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Jesus Our High Priest

Now this is the main point of the things that we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle, which the Lord, not man, set up.

For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this priest also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. They serve in a sanctuary that is an example and shadow of the heavenly one, as Moses was instructed by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a] But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, because He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no occasion would have been sought for a second. For finding fault with them, God says:

“Surely 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 rejected 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 into their minds
    and write them on their hearts;
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be My people.
11 No longer shall every man teach his neighbor,
    and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for all shall know Me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.[b]
12 For I will be merciful toward their unrighteousness,
    and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”[c]

13 In speaking of a new covenant He has made the first one old. Now that which is decaying and growing old is ready to vanish away.

[a]Now [b]in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of [c]the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is necessary that this high priest also have somewhat to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are those who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve that which is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses is warned of God when he is about to [d]make the tabernacle: for, [e]See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount. But now hath he obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second. For [f]finding fault with them, he saith,

[g]Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
That I will [h]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 that I took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of Egypt;
For they continued not in my covenant,
And I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that [i]I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, saith the Lord;
I will put my laws into their mind,
And on their heart also will I write them:
And I will be to them a God,
And they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen,
And every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:
For all shall know me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And their sins will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:1 Or, Now to sum up what we are saying: We have etc.
  2. Hebrews 8:1 Greek upon.
  3. Hebrews 8:2 Or, holy things
  4. Hebrews 8:5 Or, complete
  5. Hebrews 8:5 Ex. 25:40.
  6. Hebrews 8:8 Some ancient authorities read finding fault with it, he saith unto them etc.
  7. Hebrews 8:8 Jer. 31:31ff.
  8. Hebrews 8:8 Greek accomplish.
  9. Hebrews 8:10 Greek I will covenant.