The Lamp and the Bread of the Sanctuary

24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you (A)clear oil from beaten olives for the [a]light, to make a lamp [b]burn continually. Outside the veil of the testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations. He shall keep the lamps in order on the (B)pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.

(C)Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve [c]cakes with it; [d]two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. And you shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the (D)pure gold table before the Lord. You shall put pure frankincense on each row so that it may be (E)a memorial portion for the bread, an offering by fire to the Lord. (F)Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord (G)continually; it is an everlasting covenant [e]for the sons of Israel. And (H)it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the Lords offerings by fire, his portion forever.”

10 Now the son of an Israelite woman—his father was an Egyptian—went out among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man had a fight within the camp. 11 And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the (I)Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 Then they put him in custody, waiting for Moses to give them a clear decision in accordance with (J)the command of the Lord.

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and have all who heard him (K)lay their hands on his head; then (L)have all the congregation stone him. 15 You shall also speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(M)If anyone curses his God, then he will bear the responsibility for his sin. 16 Moreover, the one who (N)blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The stranger as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

An Eye for an Eye

17 ‘Now (O)if someone [f]takes any human life, he must be put to death. 18 But (P)the one who [g]takes the life of an animal shall make restitution, life for life. 19 If someone injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so shall it be done to him: 20 (Q)fracture for fracture, (R)eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a person, so shall it be [h]inflicted on him. 21 So the one who [i]kills an animal shall make restitution, but (S)the one who [j]kills a person shall be put to death. 22 There shall be only (T)one [k]standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.’” 23 Then Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and they brought the one who had cursed outside the camp, and stoned him with stones. So the sons of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Sabbatical Year and Year of Jubilee

25 The Lord then spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I am going to give you, then the land shall have a Sabbath to the Lord. For (U)six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its produce, but during (V)the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. You shall not reap your harvest’s [l]aftergrowth, and you shall not gather your grapes of untrimmed vines; the land shall have a sabbatical year. (W)All of you shall have the Sabbath produce of the land as food; for yourself, your male and female slaves, and your hired worker and your foreign resident, those who live as strangers among you. Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its produce to eat.

‘You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, that is, forty-nine years. You shall then sound a ram’s horn [m]abroad on (X)the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. 10 So you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and (Y)proclaim [n]a release throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, [o]and (Z)each of you shall return to his own property, [p]and each of you shall return to his family. 11 You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor harvest its aftergrowth, nor gather grapes from its untrimmed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its produce from the field.

13 (AA)On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property. 14 Furthermore, if you make a sale to your friend, or buy from your friend’s hand, (AB)you shall not [q]wrong one another. 15 Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your [r]friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. 16 (AC)In proportion to [s]a greater number of years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to [t]fewer years you shall decrease its price, because it is the number of crops that he is selling to you. 17 So (AD)you shall not [u]wrong one another, but you shall [v]fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.

18 ‘You shall therefore [w]follow My statutes and keep My judgments so as to carry them out, so that (AE)you may live securely on the land. 19 Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it. 20 But if you say, “(AF)What are we going to eat in the seventh year if we do not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 then (AG)I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the produce for three years. 22 When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat (AH)old things from the produce, eating the old until the ninth year when its produce comes in.

The Law of Redemption

23 ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, because (AI)the land is Mine; for (AJ)you are only strangers and residents with Me. 24 So for every [x]piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land.

25 (AK)If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor that he sells part of his property, then his closest [y]redeemer is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. 26 Or in case someone has no redeemer, but [z]recovers to find sufficient means for its redemption, 27 (AL)then he shall calculate the years since its sale and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property. 28 But if [aa]he has not found sufficient means to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of its purchaser until the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee it shall [ab]revert, so that (AM)he may return to his property.

29 ‘Likewise, if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then his redemption right remains valid until a full year after its sale; his right of redemption lasts a full year. 30 But if it is not bought back for him within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city passes permanently to its purchaser throughout his generations; it does not [ac]revert in the jubilee. 31 The houses of the villages, however, which have no surrounding wall, shall be regarded [ad]as open fields; they have redemption rights and [ae]revert in the jubilee. 32 As for the (AN)cities of the Levites, the Levites have a permanent right of redemption for the houses of the cities which are their possession. 33 What, therefore, [af]belongs to the Levites may be redeemed, and a house sale [ag]in the city of this possession [ah]reverts in the jubilee, because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the sons of Israel. 34 (AO)But pasture fields of their cities shall not be sold, for that is their permanent possession.

Of Poor Countrymen

35 (AP)Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his [ai]means among you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a resident, so that he may live with you. 36 (AQ)Do not take [aj]any kind of interest from him, but [ak]fear your God, so that your countryman may live with you. 37 You shall not give him your silver at interest, nor your food [al]for profit. 38 (AR)I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and (AS)to be your God.

39 ‘Now (AT)if a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave’s service. 40 He shall be with you as a hired worker, (AU)as if he were a foreign resident; he shall serve with you up to the year of jubilee. 41 He shall then leave you, he and his sons with him, and shall go back to his family, so that he may return to the property of his forefathers. 42 For they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they are not to be sold in a slave sale. 43 (AV)You shall not rule over him with [am]severity, but are to revere your God. 44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you. 45 You may also acquire them from the sons of the foreign residents who reside among you, and from their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession. 46 You may also pass them on as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. (AW)But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with [an]severity over one another.

Of Redeeming a Person Who Is Poor

47 ‘Now if the [ao]means of a stranger or of a foreign resident with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes poor in relation to him and sells himself to a stranger who is residing with you, or to the descendants of a stranger’s family, 48 then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle, or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or [ap](AX)if he prospers, he may redeem himself. 50 He then, with his purchaser, shall calculate from the year when he sold himself to him up to the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall correspond to the number of years calculated. It is like the days of a hired worker that he will be with him. 51 If there are still many years remaining, (AY)he shall refund part of his purchase price in proportion to them for his own redemption; 52 but if few years remain until the year of jubilee, he shall so calculate with him. In proportion to his years he is to refund the amount for his redemption. 53 He shall be with him like a worker hired year by year; (AZ)he shall not rule over him with [aq]severity in your sight. 54 Even if he is not redeemed by [ar]these means, (BA)he shall still leave in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him. 55 For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:2 Or luminary
  2. Leviticus 24:2 Lit ascend
  3. Leviticus 24:5 I.e., ring-shaped bread loaves
  4. Leviticus 24:5 About 0.13 cubic feet or 0.004 cubic meters
  5. Leviticus 24:8 Lit from
  6. Leviticus 24:17 Lit strikes
  7. Leviticus 24:18 Lit strikes
  8. Leviticus 24:20 Lit given
  9. Leviticus 24:21 Lit strikes down
  10. Leviticus 24:21 Lit strikes down
  11. Leviticus 24:22 Lit judgment
  12. Leviticus 25:5 Lit growth from spilled kernels
  13. Leviticus 25:9 Lit signal
  14. Leviticus 25:10 Or freedom
  15. Leviticus 25:10 Or when
  16. Leviticus 25:10 Or when
  17. Leviticus 25:14 Lit oppress
  18. Leviticus 25:15 Lit friend’s hands
  19. Leviticus 25:16 Lit the multitude of
  20. Leviticus 25:16 Lit the years being few
  21. Leviticus 25:17 Lit oppress
  22. Leviticus 25:17 Or revere
  23. Leviticus 25:18 Lit do My
  24. Leviticus 25:24 Lit land
  25. Leviticus 25:25 I.e., male relative to act in his behalf
  26. Leviticus 25:26 Lit his hand reaches
  27. Leviticus 25:28 Lit his hand has not found sufficient to
  28. Leviticus 25:28 Lit go out
  29. Leviticus 25:30 Lit go out
  30. Leviticus 25:31 Lit according to
  31. Leviticus 25:31 Lit go out
  32. Leviticus 25:33 Lit is from
  33. Leviticus 25:33 Lit and
  34. Leviticus 25:33 Lit goes out
  35. Leviticus 25:35 Lit hand
  36. Leviticus 25:36 Prob. interest on money and food loans
  37. Leviticus 25:36 Or revere
  38. Leviticus 25:37 Lit at interest
  39. Leviticus 25:43 Or violence
  40. Leviticus 25:46 Or violence
  41. Leviticus 25:47 Lit hand...reaches
  42. Leviticus 25:49 Lit his hand has reached and he
  43. Leviticus 25:53 Or violence
  44. Leviticus 25:54 Or these years

Care of the Tabernacle Lamps(A)

24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: (B)“Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations. He shall [a]be in charge of the lamps on (C)the pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.

The Bread of the Tabernacle

“And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve (D)cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, (E)on the pure gold table before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a (F)memorial, an offering made by fire to the Lord. (G)Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And (H)it shall be for Aaron and his sons, (I)and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute.”

The Penalty for Blasphemy

10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp. 11 And the Israelite woman’s son (J)blasphemed the name of the Lord and (K)cursed; and so they (L)brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 Then they (M)put him [b]in custody, (N)that [c]the mind of the Lord might be shown to them.

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard him (O)lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15 “Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Whoever curses his God (P)shall [d]bear his sin. 16 And whoever (Q)blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death.

17 (R)‘Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 (S)Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal.

19 ‘If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as (T)he has done, so shall it be done to him— 20 fracture for (U)fracture, (V)eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21 And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have (W)the[e] same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God.’ ”

23 Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they took outside the camp him who had cursed, and stoned him with stones. So the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Sabbath of the Seventh Year(X)

25 And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount (Y)Sinai, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall (Z)keep a sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the (AA)seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn (AB)rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. (AC)What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land—all its produce shall be for food.

The Year of Jubilee

‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; (AD)on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and (AE)proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; (AF)and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it (AG)you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; (AH)you shall eat its produce from the field.

13 (AI)‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not (AJ)oppress one another. 15 (AK)According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. 17 Therefore (AL)you shall not [f]oppress one another, (AM)but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.

Provisions for the Seventh Year

18 (AN)‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; (AO)and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and (AP)you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.

20 ‘And if you say, (AQ)“What shall we eat in the seventh year, since (AR)we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 Then I will (AS)command My blessing on you in the (AT)sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 (AU)And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat (AV)old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

Redemption of Property

23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for (AW)the land is Mine; for you are (AX)strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.

25 (AY)‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if (AZ)his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold. 26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 then (BA)let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. 28 But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; (BB)and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.

29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless (BC)the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But (BD)the field of the common-land of their cities may not be (BE)sold, for it is their perpetual possession.

Lending to the Poor

35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and [g]falls into poverty among you, then you shall (BF)help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 (BG)Take no usury or interest from him; but (BH)fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 (BI)I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

The Law Concerning Slavery

39 ‘And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you—he and his children (BJ)with him—and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are (BK)My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 (BL)You shall not rule over him (BM)with [h]rigor, but you (BN)shall fear your God. 44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy (BO)the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. 46 And (BP)you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.

47 ‘Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself. 50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be (BQ)according to the time of a hired servant for him. 51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. 52 And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption. 53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee—he and his children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:4 arrange or set in order
  2. Leviticus 24:12 under guard
  3. Leviticus 24:12 Lit. it might be declared to them from the mouth of the Lord
  4. Leviticus 24:15 be responsible for
  5. Leviticus 24:22 one standard of judgment
  6. Leviticus 25:17 mistreat
  7. Leviticus 25:35 Lit. his hand fails
  8. Leviticus 25:43 severity

The Old and the New

Now even the first covenant had (A)regulations for divine worship and (B)the earthly sanctuary. For (C)a [a]tabernacle was equipped, the [b]outer sanctuary, in which were (D)the lampstand, (E)the table, and (F)the [c]sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. Behind (G)the second veil there was a [d]tabernacle which is called the (H)Most Holy Place, having a golden [e](I)altar of incense and (J)the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was (K)a golden jar holding the manna, (L)Aaron’s staff which budded, and (M)the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the (N)cherubim of glory (O)overshadowing the [f]atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests (P)are continually entering the [g]outer [h]tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into (Q)the second, only (R)the high priest enters (S)once a year, (T)not without taking blood which he (U)offers for himself and for the [i](V)sins of the people committed in ignorance. (W)The Holy Spirit is signifying this, (X)that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the [j]outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly (Y)both gifts and sacrifices are offered which (Z)cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to (AA)food, (AB)drink, and various (AC)washings, (AD)regulations for the [k]body imposed until (AE)a time of reformation.

11 But when Christ appeared as a (AF)high priest of the (AG)good things [l]having come, He entered through (AH)the greater and more perfect [m]tabernacle, (AI)not made by hands, that is, (AJ)not of this creation; 12 and not through (AK)the blood of goats and calves, but (AL)through His own blood, He (AM)entered the holy place (AN)once for all time, [n]having obtained (AO)eternal redemption. 13 For if (AP)the blood of goats and bulls, and (AQ)the [o]ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the [p]cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will (AR)the blood of Christ, who through [q](AS)the eternal Spirit (AT)offered Himself without blemish to God, (AU)cleanse your conscience from (AV)dead works to serve (AW)the living God?

15 For this reason (AX)He is the (AY)mediator of a (AZ)new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been (BA)called may (BB)receive the promise of (BC)the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a [r]covenant, there must of necessity [s]be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a [t]covenant is valid only when people are dead, [u]for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been (BD)spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, (BE)he took the (BF)blood of the calves and the goats, with (BG)water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both (BH)the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “(BI)This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he (BJ)sprinkled both the [v]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And (BK)almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and (BL)without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 Therefore it was necessary for the (BM)copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these things, but (BN)the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ (BO)did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of (BP)the true one, but into (BQ)heaven itself, now (BR)to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as (BS)the high priest enters (BT)the Holy Place (BU)year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since (BV)the foundation of the world; but now (BW)once at (BX)the consummation of the ages He has been (BY)revealed to put away sin [w](BZ)by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And just as (CA)it is destined for people to die once, and after this (CB)comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been (CC)offered once to (CD)bear the sins of many, will appear (CE)a second time for (CF)salvation (CG)without reference to sin, to those who (CH)eagerly await Him.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 9:2 Or sacred tent
  2. Hebrews 9:2 Lit first
  3. Hebrews 9:2 Lit loaves of presentation
  4. Hebrews 9:3 Or sacred tent
  5. Hebrews 9:4 Or censer
  6. Hebrews 9:5 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  7. Hebrews 9:6 Lit first
  8. Hebrews 9:6 Or sacred tent
  9. Hebrews 9:7 Lit ignorance of the people
  10. Hebrews 9:8 Lit first
  11. Hebrews 9:10 Lit flesh
  12. Hebrews 9:11 One early ms to come
  13. Hebrews 9:11 Or sacred tent
  14. Hebrews 9:12 Or obtaining
  15. Hebrews 9:13 I.e., ashes mixed in water
  16. Hebrews 9:13 Lit purity
  17. Hebrews 9:14 Or His eternal spirit
  18. Hebrews 9:16 Or testament
  19. Hebrews 9:16 Lit be brought
  20. Hebrews 9:17 Or testament
  21. Hebrews 9:17 One early ms for is it then...lives?
  22. Hebrews 9:21 Or sacred tent
  23. Hebrews 9:26 Or by His sacrifice

The Earthly Sanctuary(A)

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and (B)the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the [a]sanctuary; (C)and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the (D)golden censer and (E)the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were (F)the golden pot that had the manna, (G)Aaron’s rod that budded, and (H)the tablets of the covenant; and (I)above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Limitations of the Earthly Service

Now when these things had been thus prepared, (J)the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone (K)once a year, not without blood, which he offered for (L)himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that (M)the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered (N)which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with (O)foods and drinks, (P)various [b]washings, (Q)and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

The Heavenly Sanctuary

11 But Christ came as High Priest of (R)the good things [c]to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not (S)with the blood of goats and calves, but (T)with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place (U)once for all, (V)having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if (W)the blood of bulls and goats and (X)the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, [d]sanctifies for the [e]purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without [f]spot to God, (Y)cleanse your conscience from (Z)dead works (AA)to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason (AB)He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that (AC)those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

The Mediator’s Death Necessary

16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For (AD)a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 (AE)Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every [g]precept to all the people according to the law, (AF)he took the blood of calves and goats, (AG)with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, (AH)“This is the (AI)blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise (AJ)he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are [h]purified with blood, and (AK)without shedding of blood there is no [i]remission.

Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice

23 Therefore it was necessary that (AL)the copies of the things in the heavens should be [j]purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For (AM)Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [k]copies of (AN)the true, but into heaven itself, now (AO)to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as (AP)the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 (AQ)And as it is appointed for men to die once, (AR)but after this the judgment, 28 so (AS)Christ was (AT)offered once to bear the sins (AU)of many. To those who (AV)eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 9:2 holy place, lit. holies
  2. Hebrews 9:10 Lit. baptisms
  3. Hebrews 9:11 NU that have come
  4. Hebrews 9:13 sets apart
  5. Hebrews 9:13 cleansing
  6. Hebrews 9:14 blemish
  7. Hebrews 9:19 command
  8. Hebrews 9:22 cleansed
  9. Hebrews 9:22 forgiveness
  10. Hebrews 9:23 cleansed
  11. Hebrews 9:24 representations

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.

For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
Raise a song, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language I did not know:

“I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the (O)waters of Meribah. Selah
(P)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
There shall be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 (S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.

11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [e]obey Me.
12 So I (W)gave [f]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [g]But I would feed you with the [h](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81 Title Or according to
  2. Psalm 81:5 Lit went out over
  3. Psalm 81:6 Lit removed his shoulder from
  4. Psalm 81:6 Or brick load
  5. Psalm 81:11 Lit yield to
  6. Psalm 81:12 Lit him
  7. Psalm 81:16 Lit He would feed him
  8. Psalm 81:16 Lit fat

An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance

To the Chief Musician. (A)On[a] an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.

81 Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.

Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
For (B)this is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
(C)Where I heard a language I did not understand.

“I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
(D)You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
(E)I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (F)tested you at the waters of [b]Meribah. Selah

“Hear,(G) O My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
There shall be no (H)foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 (I)I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
(J)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have (K)none of Me.
12 (L)So I gave them over to [c]their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.

13 “Oh,(M) that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (N)The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their [d]fate would endure forever.
16 He would (O)have fed them also with [e]the finest of wheat;
And with honey (P)from the rock I would have satisfied you.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:1 Heb. Al Gittith
  2. Psalm 81:7 Lit. Strife or Contention
  3. Psalm 81:12 the dictates of their heart
  4. Psalm 81:15 Lit. time
  5. Psalm 81:16 Lit. fat of wheat