Hebrews 5

1Every high priest is taken from among human beings and put in office on behalf of human beings to deal with what concerns God: he brings gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to be gentle and restrained with those who sin in ignorance and wander from the way, since weakness clings to him as well. 3That weakness is why he must bring offerings for sins on his own account, just as he does for the people. 4Nobody seizes this honor for himself; it belongs to the one God calls, as God called Aaron.

5In the same way Christ did not give himself the glory of becoming high priest. That glory came from the one who said to him, “You are my Son; today I have fathered you.” 6As he also says in another place, “You are a priest forever, of the order of Melchizedek.” 7In the days of his life in the flesh, he offered up prayers and pleas, crying aloud and weeping, to the one who was able to save him out of death, and he was heard for his godly fear. 8Even though he was a Son, he learned obedience by the things he suffered. 9And having been made perfect, he became the cause of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him, 10for God declared him a high priest of the order of Melchizedek.

11About this we have a great deal to say, and it is hard to put into words, because you have become sluggish listeners. 12Given the time that has passed, you ought to be teachers by now; yet once more you need someone to teach you the most basic elements of God’s oracles. You have become people who need milk rather than solid food. 13Whoever feeds on milk has no experience in the word of righteousness; that person is still an infant. 14Solid food, on the other hand, belongs to the mature, whose faculties have been trained by practice to tell good from evil.