¹⁵ and one sheep from every flock of two hundred from the pastures of Israel. This is the offering for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and offerings of well-being, to make atonement for them, says the Lord God.^(A)

⁴ You shall lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be acceptable on your behalf as atonement for you.^(A)

³⁰ But no purification offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting for atonement in the holy place; it shall be burned with fire.^(A)

²² Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.^(A)

Christ’s Sacrifice Takes Away Sin

²³ Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these.

¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.^(A)

²¹ And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

¹⁶ and might reconcile both to God in one body^[a] through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.^[b](A)

¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,^[a] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.^{(A) 20} So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God.^{(B) 21} For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.^(C)

¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.^(A)

¹⁴ Cursed be the cheat who has a male in the flock and vows to give it and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished, for I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is reverenced among the nations.^(A)