Omuyambi Melkisedek
1 Melkisedek nguka okwa li omukwaniilwa gwaSalem nomuyambi gwaKalunga gwokombandambanda. Abraham sho a li ta zi kiita, hoka a sindi aakwaniilwa mbeyaka, Melkisedek okwe mu tsakaneke nokwe mu yambeke. 2 Abraham okwe mu pe oshitimulongo shomiinima mbyoka e yi kwata miita. Edhina ndika Melkisedek otali ti “Omukwaniilwa guuyuuki”, ihe molwaasho okwa li omukwaniilwa gwaSalem, edhina lye otali ti ishewe “Omukwaniilwa gwombili”. 3 Melkisedek nguka ke na he, ye ke na yina nenge ezimo; ko inaku tumbulwa wo evalo lye neso lye. Okwa yelekwa nOmuna gwaKalunga: Oye ota kala omuyambi sigo aluhe.
4 Ano mpaka omu wete kutya Melkisedek okwa li omuntu omunene. Onkee kuku Abraham okwe mu pe oshitimulongo shomiinima mbyoka e yi kwata miita. 5 Aayambi ayehe yomezimo lyaLevi oya lombwelwa kompango, ya pule mAaisraeli oshitimulongo. Oyo otaye shi pula maakwawo, nando nayo wo oyomoluvalo lwaAbraham. 6 Melkisedek ye mwene ka li gwomezimo lyaLevi, ihe okwa pewa oshitimulongo kuAbraham nokwa yambeke Abraham tuu ngoka a pewa omauvaneko kuKalunga. 7 Osha yela kutya ngoka a yambeke mukwawo, oku na esimano li vule lyaangoka a yambekwa. 8 Aayambi mboka taa pula iitimulongo, ohaa si, ihe Melkisedek ngoka a pula wo iitimulongo, ina sa, ongaashi enyolo tali ti. 9 Abraham sho a gandja oshitimulongo, aanezimo lyaLevi oye shi gandja wo. 10 Oshoka uuna ndwiyaka Abraham a tsakaneke Melkisedek, Levi ka li a valwa natango.
11 Pautho lyompango Aaisraeli oya li ye na okudhiginina uuyambi wopaLevi. Iilonga yaayambi Aalevi ando oya li ya gwana, ando kakwa li kwa pumbiwa we omuyambi gulwe, e ye palandulathano lyaMelkisedek, halyopaAron. 12 Oshoka muuyambi sho mwe ya elunduluko, nomompango wo omu na okulunduluka. 13 Oshoka Omuwa gwetu ngoka ta popiwa mpaka, ke shi gwomezimo lyaayambi, nokakwa li nando ogumwe gwomezimo lye a li moshilonga shuuyambi. 14 Omuwa gwetu okwa tseyika nawa kutya okwa zi mezimo lyaJuda, ndyoka Moses inee li tumbula nando, sho a popi aayambi.
Omuyambi gulwe a fa Melkisedek
15 Oshinima ngashingeyi oshe ya puuyelele: Opwe ya omuyambi gulwe a fa Melkisedek. 16 Nguka ina ningwa omuyambi kaantu nenge komalombwelo gaantu, ihe okwa ningi omuyambi koonkondo oonamwenyo ndhoka kaadhi na ehulilo. 17 Oshoka enyolo otali ti: “Ongoye to ka ninga omuyambi gwaaluhe ngaashi Melkisedek.” 18 Ano ompango onkulu oya dhimwa po, oshoka kayi na we oonkondo, oya kulupa. 19 Oshoka ompango yaMoses inayi vula okugwanitha sha. Onkee ano ngashingeyi opwa tulwa etegameno ewanawalela, mundyoka tatu hedha kuKalunga.
20 Okwa gwedhwa wo okugana kwaKalunga. Nale inaku ningwa egano lya tya ngeyi, uuna aayambi mbeyaka ya langekwa moshilonga. 21 Ihe Jesus okwa ningi omuyambi koonkondo dhegano, uuna Kalunga e mu lombwele a ti:
“Omuwa okwa gana,
ita lundulula we edhiladhilo lye:
‘Ongoye to ka ninga omuyambi gwaaluhe.’ ”
22 Ano eyooloko ndika otali ningi Jesus a kale omugameni gwehangano ewanawa li vule ndiyaka.
23 Ope na wo eyooloko ekwawo: Aayambi mbeyaka yalwe oya li oyendji, oshoka oya si noinaa vula okutsikila iilonga yawo. 24 Ihe Jesus oku na omwenyo sigo aluhe, onkee oshilonga she shuuyambi itashi kuthwa po kugulwe. 25 Onkee ota vulu aluhe okuhupitha mboka taye ya kuKalunga taa pitile muye. Oshoka oku na omwenyo aluhe note ya galikanene koshipala shaKalunga.
26 Ano Jesus oye omuyambi omukuluntu ngoka te tu gwanithile oompumbwe dhetu. Oye omuyapuki, ke na nando oshipo nenge oondjo. Oye okwa kuthwa maantu nokwa yeluthilwa kombandambanda megulu. 27 Oye ina fa aayambi yalwe mboka haa yamba esiku kehe, tango omolwoondjo dhawo yene, opo ihe dhaantu yalwe. Ihe Jesus okwa yamba eyambo lumwe aluke, sho i igandja ye mwene. 28 Aantu mboka ya hogololwa pampango yaMoses, ya ninge aayambi aakuluntu, oya li aankundi. Ihe okugana kwaKalunga hoka kwa ningwa hugunina yompango, okwa langeke Omwana ngoka ta kala a gwana a pwa sigo aluhe.
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.
