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And 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. That 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.[a]

And in another passage God said to him,

“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”[b]

While 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. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:5 Or Today I reveal you as my Son. Ps 2:7.
  2. 5:6 Ps 110:4.

And no one assumes this honor[a] on his own initiative,[b] but only when called to it by God,[c] as in fact Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God,[d] who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,”[e] as also in another place God[f] says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”[g] During his earthly life[h] Christ[i] offered[j] 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. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.[k] And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 and he was designated[l] by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.[m]

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 5:4 sn Honor refers here to the honor of the high priesthood.
  2. Hebrews 5:4 tn Grk “by himself, on his own.”
  3. Hebrews 5:4 tn Grk “being called by God.”
  4. Hebrews 5:5 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Hebrews 5:5 tn Grk “I have begotten you”; see Heb 1:5.sn A quotation from Ps 2:7.
  6. Hebrews 5:6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  7. Hebrews 5:6 sn A quotation from Ps 110:4.
  8. Hebrews 5:7 tn Grk “in the days of his flesh.”
  9. Hebrews 5:7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  10. Hebrews 5:7 tn Grk “who…having offered,” continuing the description of Christ from Heb 5:5-6.
  11. Hebrews 5:8 sn There is a wordplay in the Greek text between the verbs “learned” (ἔμαθεν, emathen) and “suffered” (ἔπαθεν, epathen).
  12. Hebrews 5:10 tn Grk “having been designated,” continuing the thought of Heb 5:9.
  13. Hebrews 5:10 sn The phrase in the order of Melchizedek picks up the quotation from Ps 110:4 in Heb 5:6.