^9:1Now the first covenant,¹ in fact, had regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary. ^9:2For a tent was prepared, the outer one,² which contained³ the lampstand, the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this⁴ is called the holy place. ^9:3And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies. ^9:4It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. In this ark⁵ were the golden urn containing the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. ^9:5And above the ark⁶ were the cherubim⁷ of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail. ^9:6So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent⁸ as they perform their duties. ^9:7But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent,⁹ and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.¹⁰^9:8The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle¹¹ was standing. ^9:9This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. ^9:10They served only for matters of food and drink¹² and various washings; they are external regulations¹³ imposed until the new order came.¹⁴

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Footnotes

1 Grk “the first” (referring to the covenant described in Heb 8:7, 13). In the translation the referent (covenant) has been specified for clarity.
2 Grk “the first,” in order of approach in the ritual.
3 Grk “in which [were].”
4 Grk “which,” describing the outer tent.
5 Grk “in which”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.
6 Grk “above it”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.
7 The cherubim (pl.) were an order of angels mentioned repeatedly in the OT but only here in the NT. They were associated with God’s presence, glory, and holiness. Their images that sat on top of the ark of the covenant are described in Exod 25:18–20.
8 Grk “the first tent.”
9 Grk “the second tent.”
10 Or perhaps “the unintentional sins of the people”; Grk “the ignorances of the people.” Cf. ἀγνόημα, “sin committed in ignorance/unintentionally.” This term seems to be simply a synonym for “sins” (cf. Heb 5:2) and does not pick up the distinction made in Num 15:22–31 between unwitting sin and “high-handed” sin. The Day of Atonement ritual in Lev 16 covered all the sins of the people, not just the unwitting ones.
11 Grk “the first tent.” The literal phrase “the first tent” refers to either (1) the outer chamber of the tabernacle in the wilderness (as in vv. 2, 6) or (2) the entire tabernacle as a symbol of the OT system of approaching God. The second is more likely given the contrast that follows in vv. 11–12.
12 Grk “only for foods and drinks.”
13 Most witnesses (D1 𝔐) have “various washings, and external regulations” (βαπτισμοῖς καὶ δικαιώμασιν, baptismois kai dikaiōmasin), with both nouns in the dative. The translation “washings; they are … regulations” renders βαπτισμοῖς, δικαιώματα (baptismois, dikaiōmata; found in such important as 𝔓46 א* A I P 0278 33 1739 1881 sa) in which case δικαιώματα is taken as the nominative subject of the participle ἐπικείμενα (epikeimena). It seems far more likely that scribes would conform δικαιώματα to the immediately preceding datives and join it to them by καί than they would to the following nominative participle. Both on external and internal evidence the text is thus secure as reading βαπτισμοῖς, δικαιώματα.
14 Grk “until the time of setting things right.”