The Priestly Order of Melchizedek

7 For this Melchiz′edek, king of Salem, priest of 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^[a] or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life,^[b] but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest for ever.

¹⁵ This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchiz′edek, ¹⁶ who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is witnessed of him,

The Man with a Withered Hand

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. ³ And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come here.” ⁴ And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. ⁵ And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ⁶ The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the Hero′di-ans against him, how to destroy him.