Selections Relevant for Birth of Jesus Discussion
From the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the New Testament
(GMatt 1-2, GLuke 1-2, GJohn 1 and 7, PaulRom 1, Hebrews 7)


~a"RSV"b"058"c"Matt"x1
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham.
~y
@Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
~y
and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father
of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
~y
and Ram the father of Ammin'adab, and Ammin'adab the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
~y
and Salmon the father of Bo'az by Rahab, and Bo'az the father of Obed
by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
~y
and Jesse the father of David the king.
@And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri'ah,
~y
and Solomon the father of Rehobo'am, and Rehobo'am the father of
Abi'jah, and Abi'jah the father of Asa,
~y
and Asa the father of Jehosh'aphat, and Jehosh'aphat the father of
Joram, and Joram the father of Uzzi'ah,
~y
and Uzzi'ah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and
Ahaz the father of Hezeki'ah,
~y
and Hezeki'ah the father of Manas'seh, and Manas'seh the father of
Amos, and Amos the father of Josi'ah,
~y
and Josi'ah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of
the deportation to Babylon.
~y
@And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni'ah was the father of
She-al'ti-el, and She-al'ti-el the father of Zerub'babel,
~y
and Zerub'babel the father of Abi'ud, and Abi'ud the father of
Eli'akim, and Eli'akim the father of Azor,
~y
and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim
the father of Eli'ud,
~y
and Eli'ud the father of Elea'zar, and Elea'zar the father of Matthan,
and Matthan the father of Jacob,
~y
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was
born, who is called Christ.
~y
@So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen
generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen
generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen
generations.
~y
@Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother
Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was
found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;
~y
and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to
shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
~y
But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him
in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary
your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;
~y
she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins."
~y
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
~y
@@"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
@@and his name shall be called Emmanuel"
(which means, God with us).
~y
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded
him; he took his wife,
~y
but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name
Jesus.
~x
@Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
~y
"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his
star in the East, and have come to worship him."
~y
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him;
~y
and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he
inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
~y
They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the
prophet:
~y
@@`And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
@@are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
@@for from you shall come a ruler
@@who will govern my people Israel.'"
~y
@Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them
what time the star appeared;
~y
and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for
the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may
come and worship him."
~y
When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star
which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest
over the place where the child was.
~y
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;
~y
and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and
they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they
offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
~y
And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to
their own country by another way.
~y
@Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and
flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to
search for the child, to destroy him."
~y
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to
Egypt,
~y
and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what
the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."
~y
@Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was
in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in
Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under,
according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
~y
Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
~y
@@"A voice was heard in Ramah,
@@wailing and loud lamentation,
@@Rachel weeping for her children;
@@she refused to be consoled,
@@because they were no more."
~y
@But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
~y
"Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for
those who sought the child's life are dead."
~y
And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of
Israel.
~y
But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he
withdrew to the district of Galilee.
~y
And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken
by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
~x
@In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
Judea,
~y
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

//end of selection, Mt 1-2//


~a"RSV"b"060"c"Luke"x1
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things
which have been accomplished among us,
~y
just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were
eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
~y
it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some
time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent
The-oph'ilus,
~y
that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have
been informed.
~y
@In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named
Zechari'ah, of the division of Abi'jah; and he had a wife of the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
~y
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
~y
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were
advanced in years.
~y
@Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was
on duty,
~y
according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to
enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
~y
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour
of incense.
~y
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right
side of the altar of incense.
~y
And Zechari'ah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
~y
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechari'ah, for your
prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
shall call his name John.
~y
@@And you will have joy and gladness,
@@and many will rejoice at his birth;
~y
@@for he will be great before the Lord,
@@and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink,
@@and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,
@@even from his mother's womb.
~y
@@And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God,
~y
@@and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli'jah,
@@to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
@@and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
@@to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
~y
And Zechari'ah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an
old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
~y
And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of
God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
~y
And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that
these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which
will be fulfilled in their time."
~y
And the people were waiting for Zechari'ah, and they wondered at his
delay in the temple.
~y
And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived
that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and
remained dumb.
~y
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
~y
@After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months
she hid herself, saying,
~y
"Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take
away my reproach among men."
~y
@In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth,
~y
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
~y
And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with
you!"
~y
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind
what sort of greeting this might be.
~y
And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God.
~y
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus.
~y
@@He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High;
@@and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
~y
@@and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
@@and of his kingdom there will be no end."
~y
And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no
husband?"
~y
And the angel said to her,
@@"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
@@and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
@@therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
@@the Son of God.
~y
@And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also
conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called
barren.
~y
For with God nothing will be impossible."
~y
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me
according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
~y
@In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country,
to a city of Judah,
~y
and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth.
~y
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
~y
and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb!
~y
And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to
me?
~y
For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe
in my womb leaped for joy.
~y
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of
what was spoken to her from the Lord."
~y
And Mary said,
@@"My soul magnifies the Lord,
~y
@@and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
~y
@@for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
@@For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
~y
@@for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
@@and holy is his name.
~y
@@And his mercy is on those who fear him
@@from generation to generation.
~y
@@He has shown strength with his arm,
@@he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
~y
@@he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
@@and exalted those of low degree;
~y
@@he has filled the hungry with good things,
@@and the rich he has sent empty away.
~y
@@He has helped his servant Israel,
@@in remembrance of his mercy,
~y
@@as he spoke to our fathers,
@@to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."
~y
And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.
~y
@Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth
to a son.
~y
And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great
mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
~y
And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would
have named him Zechari'ah after his father,
~y
but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John."
~y
And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name."
~y
And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him
called.
~y
And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And
they all marveled.
~y
And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he
spoke, blessing God.
~y
And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked
about through all the hill country of Judea;
~y
and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then
will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
~y
@And his father Zechari'ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and
prophesied, saying,
~y
@@"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
@@for he has visited and redeemed his people,
~y
@@and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
@@in the house of his servant David,
~y
@@as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
~y
@@that we should be saved from our enemies,
@@and from the hand of all who hate us;
~y
@@to perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
@@and to remember his holy covenant,
~y
@@the oath which he swore to our father Abraham,
~y
to grant us
@@that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
@@might serve him without fear,
~y
@@in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
~y
@@And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
@@for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
~y
@@to give knowledge of salvation to his people
@@in the forgiveness of their sins,
~y
@@through the tender mercy of our God,
@@when the day shall dawn upon us from on high
~y
@@to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
@@@@death,
@@to guide our feet into the way of peace."
~y
And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the
wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
~x
@In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the
world should be enrolled.
~y
This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria.
~y
And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
~y
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to
Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was
of the house and lineage of David,
~y
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
~y
And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
~y
And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling
cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them
in the inn.
~y
@And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night.
~y
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
~y
And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you
good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;
~y
for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord.
~y
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in
swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
~y
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying,
~y
@@"Glory to God in the highest,
@@and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"
~y
@When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said
to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
~y
And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying
in a manger.
~y
And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told
them concerning this child;
~y
and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
~y
But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
~y
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they
had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
~y
@And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called
Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
~y
@And when the time came for their purification according to the law of
Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
~y
(as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the
womb shall be called holy to the Lord")
~y
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the
Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
~y
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man
was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and
the Holy Spirit was upon him.
~y
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not
see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
~y
And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the
parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the
custom of the law,
~y
he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
~y
@@"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
@@according to thy word;
~y
@@for mine eyes have seen thy salvation
~y
@@which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,
~y
@@a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
@@and for glory to thy people Israel."
~y
@And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him;
~y
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
@@"Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in
@@@@Israel,
@@and for a sign that is spoken against
~y
@@(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
@@that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."
~y
@And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the
tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband
seven years from her virginity,
~y
and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the
temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
~y
And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of
him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
~y
@And when they had performed everything according to the law of the
Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
~y
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor
of God was upon him.
~y
@Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the
Passover.
~y
And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom;
~y
and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus
stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
~y
but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and
they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances;
~y
and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
~y
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions;
~y
and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
~y
And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been
looking for you anxiously."
~y
And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know
that I must be in my Father's house?"
~y
And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.
~y
And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to
them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
~y
@And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God
and man.
~x
@In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiber'i-us Caesar, Pontius
Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturae'a and
Trachoni'tis, and Lysa'ni-as tetrarch of Abile'ne,
~y
in the high-priesthood of Annas and Ca'iaphas, the word of God came to
John the son of Zechari'ah in the wilderness;
~y
and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

//end of selection, Lk 1-2//


~a"RSV"b"061"c"John"x1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
~y
He was in the beginning with God;
~y
all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made
that was made.
~y
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
~y
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
~y
@There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
~y
He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might
believe through him.
~y
He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.
~y
@The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
~y
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world
knew him not.
~y
He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
~y
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to
become children of God;
~y
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the
will of man, but of God.
~y
@And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and
truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the
Father.
~y
(John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He
who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
~y
And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace.
~y
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ.
~y
No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has made him known.
~y
@And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
~y
He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
~y
And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not."
"Are you the prophet?" And he answered, "No."
~y
They said to him then, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those
who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
~y
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make
straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

//skipping down to John 7.25-52//

~x7y25
@Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man
whom they seek to kill?
~y
And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be
that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
~y
Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no
one will know where he comes from."
~y
So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you
know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who
sent me is true, and him you do not know.
~y
I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me."
~y
So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his
hour had not yet come.
~y
Yet many of the people believed in him; they said, "When the Christ
appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?"
~y
@The Pharisees heard the crowd thus muttering about him, and the chief
priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
~y
Jesus then said, "I shall be with you a little longer, and then I go to
him who sent me;
~y
you will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come."
~y
The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we
shall not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the
Greeks and teach the Greeks?
~y
What does he mean by saying, `You will seek me and you will not find
me,' and, `Where I am you cannot come'?"
~y
@On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and
proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.
~y
He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart
shall flow rivers of living water.'"
~y
Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were
to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was
not yet glorified.
~y
@When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really
the prophet."
~y
Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to
come from Galilee?
~y
Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and
comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"
~y
So there was a division among the people over him.
~y
Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
~y
@The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who
said to them, "Why did you not bring him?"
~y
The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!"
~y
The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also?
~y
Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him?
~y
But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed."
~y
Nicode'mus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said
to them,
~y
"Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and
learning what he does?"
~y
They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that
no prophet is to rise from Galilee."

//end of selections from G.John//


~a"RSV"b"063"c"Rom"x1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for
the gospel of God
~y
which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy
scriptures,
~y
the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according
to the flesh
~y
and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness
by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

//end of selection from Romans//


~a"RSV"b"076"c"Heb"x1
In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the
prophets;
~y
but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed
the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

//skipping down to Hebrews 6.19ff//

~x6y19
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that
enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain,
~y
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a
high priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek.
~x7y1
@For this Melchiz'edek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God,
met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him;
~y
and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first,
by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also
king of Salem, that is, king of peace.
~y
He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning
of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a
priest for ever.
~y
@See how great he is! Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of the
spoils.
~y
And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a
commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from
their brethren, though these also are descended from Abraham.
~y
But this man who has not their genealogy received tithes from Abraham
and blessed him who had the promises.
~y
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.
~y
Here tithes are received by mortal men; there, by one of whom it is
testified that he lives.
~y
One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes
through Abraham,
~y
for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchiz'edek met him.
~y
@Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levit'ical
priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further
need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order
of Melchiz'edek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
~y
For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a
change in the law as well.
~y
For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe,
from which no one has ever served at the altar.
~y14
For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in
connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
~y
@This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the
likeness of Melchiz'edek,
~y
who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement
concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life.
~y
For it is witnessed of him,
@@"Thou art a priest for ever,
@@after the order of Melchiz'edek."
~y
On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its
weakness and uselessness
~y
(for the law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, a better hope is
introduced, through which we draw near to God.
~y
@And it was not without an oath.
~y
Those who formerly became priests took their office without an oath,
but this one was addressed with an oath,
@@"The Lord has sworn
@@and will not change his mind,
@@`Thou art a priest for ever.'"
~y
This makes Jesus the surety of a better covenant.
~y
@The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented
by death from continuing in office;
~y
but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever.
~y
Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God
through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
~y
@For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy,
blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
~y
He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this
once for all when he offered up himself.
~y
Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the
word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has
been made perfect for ever.
~x8y1
@Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high
priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in heaven,
~y
a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by
man but by the Lord.

//end of selection from Hebrews 6.19-8.2//
//end of file//