Book of Common Prayer

¹⁵ That is why he is the middle man of a new agreement. He died and paid for the wrong things that were done under the first agreement. Because he is a middle man, those people who are called by God can have what he promised. This will belong to them for ever.

¹⁶ A person can say who will get his things when he dies. He writes this agreement down. Before anyone can have them, it must be proved that the person has died.

¹⁷ The agreement has no power until the one who made it has died. It has no power as long as the one who made it is living.

¹⁸ So even the old agreement made by God was not begun without blood.

¹⁹ Moses told all the people every part of the law. Then he took the blood of young cows and goats. He put some of the blood on the book of the law itself and on all the people. He took water and red wool and a plant called hyssop.

²⁰ As he did this, he said, `This is the blood for the agreement which God has made for you.'

²¹ In the same way, he put some of the blood on the house he had made for God, and on all the things that were used in worship.

²² Yes, by the old law almost everything is made clean with blood. If no animal is killed to give blood, then there is no way for people to be forgiven for the wrong things they have done.

²³ These things on earth show in a little way what things in heaven are like. The things on earth had to be cleaned by the blood of animals. But the things in heaven had to be cleaned with better sacrifices than these.

²⁴ Christ did not go into a holy place made by men's hands. The holy places on earth only show in a little way what the true holy place in heaven is like. He went into heaven itself. Now he stands before God for our sake.

²⁵ Christ did not have to offer himself as a sacrifice many times. He is not like the high priest who went into the Holy Place every year and took blood that was not his own blood.

²⁶ If Christ were like him, he would have had to die many times ever since the world was first made. But as it is now, Christ came once in the last days of the world. He came to clean away what is wrong by giving himself as a sacrifice.

²⁷ People must die, and after that they will be judged.

²⁸ So Christ gave himself as a sacrifice only once. He took on himself the wrong things many people have done. He will come a second time. But he will not come to do anything about the wrong things people have done. He will come to save those who are looking and waiting for him.

¹⁹ Jesus said to them, `l tell you the truth. The Son cannot do anything alone. He sees what his Father is doing and he does the same.

²⁰ My Father loves his Son. He shows him all that he himself is doing. He will show his Son bigger works than these so that you may be surprised.

²¹ My Father raises people who were dead, and gives them life. So his Son gives life to anyone he wants to.

²² My Father judges no one, but he has made his Son to be the judge of everything.

²³ He did this so that all people would respect the Son, just as they respect his Father. My Father has sent his Son. Anyone who does not respect his Son does not respect the Father.

²⁴ `I tell you the truth. The person who hears what I say and believes in him that sent me will live for ever. He will not be judged. He has already passed from death to life.

²⁵ `I tell you the truth. The time is coming. Yes, the time is here when the dead people will hear the voice of the Son of God. Those who hear his voice will live.

²⁶ My Father has life in himself. And so he has made his Son to have life in himself.

²⁷ He has given his Son power also to judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ Do not be surprised at what I say. The time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice.

²⁹ They will come out of the graves. Those who have done what is good will come out to live. But those who have done what is wrong will come out to be punished.