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Hebrews 6-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Hebrews 6-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Peril of Falling Away
6 Therefore let us go on[a] toward perfection,[b] leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God,(A) 2 instruction about baptisms and laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.(B) 3 And we will do[c] this, if God permits. 4 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit(C) 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come(D) 6 and then have fallen away, since they are crucifying again the Son of God to their own harm and are holding him up to contempt.(E) 7 Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God.(F) 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over.(G)
9 Even though we speak in this way, beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the[d] love that you showed for his sake[e] in serving the saints, as you still do.(H) 11 And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end,(I) 12 so that you may not become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.(J)
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,(K) 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham,[f] having patiently endured, obtained the promise. 16 Humans, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute among them.(L) 17 In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath,(M) 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.(N) 19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,(O) 20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.(P)
The Priestly Order of Melchizedek
7 This “Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him,”(Q) 2 and to him Abraham apportioned “one-tenth of everything.” His name, in the first place, means “king of righteousness”; next, he is also king of Salem, that is, “king of peace.” 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.(R)
4 See how great he is! Even[g] Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils.(S) 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to collect tithes[h] from the people, that is, from their kindred, though these also are descended from Abraham.(T) 6 But this man, who does not belong to their ancestry, collected tithes[i] from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises.(U) 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case, tithes are received by those who are mortal; in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.(V) 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Another Priest, Like Melchizedek
11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood—for the people received the law under this priesthood—what further need would there have been to speak of another priest arising according to the order of Melchizedek rather than one according to the order of Aaron?(W) 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 Now the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.(X)
15 It is even more obvious when another priest arises, resembling Melchizedek, 16 one who has become a priest, not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent but through the power of an indestructible life.(Y) 17 For it is attested of him,
“You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.”(Z)
18 There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual(AA) 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope through which we approach God.(AB)
20 This was confirmed with an oath, for others have become priests without an oath, 21 but this one became a priest with an oath because of the one who said to him,
22 accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantor of a better covenant.(AD)
23 Furthermore, the former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able for all time to save[k] those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.(AE)
26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.(AF) 27 Unlike the other[l] high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.(AG) 28 For the law appoints as high priests humans, who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.(AH)
Mediator of a Better Covenant
8 Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,(AI) 2 a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent[m] that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up.(AJ) 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.(AK) 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are already those[n] who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They offer worship in a sanctuary that is[o] a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one, just as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tent.[p] For, God[q] said, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”(AL) 6 But Jesus[r] has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on the basis of better promises.(AM) 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one.(AN)
8 God[s] finds fault with them when he says:
“The days are surely coming, says the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,(AO)
9 not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors
on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
for they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I had no concern for them, says the Lord.
10 This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.(AP)
11 And they shall not teach one another
or say to each other,[t] ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.(AQ)
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins[u] no more.”(AR)
13 In speaking of a new covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear.(AS)
The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries
9 Now[v] the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent[w] was constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence;[x] this is called the holy place.(AT) 3 Behind the second curtain was a tent[y] called the holy of holies.(AU) 4 In it stood the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;(AV) 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.[z] Of these things we cannot speak now in detail.(AW)
6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the first tent[aa] to carry out their ritual duties, 7 but only the high priest goes into the second, and he but once a year and not without taking the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people.(AX) 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tent[ab] is still standing.(AY) 9 This is a symbol[ac] of the present time, indicating that gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper(AZ) 10 but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right.(BA)
11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come,[ad] then through the greater and more perfect tent[ae] (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation),(BB) 12 he entered once for all into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.(BC) 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,(BD) 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit[af] offered himself without blemish to God, purify our[ag] conscience from dead works to worship the living God!(BE)
15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.[ah](BF) 16 Where a will[ai] is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will[aj] takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.(BG) 19 For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,[ak] with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,(BH) 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent[al] and all the vessels used in worship.(BI) 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.(BJ)
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. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.(BK) 25 Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the holy place year after year with blood that is not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.(BL) 27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once and after that the judgment,(BM) 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.(BN)
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
10 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it[am] can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach.(BO) 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased being offered, since the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year.(BP) 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.(BQ) 5 Consequently, when Christ[an] came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;(BR)
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘See, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book[ao] it is written of me).”(BS)
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And it is by God’s will[ap] that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.(BT)
11 And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins.(BU) 12 But when Christ[aq] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” 13 and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.”(BV) 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds,”(BW)
17 and he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
A Call to Persevere
19 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,(BX) 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),(BY) 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,(BZ) 22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.(CA) 23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.(CB) 24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.(CC)
26 For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins(CD) 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.(CE) 28 Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”(CF) 29 How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?(CG) 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”[ar] And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”(CH) 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,(CI) 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to insults and afflictions and sometimes becoming partners with those so treated.(CJ) 34 For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting.[as](CK) 35 Do not, therefore, abandon that boldness of yours; it brings a great reward. 36 For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised.(CL) 37 For yet
“in a very little while,
the one who is coming will come and will not delay,(CM)
38 but my righteous one will live by faith.
My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.”(CN)
39 But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost but among those who have faith and so preserve our souls.(CO)
Footnotes
- 6.1 Or let us be carried along
- 6.1 Or toward maturity
- 6.3 Other ancient authorities read let us do
- 6.10 Other ancient authorities add labor of
- 6.10 Gk for his name
- 6.15 Gk he
- 7.4 Other ancient authorities lack Even
- 7.5 Or a tenth
- 7.6 Or a tenth
- 7.21 Other ancient witnesses add according to the order of Melchizedek
- 7.25 Or able to save completely
- 7.27 Gk lacks other
- 8.2 Or tabernacle
- 8.4 Other ancient authorities read priests
- 8.5 Gk lacks a sanctuary that is
- 8.5 Or tabernacle
- 8.5 Gk he
- 8.6 Gk he
- 8.8 Gk He
- 8.11 Or teach each one their fellow-citizen and each one their sibling, saying
- 8.12 Other ancient authorities add and their lawless deeds
- 9.1 Other ancient authorities add even
- 9.2 Or tabernacle
- 9.2 Gk the presentation of the loaves
- 9.3 Or tabernacle
- 9.5 Or the place of atonement
- 9.6 Or tabernacle
- 9.8 Or tabernacle
- 9.9 Gk parable
- 9.11 Other ancient authorities read good things to come
- 9.11 Or tabernacle
- 9.14 Other ancient authorities read Holy Spirit
- 9.14 Other ancient authorities read your
- 9.15 The Greek word used here means both covenant and will
- 9.16 The Greek word used here means both covenant and will
- 9.17 The Greek word used here means both covenant and will
- 9.19 Other ancient authorities lack and goats
- 9.21 Or tabernacle
- 10.1 Other ancient authorities read they
- 10.5 Gk he
- 10.7 Meaning of Gk uncertain
- 10.10 Gk by that will
- 10.12 Gk this one
- 10.30 Other ancient authorities add says the Lord
- 10.34 Other ancient authorities add in heaven
Hebrews 6-10
New International Version
Hebrews 6-10
New International Version
6 Therefore let us move beyond(A) the elementary teachings(B) about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a](C) and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites,[b](D) the laying on of hands,(E) the resurrection of the dead,(F) and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting,(G) we will do so.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,(H) who have tasted the heavenly gift,(I) who have shared in the Holy Spirit,(J) 5 who have tasted the goodness(K) of the word of God(L) and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[c] away, to be brought back to repentance.(M) To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God(N) all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.(O) In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends,(P) we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.(Q) 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope(R) for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate(S) those who through faith and patience(T) inherit what has been promised.(U)
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,(V) 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[d](W) 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.(X)
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.(Y) 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging(Z) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,(AA) he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,(AB) we who have fled to take hold of the hope(AC) set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,(AD) 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.(AE) He has become a high priest(AF) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.(AG)
Melchizedek the Priest
7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem(AH) and priest of God Most High.(AI) He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,(AJ) 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy,(AK) without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,(AL) he remains a priest forever.
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch(AM) Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!(AN) 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people(AO)—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed(AP) him who had the promises.(AQ) 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.(AR) 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Jesus Like Melchizedek
11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people(AS) established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,(AT) one in the order of Melchizedek,(AU) not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,(AV) and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.(AW) 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,(AX) and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:
18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless(AZ) 19 (for the law made nothing perfect),(BA) and a better hope(BB) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.(BC)
20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.(BF)
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.(BG) 25 Therefore he is able to save(BH) completely[g] those who come to God(BI) through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.(BJ)
26 Such a high priest(BK) truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,(BL) exalted above the heavens.(BM) 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices(BN) day after day, first for his own sins,(BO) and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all(BP) when he offered himself.(BQ) 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;(BR) but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,(BS) who has been made perfect(BT) forever.
The High Priest of a New Covenant
8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest,(BU) who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,(BV) 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle(BW) set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest(BX) is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices,(BY) and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.(BZ) 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.(CA) 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy(CB) and shadow(CC) of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned(CD) when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[h](CE) 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant(CF) of which he is mediator(CG) is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.(CH) 8 But God found fault with the people and said[i]:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant(CI)
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors(CJ)
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant(CK) I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.(CL)
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.(CM)
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,(CN)
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.(CO)”[j](CP)
13 By calling this covenant “new,”(CQ) he has made the first one obsolete;(CR) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.(CS) 2 A tabernacle(CT) was set up. In its first room were the lampstand(CU) and the table(CV) with its consecrated bread;(CW) this was called the Holy Place.(CX) 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,(CY) 4 which had the golden altar of incense(CZ) and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.(DA) This ark contained the gold jar of manna,(DB) Aaron’s staff that had budded,(DC) and the stone tablets of the covenant.(DD) 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,(DE) overshadowing the atonement cover.(DF) But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly(DG) into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered(DH) the inner room,(DI) and that only once a year,(DJ) and never without blood,(DK) which he offered for himself(DL) and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.(DM) 8 The Holy Spirit was showing(DN) by this that the way(DO) into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration(DP) for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered(DQ) were not able to clear the conscience(DR) of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food(DS) and drink(DT) and various ceremonial washings(DU)—external regulations(DV) applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest(DW) of the good things that are now already here,[k](DX) he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle(DY) that is not made with human hands,(DZ) that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;(EA) but he entered the Most Holy Place(EB) once for all(EC) by his own blood,(ED) thus obtaining[l] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls(EE) and the ashes of a heifer(EF) sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit(EG) offered himself(EH) unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences(EI) from acts that lead to death,[m](EJ) so that we may serve the living God!(EK)
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator(EL) of a new covenant,(EM) that those who are called(EN) may receive the promised(EO) eternal inheritance(EP)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.(EQ)
16 In the case of a will,[n] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.(ER) 19 When Moses had proclaimed(ES) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,(ET) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.(EU) 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[o](EV) 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,(EW) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.(EX)
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies(EY) of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;(EZ) he entered heaven itself,(FA) now to appear for us in God’s presence.(FB) 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place(FC) every year with blood that is not his own.(FD) 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.(FE) But he has appeared(FF) once for all(FG) at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.(FH) 27 Just as people are destined to die once,(FI) and after that to face judgment,(FJ) 28 so Christ was sacrificed once(FK) to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,(FL) not to bear sin,(FM) but to bring salvation(FN) to those who are waiting for him.(FO)
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
10 The law is only a shadow(FP) of the good things(FQ) that are coming—not the realities themselves.(FR) For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect(FS) those who draw near to worship.(FT) 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.(FU) 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.(FV) 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats(FW) to take away sins.(FX)
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world,(FY) he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;(FZ)
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll(GA)—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[p](GB)
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”(GC)—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.”(GD) He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy(GE) through the sacrifice of the body(GF) of Jesus Christ once for all.(GG)
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices,(GH) which can never take away sins.(GI) 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,(GJ) he sat down at the right hand of God,(GK) 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.(GL) 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect(GM) forever those who are being made holy.(GN)
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies(GO) to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”[q](GP)
17 Then he adds:
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence(GR) to enter the Most Holy Place(GS) by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way(GT) opened for us through the curtain,(GU) that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest(GV) over the house of God,(GW) 22 let us draw near to God(GX) with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,(GY) having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience(GZ) and having our bodies washed with pure water.(HA) 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope(HB) we profess,(HC) for he who promised is faithful.(HD) 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,(HE) 25 not giving up meeting together,(HF) as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another(HG)—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.(HH)
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning(HI) after we have received the knowledge of the truth,(HJ) no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire(HK) that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.(HL) 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God(HM) underfoot,(HN) who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant(HO) that sanctified them,(HP) and who has insulted the Spirit(HQ) of grace?(HR) 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[s](HS) and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[t](HT) 31 It is a dreadful thing(HU) to fall into the hands(HV) of the living God.(HW)
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light,(HX) when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.(HY) 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution;(HZ) at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.(IA) 34 You suffered along with those in prison(IB) and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.(IC) 35 So do not throw away your confidence;(ID) it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere(IE) so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.(IF) 37 For,
38 And,
“But my righteous[v] one will live by faith.(II)
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”[w](IJ)
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 6:1 Or from useless rituals
- Hebrews 6:2 Or about baptisms
- Hebrews 6:6 Or age, 6 if they fall
- Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17
- Hebrews 7:17 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 7:21 Psalm 110:4
- Hebrews 7:25 Or forever
- Hebrews 8:5 Exodus 25:40
- Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.
- Hebrews 8:12 Jer. 31:31-34
- Hebrews 9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come
- Hebrews 9:12 Or blood, having obtained
- Hebrews 9:14 Or from useless rituals
- Hebrews 9:16 Same Greek word as covenant; also in verse 17
- Hebrews 9:20 Exodus 24:8
- Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
- Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33
- Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34
- Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35
- Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14
- Hebrews 10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3
- Hebrews 10:38 Some early manuscripts But the righteous
- Hebrews 10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)
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