18. Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.

19. He blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth:

20. and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand."Abram gave him a tenth of all.

1. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met ABRAHAM returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

2. to whom also ABRAHAM divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, "king of righteousness", and then also "king of Salem", which means "king of peace";

3. without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually.

4. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even ABRAHAM, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the best plunder.

5. They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of ABRAHAM,

6. but he whose genealogy is not counted from them has accepted tithes from ABRAHAM, and has blessed him who has the promises.

7. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

8. Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives.

9. We can say that through ABRAHAM even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes,

10. for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him.