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, having in a shadow of the destined good things, not the very image of the things, they can never, with the same sacrifices which year by year they offer evermore, make them who approach, perfect;

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?

Else would they not, in that case, have ceased being offered, by reason of those rendering the divine service having no further conscience at all of sins, being once for all purified?

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

But, in them, is a recalling to mind of sins, year by year,

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

For it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to be taking 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;

Wherefore, coming into the world, he saith: Sacrifice and offering, thou willedst not, but, a body, hast thou fitted for me, —

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

In whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sins, thou didst not 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, said I—Lo! I am come, —in the heading of the scroll, it is written concerning me, —to do, O God, thy will.

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),

Higher up, saying—Sacrifices, and offerings, and whole-burnt-offerings, and sacrifices for sins, thou willedst not, neither delightedst in, —the which, according to the law, are offered,

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, hath he said—Lo! I am come! to do, thy will: —he taketh away the first, that, the second, he may establish:

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.

By which will, we have been made holy, through the offering 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.

And, every priest, indeed, standeth daily publicly ministering, and the same sacrifices ofttimes offering, the which never can clear 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 this priest, having offered one sacrifice for sins evermore, sat down on the right hand of God:

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

As for the rest, waiting—until his foes be made his footstool;

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

For, by one offering, hath he perfected for evermore, them who are being made holy.

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

But even the Holy Spirit beareth us witness; for, after having said—

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 which I will covenant unto them after these days, saith the Lord, —Giving my laws upon their hearts, upon their understandings also, will I inscribe them,

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

[He] also [saith] —of their sins, and of their lawlessnesses, I will in nowise be mindful any more.

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

But, wherever a remission of these is, there is, no further, offering, for sins.

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

Having therefore, brethren, freedom of speech for the entrance through the 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);

Which entrance he hath consecrated for us, as a way recent and living, through the veil, that is, his flesh, —

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

And having 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 approach with a genuine heart, in full assurance of faith, having been sprinkled, as to our hearts, from an evil conscience, and bathed, as to our bodies, 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 fast the confession of the hope without wavering, —for, faithful, is he that hath promised;

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

And let us attentively consider one another, to provoke unto love and noble works, —

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.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, according to the custom of some, but exhorting, and by so much the more as this, by as much as ye behold, the day, drawing near.

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

For, if, by choice, we be sinning, after the receiving of the full-knowledge of the truth, no longer, for sins, is there left over, a sacrifice,

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

But some fearful reception of judgment and fiery jealousy, about to devour the opposers.

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

Any one having set aside a law of Moses, apart from compassions, upon [the testimony of] two or three witnesses, dieth:

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?

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be accounted worthy, who hath trampled underfoot the Son of God, and, the blood of the covenant, hath esteemed, a profane thing, by which he had been made holy, and, unto the Spirit of favour, hath offered wanton insult?

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 that hath said—To me, belongeth avenging, I, will recompense; and again—The Lord will judge his people.

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

A fearful thing [it is] to fall into the hands of a 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.

But be calling to mind the former days, in which, once ye were illuminated, a great combat of sufferings, ye endured; —

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.

Partly, indeed, because, both with reproaches and tribulations, ye were being made a spectacle, but, partly, because, into fellowship with them who were so involved, ye were brought; —

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.

For, even with them who were in bonds, ye sympathised, and, unto the seizure of your goods, with joy, ye bade welcome, —knowing that ye have yourselves, for a better possession and an abiding.

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

Do not, then, cast away your freedom of speech, —the which hath a great recompense.

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.

For, of endurance, ye have need, in order that, the will of God having done, Ye may bear away, the promise.

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

For, yet a little while, how short! how short! The Coming One will be here, and will not tarry;

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, by faith, shall live, and, if he draw back, my soul delighteth not 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.

We, however, are not of a drawing back unto destruction, but, of faith, unto an acquisition of life.