The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries

9 Now^[a] the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.

⁶ These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the first tent^[a] to carry out their ritual duties, 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^[b] is still standing.^{(B) 9} This is a symbol^[c] of the present time, indicating that gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper^{(C) 10} but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right.^(D)

¹¹ But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come,^[d] then through the greater and more perfect tent^[e] (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation),^{(E) 12} he entered once for all into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.^{(F) 13} For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,^{(G) 14} how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit^[f] offered himself without blemish to God, purify our^[g] conscience from dead works to worship the living God!^(H)

¹⁵ For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.^{[h](I) 16} Where a will^[i] is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.