OLD COVENANT MINISTRY

9 Now the first covenant also had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves.t 3 Behind the second curtain was a tent called the most holy place.u 4 It had the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.v 5 The cherubim of glory were above the ark overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now.a

6 With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry.b 7 But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.c 8 The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing.d 9 This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience.e 10 They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.f

NEW COVENANT MINISTRY

11 But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come.A In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creationg), 12 he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.h 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,i 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spiritj offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse ourB consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?k

15 Therefore, he is the mediatorl of a new covenant,* m so that those who are called might receive the promisen of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.o 16 Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living. 18 That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. 19 For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,D along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people,p 20 saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.E,q 21 In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.r 22 According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.s

23 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.t 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a modelF of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.u 25 He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.v 26 Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages,w for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.x 27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgmenty—28 so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,z will appear a second time,aa not to bear sin, butG to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.ab

THE PERFECT SACRIFICE

10 Since the law has only a shadow of the good thingsac to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. 2 Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said:

You did not desire sacrifice and offering,

but you prepared a body for me.

6 You did not delight

in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.

7 Then I said, “See—

it is written about me

in the scroll—

I have come to do your will, God.”A,a

8 After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the lawb), 9 he then says, See, I have come to do your will.B He takes away the first to establish the second. 10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.c

11 Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.d 12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.C,e 13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.f 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:

16 This is the covenant I will make with them

after those days,

the Lord says,

I will put my laws on their hearts

and write them on their minds,

17 and I will never again remember

their sins and their lawless acts.D,g

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

EXHORTATIONS TO GODLINESS

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesush—20 he has inauguratedE for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his fleshi)—21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,j 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.k 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.l 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other,m and all the more as you see the day approaching.

WARNING AGAINST DELIBERATE SIN

26 For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,n 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.o 28 Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.p 29 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profaneF the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?q 30 For we know the one who has said,

Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,G,H

and again,

The Lord will judge his people.I,r

31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.s

32 Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.t 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.u 34 For you sympathized with the prisonersJ and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.K,v 35 So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.w 36 For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.x

37 For yet in a very little while,

the Coming One will come and not delay.

38 But my righteous oneL will live by faith;

and if he draws back,

I have no pleasureM in him.N,y

39 But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.

LIVING BY FAITH

11 Now faith is the realityO of what is hoped for, the proofP of what is not seen.z 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.

3 By faith we understand that the universe wasA created by the word of God,a so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.B

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.b

5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away.C For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.c 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.d

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.e 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.f 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.g

11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since sheD considered that the one who had promised was faithful.h 12 Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.i

13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance,j greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.k 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.l

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.m He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspringE will be traced through Isaac.F,n 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead;o therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.G

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esaup concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.H,q 22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentionedI the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.r

23 By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.s 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin.t 26 For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward.u

27 By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.v 28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.w

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.x

32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,y David, Samuel, and the prophets,z 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms,aa administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,ab 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.a 35 Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment.b 37 They were stoned,A,c they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins,d destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.e