Hebrews 5

₁When God chooses and anoints one of the people to be a high-priest, then the high-priest must work to help the people. He must sacrifice gifts and offerings to God for the sins that people do. ₂The high-priest can be patient with people who have done something wrong because they did not know that it was wrong. The high-priest also sacrifices because he, himself, is human and weak. ₃That is why the high-priest must also sacrifice_offerings for his own sin like he sacrifices offerings for the sin of the people. ₄It is an honour to be a high-priest but no one can choose to be high-priest. No, it is God who chooses someone to be a high-priest, like God chose Aaron.

₅Even Christ did not choose to be honoured as a High-priest. No, it was God who gave Him the honour when God said to Him:

₆And God also said:

₇While Jesus lived on earth, He prayed to God and He begged, shouted and cried like someone who sacrificed_offerings to God. He prayed to God who was able to save Him from death. God listened to Jesus because Jesus truly honoured God. ₈It is true that Jesus is the Son of God, but He had to suffer and die to learn what it is really to obey God. ₉And after Jesus suffered and was ready to become a High-priest for God, Jesus became the Saviour who saves everyone who listens to Him, forever. ₁₀Jesus can do this because God chose Him to be a Priest like Melchizedek.

₁₁We can tell you many things about this, but it is hard to explain it to you because you are slow to understand. ₁₂You should have been teachers by now, but you are not. Someone else must come and teach you the first lessons about God's message again. You are like people who have to drink milk because you can not eat other food. ₁₃Everyone who still drinks milk is like a baby. He has not learned what is right and what is wrong. ₁₄But adults eat other food. They have practised lots of times to decide what is right and what is wrong. That is why they know what is right and what is wrong.