The Earthly Holy Place

¹Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and man earthly place of holiness. ²For na tent1 was prepared, the first section, in which were othe lampstand and pthe table and qthe bread of the Presence.2 It is called the Holy Place. ³Behind rthe second curtain was a second section3 called the Most Holy Place, ⁴having the golden saltar of incense and tthe ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was ua golden urn holding the manna, and vAaron's staff that budded, and wthe tablets of the covenant. ⁵Above it were xthe cherubim of glory overshadowing ythe mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

⁶These preparations having thus been made, zthe priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, ⁷but into the second only athe high priest goes, and he but aonce a year, and not without taking blood, bwhich he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. ⁸By this the Holy Spirit indicates that cthe way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing ⁹(which is symbolic for the present age).4 According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered dthat cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, ¹⁰but deal only with efood and drink and fvarious washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

Redemption Through the Blood of Christ

¹¹But when Christ appeared as a high priest gof the good things that have come,5 then through hthe greater and more perfect tent (inot made with hands, that is, not of this creation) ¹²he jentered konce for all into the holy places, not by means of lthe blood of goats and calves but mby means of his own blood, nthus securing an eternal redemption. ¹³For if othe blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with pthe ashes of a heifer, sanctify6 for the purification of the flesh, ¹⁴how much more will qthe blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit roffered himself without blemish to God, spurify our7 conscience tfrom dead works uto serve the living God.

¹⁵Therefore he is vthe mediator of a new covenant, so that wthose who are called may xreceive the promised eternal inheritance, ysince a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.8 ¹⁶For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. ¹⁷For za will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. ¹⁸Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated awithout blood. ¹⁹For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took bthe blood of calves and goats, cwith water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰saying, d“This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” ²¹And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both ethe tent and all the vessels used in worship. ²²Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and fwithout the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

²³Thus it was necessary for gthe copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ has entered, not into holy places hmade with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God ion our behalf. ²⁵Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as jthe high priest enters kthe holy places every year with blood not his own, ²⁶for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, lhe has appeared monce for all nat the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷And just as oit is appointed for man to die once, and pafter that comes judgment, ²⁸so Christ, having been offered once qto bear the sins of rmany, will appear sa second time, tnot to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly uwaiting for him.