Hebrews 7:11-19

Expanded Bible

¹¹ ·The people were given the law concerning the system of priests from the tribe of Levi, but they could not be made perfect through that system [^LIf perfection could be attained through the Levitical priesthood, established for the people in the law…]. ·So there was [^L…why was there…?] a need for another priest to come, a priest ·like [^Lin the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek, not [^Lin the priestly order/line of] Aaron [^CMoses’ brother and Israel’s first high priest (5:4; Ex. 28:1); the existence of Melchizedek’s priestly line implies that the priesthood through Levi and Aaron was inadequate]. ¹² And when a different ·kind of priest [priesthood; priestly line] comes, the law must be changed, too. ¹³ ·We are saying these things about Christ, who [^LFor the one about whom these things are said] belonged to a different tribe [^CJesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, not Levi]. No one from that tribe [^CJudah] ever served as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴ It is clear that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests belonging to that tribe [^Cthe kings from David’s line (including Jesus) came from the tribe of Judah, but the OT priesthood came through Levi and Aaron].

Jesus Is like Melchizedek

¹⁵ And this becomes even more clear ·when we see that [^Lif] another priest ·comes [arises; appears on the scene] who is like Melchizedek [vv. 1–14]. ¹⁶ He was not made a priest by ·human rules and laws [or regulations about physical descent/ancestry] but through the power of his life, which ·continues forever [or is indestructable]. ¹⁷ [^LFor] It is said about him,

¹⁸ The ·old [former] ·rule [commandment; regulation] is now ·set aside [nullified; abolished], because it was weak and ·useless [ineffective]. ¹⁹ The law [^Cof Moses] could not make anything perfect. But now a better hope has been given to us, and ·with [by means of; through] this hope we can ·come near to [approach] God.