For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned, but with the descendants of Abraham.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,

And so Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.

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

And to him Abraham gave 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.

See how great he was! Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils.

And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, though these also are descended from Abraham.

But this man whose genealogy is not derived from them received a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son,