ever);
22 By so much is it a better agreement which we have through Jesus.
23 And it is true that there have been a great number of those priests, because death does not let them go on for ever;
24 But this priest, because his life goes on for ever, is unchanging.
25 So that he is fully able to be the saviour of all who come to God through him, because he is ever living to make prayer to God for them.
26 It was right for us to have such a high priest, one who is holy and without evil, doing no wrong, having no part with sinners, and made higher than the heavens:
27 Who has no need to make offerings for sins every day, like those high priests, first for himself, and then for the people; because he did this once and for ever when he made an offering of himself.
28 The law makes high priests of men who are feeble; but the word of the oath, which was made after the law, gives that position to a Son, in whom all good is for ever complete.