⁷ Then he ^(A)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”

²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this ^[a]epistle be read to all the ^[b]holy brethren.

¹¹ when all Israel comes to ^(A)appear before the Lord your God in the ^(B)place which He chooses, ^(C)you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ^12 (D)Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, ¹³ and that their children, ^(E)who have not known it, ^(F)may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

³ So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ^[a]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ^(A)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” ⁴ And Moses ^(B)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve ^(C)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

^18 (A)Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. ¹⁹ For when Moses had spoken every ^[a]precept to all the people according to the law, ^(B)he took the blood of calves and goats, ^(C)with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, ^(D)“This is the ^(E)blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” ²¹ Then likewise ^(F)he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. ²² And according to the law almost all things are ^[b]purified with blood, and ^(G)without shedding of blood there is no ^[c]remission.

Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice

²³ Therefore it was necessary that ^(H)the copies of the things in the heavens should be ^[d]purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Closing Exhortations and Blessing

¹⁶ Now when ^(A)this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

¹⁵ And ^(A)after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have ^(B)any word of ^[a]exhortation for the people, say on.”

²³ But this is what I commanded them, saying, ^(A)‘Obey My voice, and ^(B)I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ ^24 (C)Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but ^(D)followed^[a] the counsels and the ^[b]dictates of their evil hearts, and ^(E)went^[c] backward and not forward.