¹For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to represent men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.[#Heb 2:17; #Heb 8:3; 10:11]

²He is able to have compassion on the ignorant and on those who are wayward, for he himself is also subject to weakness.[#Heb 2:18; #Heb 7:28]

³Because of this he must offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people.[#Lev 9:7; Heb 7:27; 9:7]

⁴No man takes this honor for himself, but he who is called by God receives it, just as Aaron did.[#Ex 28:1; Nu 16:40]

⁵So also Christ did not glorify Himself to be made a High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:

“You are My Son;

today I have become Your Father.”

⁶As He also says in another place:

“You are a priest forever

in the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. He was heard because of His godly fear.[#Mt 27:46, 50]

⁸Though He was a Son, He learned obedience through the things that He suffered,[#Lk 2:40, 52; Php 2:8]

⁹and being made complete, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him,[#Heb 2:10]

¹⁰being designated by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.[#Heb 5:5–6; 6:20]

Warning Against Apostasy

¹¹Concerning this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become hard of hearing.[#2Pe 3:16]

¹²For though by now you should be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God and have come to need milk rather than solid food.[#Ac 7:38; Heb 6:1]

¹³Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby.[#1Co 14:20; 1Pe 2:2]

¹⁴But solid food belongs to those who are mature, for those who through practice have powers of discernment that are trained to distinguish good from evil.[#1Co 2:6; 12:10; #Isa 7:15]