Holiness in the Land

²² “You are to keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out.^{(A) 23} You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them.^{(B) 24} And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.^(C) I am the Lord your God who set you apart from the peoples. ²⁵ Therefore you are to distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated^(D) by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.^{(E) 26} You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be mine.^(F)

²⁶ For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.^{(A) 27} He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself.^{(B) 28} For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son,^(C) who has been perfected^(D) forever.

The Perfect Sacrifice

10 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things^(A) to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. ² Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said:

⁸ After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law^(C)), ⁹ he then says, See, I have come to do your will.^[b] He takes away the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.^(D)

¹¹ Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.^{(E) 12} But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.^{[c](F) 13} He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.^{(G) 14} For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. ¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:

the Lord says,

¹⁷ and I will never again remember

¹⁸ Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

A Call to Holy Living

¹³ Therefore, with your minds ready for action,^(A) be sober-minded^(B) and set your hope^(C) completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation^(D) of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children,^(E) do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. ¹⁵ But as the one who called you^(F) is holy,^(G) you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.^{[a](H) 17} If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially^(I) according to each one’s work,^(J) you are to conduct yourselves in reverence^(K) during your time living as strangers. ¹⁸ For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life^(L) inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,^{(M) 19} but with the precious blood of Christ,^(N) like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.^{(O) 20} He was foreknown^(P) before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times^(Q) for you. ²¹ Through him you believe in God,^(R) who raised him from the dead^(S) and gave him glory,^(T) so that your faith and hope are in God.