Melikizedeki Mpirisiti
1 Melikizedeki iwoyu wakabe ali mambo we Salema, kakale ali mpirisiti we Ndzimu Upezhugwi zhugwi wakashanganidza Abhurahama edwa kubulaya bomambo mu ngwa ngono kankombolela, 2 ipapo Abhurahama kan'dusila tjebugumi muna kose kwaakabe anako. Tje kutanga shandulidzo ye zina la Melikizedeki lodwa kuti, “Mambo we ndulamo;” kakale wakabe ali mambo we Salema, kudwiwa kuti, “Mambo we kunyalala.” 3 Melikizedeki aana tate kene mme kene ludzi, aana panotangisa butjilo gugwe kene pagunopelela, unonga Nkololo we Ndzimu, bupirisiti gugwe godwilila nge kusingapele.
4 Bonani ngono kuti nkulu kungapani! Na Abhurahama batategulu bedu wakan'dusila tjebugumi muna kose kwabakabe batapa mu ngwa. 5 Bana ba Levi bakapiwa bupirisiti bana ndayilo mu nlayo* inoti batole tjebugumi mu bathu, betjitola mu bana batate babo, nenguba bali bakololo ba Abhurahama naibobo. 6 Koga nlume iwoyu usi we ludzi gwabo, wakapiwa tjebugumi ndi Abhurahama, ngono Abhurahama iye wakaamutjila kugadzabgwe kwe Ndzimu, kakombolegwa ndi Melikizedeki. 7 Akuna ungalandula kuti nthu ntukunu unokombolegwa nge nkulu. 8 Mu ndongoloso iyeyi tjebugumi tjoamutjigwa nge bathu banofa, koga mu ndongoloso iyeyije tjakaamutjigwa nge unotendekwa nge kukwe kuti unotjila. 9 Nthu ungana kati Levi nge kukwe iye unoamutjila tjebugumi, wakadusa tjebugumi muna Abhurahama; 10 ngobe Levi wakabe atji mu malopa a batategulu babe Abhurahama, ha Melikizedeki enshangamidza.
11 Ha kululwama kwakapelela kwawanika nge bupirisiti gwa Levi, se bathu bakaamutjila nlayo balipasi gwago, kwakabe kowobe kutjashakigwani kuti kube ne mmwe mpirisiti kuyendidzana nge ndongoloso ya Melikizedeki kuzhe kwe wakatumigwa nge ndongoloso ya Aroni? 12 Ngobe ha kuna kushanduka mu bupirisiti ne mu nlayo kube ne kushandukabo. 13 Iye unolebegwa zwithu izwezwi, nge we ludzi gupoga, kusina unodwa mu guli wakatongo shinga pa tjibeso tje zwibhayilo. 14 Ku patjena kuti She wedu wakazwagwa ali we ludzi gwa Juda, ngono ngekwe ludzi igogo, Mushe aazoleba tjimwe ngekwe bapirisiti.
Mpirisiti mmwe unonga Melikizedeki
15 Ikoku kobe patjena kwazo ha mpirisiti upoga ezha, enga Melikizedeki. 16 Aazothamwa mpirisiti kuyendidzana nge milayo ye lutshinga, koga wakathamwa nge simba le butjilo gusingalobe. 17 Ngobe kotendekwa nge kukwe kuyi,
“Iwe u mpirisiti nge kusingapele,
kuyendidzana nge ndongoloso ya Melikizedeki.”
18 Ngono nlayo we kutanga wakabigigwa ntome, ngobe wakabe usakasima kakale usina nshingo. 19 Ngobe nlayo awuna tjimwe tjawakathama tjikapelela. Koga ngwenu kugalabgwe kunoyita kwakazhisiwa, iko kunoti sedzedza pejo ne Ndzimu.
20 Kwakathamiwa nge kutuna kwe Ndzimu. Ibabo bakabe bakathamiwa bapirisiti kutanga bakabigwa kuzhe kwe kutuna ikoku. 21 Koga Jesu wakabigwa mpirisiti shule kwe kutuna kwe Ndzimu pawakan'dwa ukati,
“She wakatuna
ngono aangashanduse nkumbulo uwe.” Kati,
“U mpirisiti nge kusingapele.”
22 Ngekwa ikoku Jesu kabe itjo tjatingawana mu tjidumano tjinoyita.
23 Bapirisiti be kutanga bakabe bali banjinji, ngoti lufu gwakabe gubadzibisa kudwilidza nshingo ngobe bakabe befa. 24 Jesu nge kusingapele una bupirisiti gusingapele. 25 Ndizo unotubula kutjidza mu misi yose, ibabo banozha ku Ndzimu ndiye, se etjila misi yose ku Ndzimu.
26 Ngobe kwakalingisana kuti tibe ne mpirisiti nkulu wakajali wakayengemala, usina nlandu, mbuyanana, wakathubukana ne batjinyi wakamilidzigwa pezhugwi kwe kudzimu. 27 Akutosheteka kuti ayise zwibhayilo se bapirisiti bakulu ibabaje, akutosheteka kuti azwiyisile tjibhayilo tje zwibi zwizwe kutanga ekoyisila bathu shule; wakathama ikoku kang'ompela ethamila misi yose paakazwipa kube tjibhayilo. 28 Nge malebeswa nlayo unobiga bathu basakasima kube bapirisiti bakulu, koga dama le kutuna ileli lakazha shule kwe nlayo lobiga Nkololo, iye wakathamiwa mpezha nge kusingapele.
The Priestly Family of Melchizedek
1 Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He was the one who went out and gave Abraham his blessing, when Abraham returned from killing the kings. 2 Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had.
The meaning of the name Melchizedek is “King of Justice.” But since Salem means “peace,” he is also “King of Peace.” 3 We are not told he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is like the Son of God and will be a priest forever.
4 Notice how great Melchizedek was! Our famous ancestor Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had taken from his enemies. 5 The Law teaches that even Abraham's descendants must give a tenth of what they possess. And they are to give this to their own relatives, who are the descendants of Levi and are priests. 6 Although Melchizedek wasn't a descendant of Levi, Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had been given God's promise. 7 Everyone agrees a person who gives a blessing is greater than the one who receives the blessing.
8 Priests are given a tenth of what people earn. But all priests die, except Melchizedek, and the Scriptures teach that he is alive. 9 Levi's descendants are now the ones who receive a tenth from people. We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth, Levi also gave him a tenth. 10 This is because Levi was born later into the family of Abraham, who gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
11 Even though the Law of Moses says the priests must be descendants of Levi, those priests cannot make anyone perfect. So there needs to be a priest like Melchizedek, rather than one from the priestly family of Aaron. 12 And when the rules for selecting a priest are changed, the Law must also be changed.
13 The person we are talking about is our Lord, who came from a tribe that had never had anyone to serve as a priest at the altar. 14 Everyone knows he came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never said priests would come from that tribe.
15 All of this becomes clearer, when someone who is like Melchizedek is appointed to be a priest. 16 That person wasn't appointed because of his ancestors, but because his life can never end. 17 The Scriptures say about him,
“You are a priest forever,
just like Melchizedek.”
18 In this way a weak and useless command was put aside, 19 because the Law cannot make anything perfect. At the same time, we are given a much better hope, and it can bring us close to God.
20-21 God himself made a promise when this priest was appointed. But he did not make a promise like this when the other priests were appointed. The promise he made is,
“I, the Lord, promise that you
will be a priest forever!
And I will never
change my mind!”
22 This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God. 23 There have been a lot of other priests, and all of them have died. 24 But Jesus will never die, and so he will be a priest forever! 25 He is forever able to save the people he leads to God, because he always lives to speak to God for them.
26 Jesus is the high priest we need. He is holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. Jesus is honored above all beings in heaven, 27 and he is better than any other high priest. Jesus doesn't need to offer sacrifices each day for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. He offered a sacrifice once for all, when he gave himself. 28 The Law appoints priests who have weaknesses. But God's promise, which came later than the Law, appoints his Son. And he is the perfect high priest forever.