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If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
    with the people of Israel and Judah.
This covenant will not be like the one
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    and led them out of the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.
10 But this is the new covenant I will make
    with the people of Israel on that day,[a] says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
    and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
11 And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
    nor will they need to teach their relatives,[b]
    saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
    will know me already.
12 And I will forgive their wickedness,
    and I will never again remember their sins.”[c]

13 When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

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Footnotes

  1. 8:10 Greek after those days.
  2. 8:11 Greek their brother.
  3. 8:8-12 Jer 31:31-34.

A New Covenant(A)

For if that (B)first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: (C)“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the (D)Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and (E)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 (F)None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the (G)Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, (H)and their sins [a]and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

13 (I)In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:12 NU omits and their lawless deeds

A Superior Covenant

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. But finding fault with his people,[a] he says:[b]

See, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah—
not like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
I showed no concern for them, says the Lord,
because they did not continue in my covenant.
10 For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.(A)
11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,[c]
and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least to the greatest of them.(B)
12 For I will forgive their wrongdoing,
and I will never again remember their sins.[d][e] (C)

13 By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 8:8 Lit with them
  2. 8:8 Other mss read finding fault, he says to them
  3. 8:11 Other mss read neighbor
  4. 8:12 Other mss add and their lawless deeds
  5. 8:8–12 Jr 31:31–34

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.(A) But God found fault with the people and said[a]:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant(B)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors(C)
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(D) 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.(E)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(F)
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,(G)
    from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.(H)[b](I)

13 By calling this covenant “new,”(J) he has made the first one obsolete;(K) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.
  2. Hebrews 8:12 Jer. 31:31-34

Remember, if the first covenant had been able to reconcile everyone to God, there would be no reason for a second covenant. God found fault with the priests when He said through the prophet Jeremiah,

“Look! The time is coming,” the Eternal Lord says,
    “when I will bring about a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors
    when I took them by the hand
    and led them out of slavery in the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to that covenant,
    so,” the Eternal One says, “I turned away from them.
10 But when those days are over,” the Eternal One says, “I will make
    this kind of covenant with the people of Israel:
I will put My laws on their minds
    and write them upon their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be My people.
11 In those days, they won’t need to teach each other My ways
    or to say to each other, ‘Know the Eternal.’
In those days, all will know Me,
    from the least to the greatest.
12 I will be merciful when they fail,
    and I will erase their sins and wicked acts out of My memory
    as though they had never existed.”[a]

13 With the words “a new covenant,” God made the first covenant old, and what is old and no longer effective will soon fade away completely.

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