Hebrews 8
New Century Version
Jesus Is Our High Priest
8 Here is the point of what we are saying: We have a high priest who sits on the right side of God’s throne in heaven. 2 Our high priest serves in the Most Holy Place, the true place of worship that was made by God, not by humans.
3 Every high priest has the work of offering gifts and sacrifices to God. So our high priest must also offer something to God. 4 If our high priest were now living on earth, he would not be a priest, because there are already priests here who follow the law by offering gifts to God. 5 The work they do as priests is only a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven. This is why God warned Moses when he was ready to build the Holy Tent: “Be very careful to make everything by the plan I showed you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But the priestly work that has been given to Jesus is much greater than the work that was given to the other priests. In the same way, the new agreement that Jesus brought from God to his people is much greater than the old one. And the new agreement is based on promises of better things.
7 If there had been nothing wrong with the first agreement,[b] there would have been no need for a second agreement. 8 But God found something wrong with his people. He says:[c]
“Look, the time is coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new agreement
with the people of Israel
and the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the agreement
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to bring them out of Egypt.
But they broke that agreement,
and I turned away from them, says the Lord.
10 This is the agreement I will make
with the people of Israel at that time, says the Lord.
I will put my teachings in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and relatives
to know the Lord,
because all people will know me,
from the least to the most important.
12 I will forgive them for the wicked things they did,
and I will not remember their sins anymore.” Jeremiah 31:31–34
13 God called this a new agreement, so he has made the first agreement old. And anything that is old and worn out is ready to disappear.
Footnotes
- 8:5 “Be . . . mountain.” Quotation from Exodus 25:40.
- 8:7 first agreement The contract God gave the Jewish people when he gave them the Law of Moses.
- 8:8 But . . . says Some Greek copies read “But God found something wrong and says to his people.”
Hebrews 8
The Voice
8 So let me sum up what we’ve covered so far, for there is much we have said: we have a High Priest, a perfect Priest who sits in the place of honor in the highest heavens, at the right hand of the throne of the Majestic One, 2 a Minister within the heavenly sanctuary set up by the Lord, not by human hands.
3 As I have said, it is the role of every high priest to offer gifts and sacrifices to God, so clearly this Priest of ours must have something to offer as well. 4 If He were on earth, then He would not be a priest at all because there are already priests who can offer gifts according to the law of Moses 5 in a sanctuary that is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. We know this because God admonished Moses as he set up the tent for the Lord’s sanctuary: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But now Jesus has taken on a new and improved priestly ministry; and in that respect, He has been made the Mediator of a better covenant established on better promises. 7 Remember, if the first covenant had been able to reconcile everyone to God, there would be no reason for a second covenant. 8 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.
9 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.”[b]
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.
Footnotes
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.