² The Lord said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron not to come just at any time into the sanctuary inside the curtain before the cover that is upon the ark, or he will die, for I appear in the cloud upon the cover.^(A)

¹⁰ Once a year Aaron shall perform the rite of atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning purification offering. It is most holy to the Lord.”^(A)

A Call to Persevere

¹⁹ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,^{(A) 20} by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),^(B)

¹⁰ And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord,^{(A) 11} so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

¹² Then Solomon said,

²⁵ Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the holy place year after year with blood that is not his own,

⁷ but only the high priest goes into the second, and he but once a year and not without taking the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people.^{(A) 8} By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tent^[a] is still standing.^(B)

¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.^(A)

The Cloud and the Glory

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.^{(A) 35} Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³ Behind the second curtain was a tent^[a] called the holy of holies.^(A)

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.^{(A) 15} For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested^[a] as we are, yet without sin.^{(B) 16} Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.