Hebrews 9; Hebrews 10

1 Now the first covenant had both regulations for worship and a Holy Place here on earth.

2 A tent was set up, the outer one, which was called the Holy Place; in it were the menorah, the table and the Bread of the Presence.

3 Behind the second parokhet was a tent called the Holiest Place,

4 which had the golden altar for burning incense and the Ark of the Covenant, entirely covered with gold. In the Ark were the gold jar containing the man, Aharon's rod that sprouted and the stone Tablets of the Covenant;

5 and above it were the k'ruvim representing the Sh'khinah, casting their shadow on the lid of the Ark - but now is not the time to discuss these things in detail.

6 With things so arranged, the cohanim go into the outer tent all the time to discharge their duties;

7 but only the cohen hagadol enters the inner one; and he goes in only once a year, and he must always bring blood, which he offers both for himself and for the sins committed in ignorance by the people.

8 By this arrangement, the Ruach HaKodesh showed that so long as the first Tent had standing, the way into the Holiest Place was still closed.

9 This symbolizes the present age and indicates that the conscience of the person performing the service cannot be brought to the goal by the gifts and sacrifices he offers.

10 For they involve only food and drink and various ceremonial washings - regulations concerning the outward life, imposed until the time for God to reshape the whole structure.

11 But when the Messiah appeared as cohen gadol of the good things that are happening already, then, through the greater and more perfect Tent which is not man-made (that is, it is not of this created world),

12 he entered the Holiest Place once and for all. And he entered not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus setting people free forever.

13 For if sprinkling ceremonially unclean persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer restores their outward purity;

14 then how much more the blood of the Messiah, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself to God as a sacrifice without blemish, will purify our conscience from works that lead to death, so that we can serve the living God!

15 It is because of this death that he is mediator of a new covenant [or will].g Because a death has occurred which sets people free from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

16 For where there is a will, there must necessarily be produced evidence of its maker's death,

17 since a will goes into effect only upon death; it never has force while its maker is still alive.

18 This is why the first covenant too was inaugurated with blood.

19 After Moshe had proclaimed every command of the Torah to all the people, he took the blood of the calves with some water and used scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle both the scroll itself and all the people;

20 and he said, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you."h

21 Likewise, he sprinkled with the blood both the Tent and all the things used in its ceremonies.

22 In fact, according to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Now this is how the copies of the heavenly things had to be purified, but the heavenly things themselves require better sacrifices than these.

24 For the Messiah has entered a Holiest Place which is not man-made and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God.

25 Further, he did not enter heaven to offer himself over and over again, like the cohen hagadol who enters the Holiest Place year after year with blood that is not his own;

26 for then he would have had to suffer death many times - from the founding of the universe on. But as it is, he has appeared once at the end of the ages in order to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself.

27 Just as human beings have to die once, but after this comes judgment,

28 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, i will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for him.

1 For the Torah has in it a shadow of the good things to come, but not the actual manifestation of the originals. Therefore, it can never, by means of the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, bring to the goal those who approach the Holy Place to offer them.

2 Otherwise, wouldn't the offering of those sacrifices have ceased? For if the people performing the service had been cleansed once and for all, they would no longer have sins on their conscience.

3 No, it is quite the contrary - in these sacrifices is a reminder of sins, year after year.

4 For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.

5 This is why, on coming into the world, he says, "It has not been your will to have an animal sacrifice and a meal offering; rather, you have prepared for me a body.

6 No, you have not been pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings.

7 Then I said, 'Look! In the scroll of the book it is written about me. I have come to do your will.'"

8 In saying first, "You neither willed nor were pleased with animal sacrifices, meal offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings," things which are offered in accordance with the Torah;

9 and then, "Look, I have come to do your will"; he takes away the first system in order to set up the second.

10 It is in connection with this will that we have been separated for God and made holy, once and for all, through the offering of Yeshua the Messiah's body.

11 Now every cohen stands every day doing his service, offering over and over the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But this one, after he had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God,

13 from then on to wait until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet.

14 For by a single offering he has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy.

15 And the Ruach HaKodesh too bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 " 'This is the covenant which I will make with them after those days,' says ADONAI: 'I will put my Torah on their hearts, and write it on their minds . . . ,' "

17 he then adds, " 'And their sins and their wickednesses I will remember no more.' "

18 Now where there is forgiveness for these, an offering for sins is no longer needed.

19 So, brothers, we have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua.

20 He inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the parokhet, by means of his flesh.

21 We also have a great cohen over God's household.

22 Therefore, let us approach the Holiest Place with a sincere heart, in the full assurance that comes from trusting - with our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us continue holding fast to the hope we acknowledge, without wavering; for the One who made the promise is trustworthy.

24 And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds,

25 not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching.

26 For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment, of raging fire that will consume the enemies.

28 Someone who disregards the Torah of Moshe is put to death without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses.p

29 Think how much worse will be the punishment deserved by someone who has trampled underfoot the Son of God; who has treated as something common the blood of the covenantq which made him holy; and who has insulted the Spirit, giver of God's grace!

30 For the One we know is the One who said, "Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay," and then said, "ADONAI will judge his people."

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

32 But remember the earlier days, when, after you had received the light, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.

33 Sometimes you were publicly disgraced and persecuted, while at other times you stood loyally by those who were treated this way.

34 For you shared the sufferings of those who had been put in prison. Also when your possessions were seized, you accepted it gladly; since you knew that what you possessed was better and would last forever.

35 So don't throw away that courage of yours, which carries with it such a great reward.

36 For you need to hold out; so that, by having done what God wills, you may receive what he has promised.

37 For "There is so, so little time! The One coming will indeed come, he will not delay.

38 But the person who is righteous will live his life by trusting, and if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."

39 However, we are not the kind who shrink back and are destroyed; on the contrary, we keep trusting and thus preserve our lives!