Israel to Destroy Idolatrous Nations

7 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land^(A) you are entering to possess,^(B) and he drives out many nations before you—the Hethites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations^(C) more numerous and powerful than you^(D)— ² and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy^(E) them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.^{(F) 3} You must not intermarry with them, and you must not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,^{(G) 4} because they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods.^(H) Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you,^(I) and he will swiftly destroy you. ⁵ Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles,^(J) and burn their carved images. ⁶ For you are a holy people^(K) belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possession^(L) out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

⁷ “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. ⁸ But because the Lord loved^(M) you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed^(N) you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.^{(O) 10} But he directly pays back^[a] and destroys those who hate him.^(P) He will not hesitate to pay back directly^[b] the one who hates him. ¹¹ So keep the command—the statutes and ordinances—that I am giving you to follow today.

¹² “If you listen to and are careful to keep these ordinances, the Lord your God will keep his covenant loyalty with you, as he swore to your ancestors.^{(Q) 13} He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless your offspring,^[c](R) and the produce of your land—your grain, new wine, and fresh oil—the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks, in the land he swore to your ancestors that he would give you. ¹⁴ You will be blessed above all peoples; there will be no infertile male or female among you or your livestock. ¹⁵ The Lord will remove all sickness from you; he will not put on you^(S) all the terrible diseases of Egypt that you know about, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. ¹⁶ You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God is delivering over to you and not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

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.^{(A) 3} Behind the second curtain was a tent called the most holy place.^{(B) 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.^{(C) 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.^(D)

⁶ With these things prepared like this, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry.^{(E) 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.^{(F) 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.^{(G) 9} This is a symbol for the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper’s conscience.^{(H) 10} They are physical regulations and only deal with food, drink, and various washings imposed until the time of the new order.^(I)

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 creation^(J)), 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.^{(K) 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,^{(L) 14} how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit^(M) offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our^[b] consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?^(N)

¹⁵ Therefore, he is the mediator^(O) of a new covenant,^[c](P) so that those who are called might receive the promise^(Q) of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.^{(R) 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,^{(S) 20} saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.^{[e](T) 21} In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.^{(U) 22} According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.^(V)

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.^{(W) 24} For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model^[f] of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.^{(X) 25} He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.^{(Y) 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,^(Z) for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.^{(AA) 27} And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment^(AB)— ²⁸ so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,^(AC) will appear a second time,^(AD) not to bear sin, but^[g] to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.^(AE)

²⁰ For every one of God’s promises^(A) is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen”^(B) to the glory of God.^(C)