¹Every chief priest is chosen from humans to represent them in front of God, that is, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. ²The chief priest can be gentle with people who are ignorant and easily deceived, because he also has weaknesses. ³Because he has weaknesses, he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins in the same way that he does for the sins of his people.

⁴No one takes this honor for himself. Instead, God calls him as he called Aaron. ⁵So Christ did not take the glory of being a chief priest for himself. Instead, the glory was given to him by God, who said,

“You are my Son.

Today I have become your Father.”

⁶In another place in Scripture, God said,

“You are a priest forever,

in the way Melchizedek was a priest.”

⁷During his life on earth, Jesus prayed to God, who could save him from death. He prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears, and he was heard because of his devotion to God. ⁸Although Jesus was the Son ⸤of God⸥, he learned to be obedient through his sufferings. ⁹After he had finished his work, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. ¹⁰God appointed him chief priest in the way Melchizedek was a priest.

You Need Someone to Teach You

¹¹We have a lot to explain about this. But since you have become too lazy to pay attention, explaining it to you is hard. ¹²By now you should be teachers. Instead, you still need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food. ¹³All those who live on milk lack the experience to talk about what is right. They are still babies. ¹⁴However, solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil.

6TH CHAPTER

¹With this in mind, we should stop going over the elementary truths about Christ and move on to topics for more mature people. We shouldn’t repeat the basics about turning away from the useless things we did and the basics about faith in God. ²We shouldn’t repeat the basic teachings about such things as baptisms, setting people apart for holy tasks, dead people coming back to life, and eternal judgment. ³If God permits, we will do this.

⁴Some people once had God’s light. They experienced the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit. ⁵They experienced the goodness of God’s word and the powers of the world to come. ⁶Yet, they have deserted ⸤Christ⸥. They are crucifying the Son of God again and publicly disgracing him. Therefore, they cannot be led a second time to God.

⁷God blesses the earth. So rain often falls on it, and it produces useful crops for farmers. ⁸However, if the earth produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

God Will Not Forget You

⁹Dear friends, even though we say these things, we are still convinced that better things are in store for you and that they will save you. ¹⁰God is fair. He won’t forget what you’ve done or the love you’ve shown for him. You helped his holy people, and you continue to help them. ¹¹We want each of you to prove that you’re working hard so that you will remain confident until the end. ¹²Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are receiving the promises through faith and patience.

¹³God made a promise to Abraham. Since he had no one greater on whom to base his oath, he based it on himself. ¹⁴He said, “I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants.” ¹⁵So Abraham received what God promised because he waited patiently for it.

¹⁶When people take oaths, they base their oaths on someone greater than themselves. Their oaths guarantee what they say and end all arguments. ¹⁷God wouldn’t change his plan. He wanted to make this perfectly clear to those who would receive his promise, so he took an oath. ¹⁸God did this so that we would be encouraged. God cannot lie when he takes an oath or makes a promise. These two things can never be changed. Those of us who have taken refuge in him hold on to the confidence we have been given. ¹⁹We have this confidence as a sure and strong anchor for our lives. This confidence goes into the ⸤holy⸥ place behind the curtain ²⁰where Jesus went before us on our behalf. He has become the chief priest forever in the way Melchizedek was a priest.

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