Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Thus Christ Mediates a New Covenant Inaugurated By His Own Blood

¹⁵ And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that the ones having been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance— a death having taken-place for the redemption from the transgressions committed under^[a] the first covenant. ¹⁶ For where there is a will^[b], it is a necessity that the death of the one having made-the-will be brought-forth. ¹⁷ For a will over dead ones is firm, since it does not ever have [legal] power when the one having made-the-will is living. ¹⁸ Hence, not even the first covenant has been inaugurated^[c] without blood. ¹⁹ For every commandment having been spoken to all the people by Moses according-to^[d] the Law— having taken the blood of the calves and the goats along with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, he sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you” [Ex 24:8]. ²¹ And he likewise sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and all the objects of the ministry. ²² Indeed according-to^[e] the Law almost everything is cleansed^[f] with blood, and forgiveness does not take-place^[g] apart-from blood-shedding^[h]. ²³ Therefore it was a necessity that the copies^[i] of the things in the heavens be cleansed with these^[j] things— but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

He Entered The Heavenly Temple

²⁴ For Christ did not enter into the Holies made-by-human-hands— copies of the true things— but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.