5 Every high priest is chosen from among men. His work is to stand before God for people. He brings gifts and makes sacrifices to God for the wrong things people have done.

² Such a high priest can be kind to people who do not know what is right and who do wrong. He knows how to share in the suffering of others because he himself is weak.

³ Because he is weak himself, he must make sacrifices to God for the wrong things he has done, just as he does for the people.

⁴ No one chooses himself to be high priest. But God calls him, just as he called Aaron.

⁵ So Christ did not choose himself to be a high priest. But he was chosen by the One who said to him, `You are my Son, and I am your Father today.'

⁶ In another place in the holy writings God said, `You are a priest for ever like Melchizedek.'

⁷ When Jesus was a man, he talked to God who was able to save him from death. He called loudly to him with tears. God heard him because he honoured and respected God.

⁸ Even though Jesus was his Son, he learned to obey God in the troubles he had.

⁹ When he became perfect, he saved for ever all who obeyed him.

¹⁰ God called him a high priest like Melchizedek was a priest.

¹¹ We have many things to say about him. But they are hard to explain to you. You are so slow to understand what we tell you.

¹² By this time you should be able to teach others. But you need someone to teach you God's word again from the very beginning. Like children, you need milk, not meat.

¹³ Anyone who takes milk does not understand the message about which things are right.

¹⁴ But meat is for people who are grown up. It is for people who have trained their minds to know the difference between what is good and what is bad.