Hebrews 9:15-22
New American Standard Bible
15 For this reason (A)He is the (B)mediator of a (C)new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been (D)called may (E)receive the promise of (F)the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a [a]covenant, there must of necessity [b]be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a [c]covenant is valid only when people are dead, [d]for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been (G)spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, (H)he took the (I)blood of the calves and the goats, with (J)water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both (K)the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “(L)This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he (M)sprinkled both the [e]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And (N)almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and (O)without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
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- Hebrews 9:16 Or testament
- Hebrews 9:16 Lit be brought
- Hebrews 9:17 Or testament
- Hebrews 9:17 One early ms for is it then...lives?
- Hebrews 9:21 Or sacred tent
Hebrews 9:15-22
New English Translation
15 And so he is the mediator[a] of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised,[b] since he died[c] to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. 16 For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven.[d] 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. 18 So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.[e] 19 For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.”[f] 21 And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. 22 Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
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- Hebrews 9:15 tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesitēs, “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.
- Hebrews 9:15 tn Grk “the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
- Hebrews 9:15 tn Grk “a death having occurred.”
- Hebrews 9:16 tn Grk “there is a necessity for the death of the one who made it to be proven.”
- Hebrews 9:18 sn The Greek text reinforces this by negating the opposite (“not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood”), but this double negation is not used in contemporary English.
- Hebrews 9:20 tn Grk “which God commanded for you (or in your case).”sn A quotation from Exod 24:8.
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