Hebrews 5

1 For every chief priest taken out of men is set in things [pertaining] to God in behalf of men, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,

Every High Priest, taken from among men, is appointed as a representative of his fellow-men in their relations with God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices in expiation of sins.

2 being able to be gentle to those being ignorant and going astray, since he is also surrounded with weakness;

And he is able to sympathise with the ignorant and deluded, since he is himself subject to weakness,

3 and because of this [weakness] he ought, just as for the people, so also for himself, to bring forward [sacrifices] for sins;

and is therefore bound to offer sacrifices for sins, not only for the People, but equally so for himself.

4 and no one takes the honor to himself, but he who is called by God, as also Aaron.

Nor does any one take that high office upon himself, till he has been called to do so by God, as Aaron was.

5 So also the Christ did not glorify Himself to become Chief Priest, but He who spoke to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”;

In the same way, even the Christ did not take the honour of the High Priesthood upon himself, but he was appointed by him who said to him — ‘Thou art my Son; this day I have become thy Father’;

6 just as He also says in another [place], “You [are] a priest throughout the age, according to the order of Melchizedek”; (aiōn g165)

and on another occasion also — ‘Thou art a priest for all time of the order of Melchizedek.’ (aiōn g165)

7 who in the days of His flesh having offered up both prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and having been heard in respect to that which He feared,

Jesus, in the days of his earthly life, offered prayers and supplications, with earnest cries and with tears, to him who was able to save him from death; and he was heard because of his devout submission.

8 though being a Son, [He] learned obedience by the things which He suffered,

Son though he was, he learned obedience from his sufferings;

9 and having been made perfect, He became the cause of continuous salvation to all those obeying Him, (aiōnios g166)

and, being made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal Salvation, (aiōnios g166)

10 having been called by God a Chief Priest according to the order of Melchizedek,

while God himself pronounced him a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek.

11 concerning the Word, of whom we have much [to speak], and of hard explanation to say, since you have become dull of hearing,

Now on this subject I have much to say, but it is difficult to explain it to you, because you have shown yourselves so slow to learn.

12 for even owing to be teachers, because of the time, again you have need that one teach you what [are] the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God, and you have become having need of milk, and not of strong food,

For whereas, considering the time that has elapsed, you ought to be teaching others, you still need some one to teach you the very alphabet of the Divine Revelation, and need again to be fed with ‘milk’ instead of with ‘solid food.’

13 for everyone who is partaking of milk [is] unskilled in the word of righteousness—for he is an infant,

For every one who still has to take ‘milk’ knows nothing of the Teaching of Righteousness; he is a mere infant.

14 and the strong food is of perfect men, who because of the use are having the senses exercised, to both the discernment of good and of evil.

But ‘solid food’ is for Christians of mature faith — those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish right from wrong.