Hebrews 9

1 The former system had instructions as to how to worship, and an earthly sanctuary.

Now the first agreement had its rules of worship, and a holy order.

2 The first room in the Tabernacle housed the candlestick, the table, and the sacred bread. This was called the Holy Place.

For the first Tent was made ready, having in it the vessels for the lights and the table and the ordering of the bread; and this is named the holy place.

3 Past the second veil in the Tabernacle was the room called the Most Holy Place.

And inside the second veil was the place which is named the Holy of holies;

4 This contained the golden altar of incense, the gold-covered “agreement chest.” Inside this were the golden pot containing manna, Aaron's rod that had produced buds, and the stone inscriptions of the agreement.

Having a vessel of gold in it for burning perfumes, and the ark of the agreement, which was covered with gold and which had in it a pot made of gold for the manna, and Aaron's rod which put out buds, and the stones with the writing of the agreement;

5 Above this were the glorious angel cherubim covering the place of reconciliation. We can't discuss all of this in detail now.

And over it were the winged ones of glory with their wings covering the mercy-seat; about which it is not possible now to say anything in detail.

6 Once all of this had been set up, the priests would go in regularly to the first room of the Tabernacle to perform their duties.

Now while these things were in existence, the priests went into the first Tent at all times, for prayer and the making of offerings.

7 But only the high priest went into the second room, and only once a year. Even then he had to make a sacrifice involving blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins of ignorance.

But only the high priest went into the second, once a year, not without making an offering of blood for himself and for the errors of the people:

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicated that the way into the true Most Holy Place hadn't been revealed while the first Tabernacle still existed.

The Holy Spirit witnessing by this that the way into the holy place had not at that time been made open, while the first Tent was still in being;

9 This is an illustration for us in the present, showing us that the gifts and sacrifices that are offered can't make the worshiper's conscience clear.

And this is an image of the present time; when the offerings which are given are not able to make the heart of the worshipper completely clean,

10 They're just religious regulations—about food and drink, and various ceremonies involving washing—which were put in place until the time of God's new way of relating to him.

Because they are only rules of the flesh, of meats and drinks and washings, which have their place till the time comes when things will be put right.

11 Christ has come as a high priest of all the good experiences we now have. He went into the greater, more complete Tabernacle that wasn't made by human hands—not part of this created world.

But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things of the future, through this greater and better Tent, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this world,

12 He didn't enter through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood. He entered once, for all time, into the Most Holy Place, setting us free forever. (aiōnios g166)

And has gone once and for ever into the holy place, having got eternal salvation, not through the blood of goats and young oxen, but through his blood. (aiōnios g166)

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a cow sprinkled on those who are ritually unclean make the body ceremonially clean,

For if the blood of goats and oxen, and the dust from the burning of a young cow, being put on the unclean, make the flesh clean:

14 how much more does the blood of Christ—who offered himself in his sinless life to God through the eternal Spirit—clean your consciences from your past sinful lives so you can serve the living God? (aiōnios g166)

How much more will the blood of Christ, who, being without sin, made an offering of himself to God through the Holy Spirit, make your hearts clean from dead works to be servants of the living God? (aiōnios g166)

15 This is why he is the mediator of a new agreed relationship. Since a death has occurred to set them free from the sins committed under the first agreed relationship, now those who are called can receive the promise of an eternal inheritance. (aiōnios g166)

And for this cause it is through him that a new agreement has come into being, so that after the errors under the first agreement had been taken away by his death, the word of God might have effect for those who were marked out for an eternal heritage. (aiōnios g166)

16 For a will to be implemented, the person who made it must be dead.

Because where there is a testament, there has to be the death of the man who made it.

17 A will is only valid when there's been a death—and is never applied while the person who made it is still alive.

For a testament has effect after death; for what power has it while the man who made it is living?

18 That's why the first agreement was established with blood.

So that even the first agreement was not made without blood.

19 After Moses had given all the commandments of the law to everyone, he took the blood of calves and goats, and together with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, sprinkled the book itself and all the people.

For when Moses had given all the rules of the law to the people, he took the blood of goats and young oxen, with water and red wool and hyssop, and put it on the book itself and on all the people,

20 He said to them, “This is the blood of the agreed relationship that God has told you he wants with you.”

Saying, This blood is the sign of the agreement which God has made with you.

21 Moses sprinkled the blood in the same way on the Tabernacle and everything used in worship.

And the blood was put on the Tent and all the holy vessels in the same way.

22 According to ceremonial law, almost everything is made clean with blood, and without shedding blood nothing is made ritually free from the stain of sin.

And by the law almost all things are made clean with blood, and without blood there is no forgiveness.

23 So if the copies of what is in heaven needed to be cleansed in this way, the things in heaven needed cleansing by better sacrifices.

For this cause it was necessary to make the copies of the things in heaven clean with these offerings; but the things themselves are made clean with better offerings than these.

24 For Christ hasn't entered a Most Holy Place constructed by human beings that is only a pattern of the original. He has entered heaven itself, and now appears on our behalf, speaking for us in God's presence.

For Christ did not go into a holy place which had been made by men's hands as the copy of the true one; but he went into heaven itself, and now takes his place before the face of God for us.

25 This was not to repeatedly offer himself, like a high priest has to enter the Most Holy Place year after year, offering blood that is not his own.

And he did not have to make an offering of himself again and again, as the high priest goes into the holy place every year with blood which is not his;

26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. No: just this one time at the end of the present age he came to remove sin by sacrificing himself. (aiōn g165)

For then he would have undergone a number of deaths from the time of the making of the world: but now he has come to us at the end of the old order, to put away sin by the offering of himself. (aiōn g165)

27 Just as human beings die only once, and then are judged,

And because by God's law death comes to men once, and after that they are judged;

28 so too for Christ—having been sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, he will come again, not to deal with sin, but to save those who wait for him.

So Christ, having at his first coming taken on himself the sins of men, will be seen a second time, without sin, by those who are waiting for him, for their salvation.