Hebrews 9:11–22

The Heavenly Ministry of the New Covenant

¹¹But Christ has arrived as a high priest of the good things to come. Through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, ¹²and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled sanctify them for the ritual purity of the flesh, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

¹⁵And because of this, he is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that, because^* a death has taken place for the redemption of transgressions committed during the first covenant, those who are the called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. ¹⁶For where there is a will, it is a necessity for the death of the one who made the will to be established. ¹⁷For a will is in force concerning those who are dead, since it is never in force when the one who made the will is alive. ¹⁸Therefore not even the first covenant was ratified without blood. ¹⁹For when^* every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves^c with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, ²⁰saying,

“This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for you.”^d

²¹And likewise he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the utensils of service with the blood. ²²Indeed, nearly everything is purified with blood according to the law, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.