¹For every high priest is taken from among the humans and appointed on behalf of the humans before God, in order to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

²The high priest can deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, because he himself is also subject with weakness.

³Because of this, he must offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the people.

⁴No one takes this honor upon themselves, but they receive it only when called to it by God, just as Aaron was.

⁵So also Christ didn’t glorify himself to be made a high priest, but ʜᴇ who said to him,

“You are my Son.

Today I have become your father.”

⁶And ʜᴇ 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 petitions with strong cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

⁸Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered,

⁹and having been made perfect, he became author of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

¹⁰and was named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Moving Toward Maturity

¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is difficult to explain because y’all have become dull of hearing.

¹²By this time y’all should be teachers, but y’all need someone to teach y’all the first principles of God’s revelations again. Y’all became like those needing milk, not solid food.

¹³For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness and is still a baby.

¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by practicing habits of the mind are able to discern between excellence and worthlessness.