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, since the Law exhibits only an outline of the blessings to come and not a perfect representation of the things themselves, the priests can never, by repeating the same sacrifices which they continually offer year after year, give complete freedom from sin to those who draw near.
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?
For then would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, because the consciences of the worshippers--who in that case would now have been cleansed once for all--would no longer be burdened with sins?
3 But, on the contrary, these sacrifices recall their sins to mind year after year.
But in those sacrifices sins are recalled to memory year after year.
4 For the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to remove sins.
For 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;
That is why, when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering Thou has not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me.
6 You take no pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.
In whole burnt-offerings and in sin-offerings Thou hast taken no pleasure.
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, 'I have come--in the roll of the book it is written concerning Me--to do Thy 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),
After saying the words I have just quoted, "Sacrifices and offerings or whole burnt-offerings and sin-offerings Thou hast not desired or taken pleasure in" --all such being offered in obedience 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.
He then adds, "I have come to do Thy will." He does away with the first in order 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.
It is through that divine will that we have been set free from sin, through the offering of Jesus Christ as our sacrifice 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 while every priest stands ministering, day after day, and constantly offering the same sacrifices--though such can never rid us of our 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,’
this Priest, on the contrary, after offering for sins a single sacrifice of perpetual efficacy, took His seat at God's right hand,
13 and has since then been waiting ‘for his enemies to be put as a stool for his feet.’
waiting from that time onward until His enemies be put as a footstool under His feet.
14 By a single offering he has made perfect for all time those who are being purified.
For by a single offering He has for ever completed the blessing for those whom He is setting free from sin.
15 We have also the testimony of the Holy Spirit. For, after saying –
And the Holy Spirit also gives us His testimony; for when He had 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 that I will make with them after those days,' says the Lord: 'I will put My laws upon their hearts and will write them on their minds;'"
17 then we have – ‘And their sins and their iniquities I will no longer remember.’
He adds, "And their sins and offences I will remember no longer."
18 And, when these are forgiven, there is no further need of an offering for sin.
But where these have been forgiven no further offering for sin is required.
19 Therefore, friends, since we may enter the sanctuary with confidence, in virtue of the blood of Jesus,
Since then, brethren, we have free access to the Holy place through 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 ever-living way which He opened up for us through the rending of the veil--that is to say, of His earthly nature--
21 and, since we have in him ‘a great priest set over the house of God,’
and since we have a great Priest who has authority 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 sincerity and unfaltering faith, having had our hearts sprinkled, once for all, from consciences oppressed with sin, and our bodies bathed in 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 firmly to an unflinching avowal of our hope, for He is faithful who gave us the promises.
24 Let us vie with one another in a rivalry of love and noble actions.
And let us bestow thought on one another with a view to arousing one another to brotherly love and right conduct;
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 neglecting--as some habitually do--to meet together, but encouraging one another, and doing this all the more since you can see the day of Christ 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;
For if we wilfully persist in sin after having received the full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains in reserve any other sacrifice for sins.
27 there is only a fearful anticipation of judgment, and a burning indignation which will destroy all opponents.
There remains nothing but a certain awful expectation of judgement, and the fury of a fire which before long will devour the enemies of the truth.
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 who bids defiance to the Law of Moses is put to death 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 severer punishment, think you, will he be held to deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, has not regarded as holy that Covenant-blood with which he was set free from sin, and has insulted the Spirit from whom comes 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 who it is that has said, "Vengeance belongs to Me: I will pay back;" and again, "The Lord will be His people's judge."
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It is an awful thing to fall into the hands of the ever-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 continually recall to mind the days now past, when on being first enlightened you went through a great conflict and many sufferings.
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.
This was partly through allowing yourselves to be made a public spectacle amid reproaches and persecutions, and partly through coming forward to share the sufferings of those who were thus 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.
For you not only showed sympathy with those who were imprisoned, but you even submitted with joy when your property was taken from you, being well aware that you have in your own selves a more valuable possession and one which will remain.
35 Do not, therefore, abandon the confidence that you have gained, for it has a great reward awaiting it.
Therefore do not cast from you your confident hope, for it will receive a vast 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.
For you stand in need of patient endurance, so that, as the result of having done the will of God, you may receive the promised blessing.
37 ‘For there is indeed but a very little while before he who is coming will have come, without delay;
For there is still but a short time and then "The coming One 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 it is by faith that My righteous servant shall live; and if he shrinks back, My soul takes 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 people who shrink back and perish, but are among those who believe and gain possession of their souls.
