²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures ^(A)that the Christ was Jesus.

^5 (A)When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul ^(B)was occupied with the word, ^(C)testifying to the Jews that the Christ was ^(D)Jesus.

^22 (A)To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so ^(B)I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what ^(C)the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ^23 (D)that the Christ ^(E)must suffer and that, ^(F)by being the first ^(G)to rise from the dead, ^(H)he would proclaim ^(I)light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

²² But Saul ^(A)increased all the more in strength, and ^(B)confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving ^(C)that Jesus was the Christ.

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, ^(A)“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, ^(B)that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

³ For ^(A)I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died ^(B)for our sins ^(C)in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised ^(D)on the third day ^(E)in accordance with the Scriptures,

The Priestly Order of Melchizedek

7 For this ^(A)Melchizedek, king of ^(B)Salem, priest of ^(C)the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. ³ He is without father or mother ^(D)or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

⁴ See how great this man was to whom Abraham ^(E)the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! ⁵ And ^(F)those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers,^[a] though these also are descended from Abraham. ⁶ But this man ^(G)who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed ^(H)him who had the promises. ⁷ It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. ⁸ In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one ^(I)of whom it is testified that ^(J)he lives. ⁹ One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

²⁵ He had been instructed in ^(A)the way of the Lord. And ^(B)being fervent in spirit,^[a] he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only ^(C)the baptism of John.

^3 (A)explaining and proving that it was necessary for ^(B)the Christ to suffer and ^(C)to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”