| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. | 1Now the first covenant, in fact, had regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary. |
| 2There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. | 2For a tent was prepared, the outer one, which contained the lampstand, the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this is called the holy place. |
| 3Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. | 3And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies. |
| 4In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. | 4It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. In this ark were the golden urn containing the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. |
| 5Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now. | 5And above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail. |
| 6When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. | 6So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent as they perform their duties. |
| 7But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. | 7But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. |
| 8By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use. | 8The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing. |
| 9This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. | 9This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. |
| 10For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice | 10They served only for matters of food and drink and various washings; they are external regulations imposed until the new order came. |
| 11So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. | 11But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, |
| 12With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. | 12and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption. |
| 13Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. | 13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, |
| 14Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. | 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. |
| 15That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. | 15And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. |
| 16Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. | 16For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven. |
| 17The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect. | 17For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. |
| 18That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. | 18So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. |
| 19For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. | 19For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, |
| 20Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” | 20and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep." |
| 21And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. | 21And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. |
| 22In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. | 22Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. |
| 23That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. | 23So it was necessary for the sketches of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required better sacrifices than these. |
| 24For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. | 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands--the representation of the true sanctuary--but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God's presence for us. |
| 25And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. | 25And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, |
| 26If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. | 26for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. |
| 27And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, | 27And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, |
| 28so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. | 28so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation. |
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