Hebrews 8
Evangelical Heritage Version
A Better Promise
8 The main point of what we are saying is this: We have the kind of high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. 2 He is the minister in the Holy Place, which is the true sanctuary, which the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, and for that reason this priest also needed to have something that he offered.
4 If this priest were on earth, he would not even be a priest, because there are priests[a] who are designated by the law to offer gifts. 5 They serve at a place that is a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, a place exactly like that about which Moses was told when he was about to complete the tent.[b] For God said, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.”[c]
6 But now, Jesus has obtained a ministry that is as much superior as the covenant that he mediates is better, because it has been established on the basis of better promises. 7 Indeed, if that first covenant were without fault, there would have been no reason to look for a second. 8 But because God found fault with the people, he said:[d]
Look, 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.
9 It will not be like the covenant
that I made with their forefathers
at the time when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt.
Because they did not remember my covenant,
I ignored them, says the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord.
I will put my laws into their mind,
and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 Never again will a man teach his fellow citizen[e]
or his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful in regard to their unrighteousness,
and I will not remember their sins any longer.[f]
13 When God said “new,” he made the first covenant obsolete, and something that is obsolete and growing old is going to disappear.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 8:4 Some witnesses to the text read those.
- Hebrews 8:5 Traditionally tabernacle
- Hebrews 8:5 Exodus 25:40
- Hebrews 8:8 Some witnesses to the text read Since he found fault, he said to them.
- Hebrews 8:11 Some witnesses to the text read neighbor.
- Hebrews 8:12 Jeremiah 31:31-34
Hebrews 8
International Standard Version
The Messiah Has a Better Ministry
8 Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we do have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tent set up by the Lord and not by any human. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, this high priest[a] had to offer something, too. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, because other men offer the gifts prescribed by the Law. 5 They serve in a sanctuary that is a copy, a shadow of the heavenly one. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tent: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”[b] 6 However, Jesus[c] has now obtained a more superior ministry, since the covenant he mediates is founded on better promises.
The New Covenant is Better than the Old
7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one, 8 but God[d] found something wrong with his people[e] when he said,
“Look! The days are coming, declares the Lord,[f]
when I will establish a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time
when I took them by the hand
and brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant,
I ignored them, declares the Lord.[g]
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord:[h]
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 Never again will everyone teach his neighbor
or his brother by saying, ‘Know the Lord,’[i]
because all of them will know me,
from the least important to the most important.
12 For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds,
and I will never again remember their sins.”[j]
13 In speaking of a “new” covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 8:3 Lit. this one
- Hebrews 8:5 Cf. Exod 25:40
- Hebrews 8:6 Lit. he
- Hebrews 8:8 Lit. he
- Hebrews 8:8 Lit. with them
- Hebrews 8:8 MT source citation reads Lord
- Hebrews 8:9 MT source citation reads Lord
- Hebrews 8:10 MT source citation reads Lord
- Hebrews 8:11 MT source citation reads Lord
- Hebrews 8:12 Cf. Jer 31:31-34
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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