10 For since the Law has merely a rude outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come—instead of fully expressing those things—it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].

² For if it were otherwise, would [these sacrifices] not have stopped being offered? Since the worshipers had ^[a]once for all been cleansed, they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin.

³ But [as it is] these sacrifices annually bring a fresh remembrance of sins [to be atoned for],

⁴ Because the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take sins away.

⁵ Hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me [to offer];

⁶ In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight.

⁷ Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God—[to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book.^(A)

⁸ When He said just before, You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings—all of which are offered according to the Law—

⁹ He then went on to say, Behold, [here] I am, coming to do Your will. Thus He does away with and annuls the first (former) order [as a means of expiating sin] so that He might inaugurate and establish the second (latter) order.^(B)

¹⁰ And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One).

¹¹ Furthermore, every [human] priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over again, which never are able to strip [from every side of us] the sins [that envelop us] and take them away—

¹² Whereas this One [Christ], after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,

¹³ Then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet.^(C)

¹⁴ For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.

¹⁵ And also the Holy Spirit adds His testimony to us [in confirmation of this]. For having said,

¹⁶ This is the agreement (testament, covenant) that I will set up and conclude with them after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them on their minds (on their inmost thoughts and understanding),

¹⁷ He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more.^(D)

¹⁸ Now where there is absolute remission (forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty) of these [sins and lawbreaking], there is no longer any offering made to atone for sin.

Read full chapter

1 Now [when I was] in [my] thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was in the midst of captivity beside the river Chebar [in Babylonia], the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

² On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,

³ The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.^(A)

⁴ As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud with a fire enveloping it and flashing continually; a brightness was about it and out of the midst of it there seemed to glow amber metal, out of the midst of the fire.

⁵ And out of the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures [or cherubim]. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man,

⁶ But each one had four faces and each one had four wings.

⁷ And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like burnished bronze.

⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides. And the four of them had their faces and their wings thus:

⁹ Their wings touched one another; they turned not when they went but went every one straight forward.

¹⁰ As for the ^[a]likeness of their faces, they each had the face of a man [in front], and each had the face of a lion on the right side and the face of an ox on the left side; the four also had the face of an eagle [at the back of their heads].^(B)

¹¹ Such were their faces. And their wings were stretched out upward [each creature had four wings]; two wings of each one were touching the [adjacent] wing of the creatures on either side of it, and [the remaining] two wings of each creature covered its body.

¹² And they went every one straight forward; wherever the spirit would go, they went, and they turned not when they went.

¹³ In the midst of the living creatures there was what looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; the fire was bright and out of the fire went forth lightning.

¹⁴ And the living creatures darted back and forth like a flash of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I was still looking at the living creatures, I saw one wheel upon the ground beside each of the living creatures with its four faces.

¹⁶ As to the appearance of the wheels and their construction: in appearance they gleamed like chrysolite; and the four were formed alike, and their construction work was as it were a wheel within a wheel.

¹⁷ When they went, they went in one of their four directions without turning [for they were faced that way].

¹⁸ As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful, and the four had their rims full of eyes round about.

¹⁹ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

²⁰ Wherever the spirit went, the creatures went and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit or life of the [four living creatures acting as one] living creature was in the wheels.

²¹ When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up high beside them, for the spirit or life of the [combined] living creature was in the wheels.

²² Over the head of the [combined] living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, looking like the terrible and awesome [dazzling of shining] crystal or ice stretched across the expanse of sky over their heads.

²³ And under the firmament their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. Every living creature had two wings which covered its body on this side and two which covered it on that side.

²⁴ And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, the sound of tumult like the noise of a host. When they stood, they let down their wings.

²⁵ And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads; when they stood, they let down their wings.

²⁶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne in appearance like a sapphire stone, and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with the appearance of a Man.^(C)

²⁷ From what had the appearance of His waist upward, I saw a lustre as it were glowing metal with the appearance of fire enclosed round about within it; and from the appearance of His waist downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness [of a halo] round about Him.

²⁸ Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face and I heard a voice of One speaking.^(D)

2 And He said to me [Ezekiel], Son of man, stand upon your feet and I will speak to you.

² And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.

³ And He said to me, I send you, son of man, to the children of Israel, two rebellious nations that have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me even to this very day.

⁴ And the children are impudent and hard of heart. I send you to them and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God.

⁵ And they, whether they will hear or refuse to hear—for they are a rebellious house—yet shall they know and realize that there has been a prophet among them.

⁶ And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words; though briers and thorns are all around you and you dwell and sit among scorpions, be not afraid of their words nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

⁷ And you shall speak My words to them whether they will hear or refuse to hear, for they are most rebellious.

⁸ As for you, son of man, hear what I say to you; be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.

⁹ And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.

¹⁰ And He spread it before me and it was written within and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.