1 Every high priest who is taken from among men is given his position to take care of the interests of men in those things which have to do with God, so that he may make offerings for sins.2 He is able to have feeling for those who have no knowledge and for those who are wandering from the true way, because he himself is feeble;3 And being feeble, he has to make sin-offerings for himself as well as for the people.4 And no man who is not given authority by God, as Aaron was, takes this honour for himself.5 In the same way Christ did not take for himself the glory of being made a high priest, but was given it by him who said, You are my Son, this day I have given you being:6 As he says in another place, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.7 Who in the days of his flesh, having sent up prayers and requests with strong crying and weeping to him who was able to give him salvation from death, had his prayer answered because of his fear of God.8 And though he was a Son, through the pain which he underwent, the knowledge came to him of what it was to be under God's orders;9 And when he had been made complete, he became the giver of eternal salvation to all those who are under his orders;10 Being named by God a high priest of the order of Melchizedek.11 Of whom we have much to say which it is hard to make clear, because you are slow of hearing.12 And though by this time it would be right for you to be teachers, you still have need of someone to give you teaching about the first simple rules of God's revelation; you have become like babies who have need of milk, and not of solid food.13 For everyone who takes milk is without experience of the word of righteousness: he is a child.14 But solid food is for men of full growth, even for those whose senses are trained by use to see what is good and what is evil.

1 Omnis namque pontifex ex hominibus assumptus, pro hominibus constituitur in iis qu sunt ad Deum, ut offerat dona, et sacrificia pro peccatis : 2 qui condolere possit iis qui ignorant et errant : quoniam et ipse circumdatus est infirmitate : 3 et propterea debet, quemadmodum pro populo, ita etiam et pro semetipso offerre pro peccatis. 4 Nec quisquam sumit sibi honorem, sed qui vocatur a Deo, tamquam Aaron. 5 Sic et Christus non semetipsum clarificavit ut pontifex fieret : sed qui locutus est ad eum : Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te. 6 Quemadmodum et in alio loco dicit : Tu es sacerdos in ternum, secundum ordinem Melchisedech. 7 Qui in diebus carnis su preces, supplicationesque ad eum qui possit illum salvum facere a morte cum clamore valido, et lacrimis offerens, exauditus est pro sua reverentia. 8 Et quidem cum esset Filius Dei, didicit ex iis, qu passus est, obedientiam : 9 et consummatus, factus est omnibus obtemperantibus sibi, causa salutis tern, 10 appellatus a Deo pontifex juxta ordinem Melchisedech.11 De quo nobis grandis sermo, et ininterpretabilis ad dicendum : quoniam imbecilles facti estis ad audiendum. 12 Etenim cum deberetis magistri esse propter tempus, rursum indigetis ut vos doceamini qu sint elementa exordii sermonum Dei : et facti estis quibus lacte opus sit, non solido cibo. 13 Omnis enim, qui lactis est particeps, expers est sermonis justiti : parvulus enim est. 14 Perfectorum autem est solidus cibus : eorum, qui pro consuetudine exercitatos habent sensus ad discretionem boni ac mali.