Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away. So David^[a] left.

Learning about God’s Deliverance

Hezekiah Shows His Treasure to the Babylonian Envoys

¹² Some time later, Berodach-baladan,^[a] the son of King Baladan of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah had been ill. ¹³ Hezekiah listened to the entourage^[b] and showed them his entire treasury, including the silver, gold, and spices, the precious oil, his armory, and everything that was inventoried in his treasuries. There was nothing in his household or in his holdings that Hezekiah did not show them.

¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men have to say, and where did they come from?”

Hezekiah replied, “They came from a country far away—from Babylon.”

¹⁵ He asked, “What did they see in your household?”

Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything. In my household there is nothing in my treasuries that I haven’t shown them.”

¹⁶ Then Isaiah replied to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord: ¹⁷ ‘Watch out! The days are coming when everything that’s in your house—everything that your ancestors have saved up right to this day—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ declares the Lord. ¹⁸ ‘Some of your descendants—your very own seed, whom you will father—will be carried away to become officials^[c] in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

¹⁹ At this, Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “What you’ve spoken from the Lord is good,” because he had been thinking, “Why not, as long as there’s peace and security^[d] in my lifetime…?”

The Messiah is Superior to Melchizedek

7 Now this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham and blessed him when he was returning from defeating the kings. ² Abraham gave Melchizedek^[a] a tenth of everything.^[b] In the first place, his name means “king of righteousness,” and then he is also king of Salem, that is, “king of peace.” ³ He has no father, mother, or genealogy, no birth date recorded for him, nor a date of death.^[c] Like the Son of God, he continues to be a priest forever.

⁴ Just look at how great this man was! Even Abraham—the patriarch himself—gave him a tenth of what he had captured! ⁵ The descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their own brothers, even though they are also descendants of Abraham. ⁶ But this man, whose descent is not traced from them, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the man who had received the promises. ⁷ It is beyond dispute that the less important person is blessed by the more important person. ⁸ Mortal men collect tithes, but we are informed by Scripture^[d] that^[e] Melchizedek^[f] keeps on living. ⁹ One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰ because Levi^[g] was still inside his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.