| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. | 1Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. |
| 2He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness, | 2And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. |
| 3and for this reason he is obligated to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. | 3That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs. |
| 4And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to it by God, as in fact Aaron was. | 4And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. |
| 5So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, who said to him, "You are my Son! Today I have fathered you," | 5That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ” |
| 6as also in another place God says, "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." | 6And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” |
| 7During his earthly life Christ offered both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion. | 7While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. |
| 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. | 8Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. |
| 9And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, | 9In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. |
| 10and he was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek. | 10And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. A Call to Spiritual Growth |
| 11On this topic we have much to say and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing. | 11There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. |
| 12For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God's utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. | 12You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. |
| 13For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. | 13For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. |
| 14But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil. | 14Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. |
|
    |