Hebrews 10

1 The Law, though able to foreshadow the better system which was coming, never had its actual substance. Its priests, with those sacrifices which they offer continuously year after year, can never make those who come to worship perfect.

For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. It can never, by the same sacrifices offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

2 Otherwise, would not the offering of these sacrifices have been abandoned, as the worshipers, having been once purified, would have had their consciences clear from sins?

If it could, would not the offerings have ceased? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt the guilt of their sins.

3 But, on the contrary, these sacrifices recall their sins to mind year after year.

Instead, those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,

4 For the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to remove sins.

because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 That is why, when he was coming into the world, the Christ declared – ‘Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you provide for me a body;

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.

6 You take no pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.

In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.

7 So I said, “See, I have come” (as is written of me in the pages of the book), “To do your will, God.”’

Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’”

8 First come the words – ‘You do not desire, nor do you take pleasure in, sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings, and sacrifices for sin’ (offerings regularly made under the Law),

In the passage above He says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (although they are offered according to the law).

9 and then there is added – ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ The former sacrifices are set aside to be replaced by the latter.

Then He adds, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second.

10 And it is in the fulfillment of the will of God that we have been purified by the sacrifice, once and for all, of the body of Jesus Christ.

And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Every other priest stands day after day at his ministrations, and offers the same sacrifices over and over again – sacrifices that can never take sins away.

Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But, this priest, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, which should serve for all time, ‘took his seat at the right hand of God,’

But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.

13 and has since then been waiting ‘for his enemies to be put as a stool for his feet.’

Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet,

14 By a single offering he has made perfect for all time those who are being purified.

because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 We have also the testimony of the Holy Spirit. For, after saying –

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says:

16 ‘“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says the Lord; “I will impress my laws on their hearts, and will inscribe them on their minds,”’

“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”

17 then we have – ‘And their sins and their iniquities I will no longer remember.’

Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

18 And, when these are forgiven, there is no further need of an offering for sin.

And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.

19 Therefore, friends, since we may enter the sanctuary with confidence, in virtue of the blood of Jesus,

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by the way which he inaugurated for us – a new and living way, a way through the sanctuary curtain (that is, his human nature);

by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,

21 and, since we have in him ‘a great priest set over the house of God,’

and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near to God in all sincerity of heart and in perfect faith, with our hearts purified by the sprinkled blood from all consciousness of wrong, and with our bodies washed with pure water.

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us maintain the confession of our hope unshaken, for he who has given us his promise will not fail us.

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

24 Let us vie with one another in a rivalry of love and noble actions.

And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.

25 And let us not, as some do, cease to meet together; but, on the contrary, let us encourage one another, and all the more, now that you see the day drawing near.

Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

26 Remember, if we sin willfully after we have gained a full knowledge of the truth, there can be no further sacrifice for sin;

If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains,

27 there is only a fearful anticipation of judgment, and a burning indignation which will destroy all opponents.

but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.

28 When someone disregarded the Law of Moses, they were, on the evidence of two or three witnesses, put to death without pity.

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 How much worse then, think you, will be the punishment deserved by those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, who have treated the blood that rendered the covenant valid – the blood by which they were purified – as if it were not holy, and who have outraged the Spirit of love?

How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

30 We know who it was that said – ‘It is for me to avenge, I will requite’; and again – ‘The Lord will judge his people.’

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 Call to mind those early days in which, after you had received the light, you patiently underwent a long and painful conflict.

Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.

33 Sometimes, in consequence of the taunts and injuries heaped on you, you became a public spectacle; and sometimes you suffered through having shown yourselves to be the friends of people who were in the same position in which you had been.

Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated.

34 For you not only sympathised with those who were in prison, but you even took the confiscation of your possessions joyfully, knowing, as you did, that you had in yourselves a greater possession and a lasting one.

You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

35 Do not, therefore, abandon the confidence that you have gained, for it has a great reward awaiting it.

So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.

36 You still have need of patient endurance, in order that, when you have done God’s will, you may obtain the fulfillment of his promise.

You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

37 ‘For there is indeed but a very little while before he who is coming will have come, without delay;

For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.

38 and through faith the righteous will find life, but, if anyone draws back, my heart can find no pleasure in them.’

But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”

39 But we do not belong to those who draw back, to their ruin, but to those who have faith, to the saving of their souls.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.