Gore Blvd Church of Christ

Hebrews 9

The Old and the New

9 Now even the first covenant had regulations for divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. ² For a ^[a]tabernacle was equipped, the ^[b]outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the ^[c]sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. ³ Behind the second veil there was a ^[d]tabernacle which is called the Most Holy Place, ⁴ having a golden ^[e]altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s staff which budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵ and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the ^[f]atoning cover; but about these things we cannot now speak in detail.

⁶ Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the ^[g]outer ^[h]tabernacle, performing the divine worship, ⁷ but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the ^[i]sins of the people committed in ignorance. ⁸ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the ^[j]outer tabernacle is still standing, ⁹ which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, ¹⁰ since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the ^[k]body imposed until a time of reformation.

¹¹ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things ^[l]having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect ^[m]tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; ¹² and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, ^[n]having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ^[o]ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the ^[p]cleansing of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through ^[q]the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

¹⁵ For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. ¹⁶ For where there is a ^[r]covenant, there must of necessity ^[s]be the death of the one who made it. ¹⁷ For a ^[t]covenant is valid only when people are dead, ^[u]for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. ¹⁸ Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹ For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” ²¹ And in the same way he sprinkled both the ^[v]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. ²² And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

²³ Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these things, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; ²⁵ nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year by year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin ^[w]by the sacrifice of Himself. ²⁷ And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, ²⁸ so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 9:2 Or sacred tent
2. Hebrews 9:2 Lit first
3. Hebrews 9:2 Lit loaves of presentation
4. Hebrews 9:3 Or sacred tent
5. Hebrews 9:4 Or censer
6. Hebrews 9:5 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
7. Hebrews 9:6 Lit first
8. Hebrews 9:6 Or sacred tent
9. Hebrews 9:7 Lit ignorance of the people
10. Hebrews 9:8 Lit first
11. Hebrews 9:10 Lit flesh
12. Hebrews 9:11 One early ms to come
13. Hebrews 9:11 Or sacred tent
14. Hebrews 9:12 Or obtaining
15. Hebrews 9:13 I.e., ashes mixed in water
16. Hebrews 9:13 Lit purity
17. Hebrews 9:14 Or His eternal spirit
18. Hebrews 9:16 Or testament
19. Hebrews 9:16 Lit be brought
20. Hebrews 9:17 Or testament
21. Hebrews 9:17 One early ms for is it then...lives?
22. Hebrews 9:21 Or sacred tent
23. Hebrews 9:26 Or by His sacrifice

Hebrews 8

A Better Ministry

8 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister ^[a]in the sanctuary and ^[b]in the true ^[c]tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are ^[d]those who offer the gifts according to the Law; ⁵ who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses ^[e]was warned by God when he was about to erect the ^[f]tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.” ⁶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

A New Covenant

⁷ For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no ^[g]circumstances would have been sought for a second. ⁸ For in finding fault with ^[h]the people, He says,

“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
^[i]When I will bring about a new covenant
With the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
⁹ Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day I took them by the hand
To bring them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care about them, says the Lord.
¹⁰ For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, declares the Lord:
^[j]I will put My laws into their minds,
And write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
¹¹ And they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen,
And each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For they will all know Me,
From ^[k]the least to the greatest of them.
¹² For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings,
And their sins I will no longer remember.”

^13 [l]When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ^[m]about to disappear.

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 8:2 Or of
2. Hebrews 8:2 Or of
3. Hebrews 8:2 Or sacred tent
4. Hebrews 8:4 I.e., temple priests
5. Hebrews 8:5 Lit has been
6. Hebrews 8:5 Or sacred tent
7. Hebrews 8:7 Lit place
8. Hebrews 8:8 Lit them
9. Hebrews 8:8 Lit And
10. Hebrews 8:10 Lit Putting my laws into...
11. Hebrews 8:11 Lit small to great of them
12. Hebrews 8:13 Or In His saying
13. Hebrews 8:13 Or near destruction

Hebrews 7

Melchizedek’s Priesthood like Christ’s

7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. ³ Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

⁴ Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. ⁵ And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment ^[a]in the Law to collect ^[b]a tenth from the people, that is, from their countrymen, although they ^[c]are descended from Abraham. ⁶ But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected ^[d]a tenth from Abraham and ^[e]blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ But without any dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. ⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, has paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his ^[f]forefather when Melchizedek met him.

¹¹ So if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. ¹³ For the one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord ^[g]was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests. ¹⁵ And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, ¹⁶ who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of ^[h]physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is attested of Him,

“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

¹⁸ For, on the one hand, there is the nullification of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness ¹⁹ (for the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, there is the introduction of a better hope, through which we come near to God. ²⁰ And to the extent that it was not without an oath ²¹ (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,

“The Lord has sworn
And will not change His mind,
‘You are a priest forever’”);

²² by the same extent Jesus also has become the ^[i]guarantee of a better covenant.

^23 [j]The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; ^24 [k]Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save ^[l]forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens; ²⁷ who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this once for all time when He offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 7:5 Lit according to
2. Hebrews 7:5 Or tithes
3. Hebrews 7:5 Lit have come out of the loins of
4. Hebrews 7:6 Or tithes
5. Hebrews 7:6 Lit has blessed
6. Hebrews 7:10 Lit father
7. Hebrews 7:14 Lit has arisen from
8. Hebrews 7:16 Lit fleshly commandment; i.e., to be a descendant of Levi
9. Hebrews 7:22 Or guarantor
10. Hebrews 7:23 Lit The greater number have become priests...
11. Hebrews 7:24 Lit He
12. Hebrews 7:25 Or completely

Hebrews 6

The Danger of Falling Away

6 Therefore leaving the ^[a]elementary teaching about the ^[b]Christ, let us press on to ^[c]maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of instruction about ^[d]washings and laying on of hands, and about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do, if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have ^[e]fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, ^[f]since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. ⁷ For ground that drinks the rain which often ^[g]falls on it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; ⁸ but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and ^[h]close to being cursed, and ^[i]it ends up being burned.

Better Things for You

⁹ But, beloved, we are convinced of better things regarding you, and things that ^[j]accompany salvation, even though we are speaking in this way. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having served and by still serving the ^[k]saints. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you demonstrate the same diligence ^[l]so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.

¹³ For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “indeed I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For people swear an oath by ^[m]one greater than themselves, and with them an oath serving as confirmation is an end of every dispute. ^17 [n]In the same way God, desiring even more to demonstrate to the heirs of the promise ^[o]the fact that His purpose is unchangeable, ^[p]confirmed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us. ^19 [q]This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters ^[r]within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 6:1 Lit word of the beginning
2. Hebrews 6:1 I.e., Messiah
3. Hebrews 6:1 Or perfection
4. Hebrews 6:2 Or baptisms
5. Hebrews 6:6 Or committed apostasy; i.e., renounced the faith
6. Hebrews 6:6 Or while
7. Hebrews 6:7 Lit comes
8. Hebrews 6:8 Lit near to a curse
9. Hebrews 6:8 Lit whose end is for burning
10. Hebrews 6:9 Or belong to
11. Hebrews 6:10 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
12. Hebrews 6:11 Lit to the full
13. Hebrews 6:16 Or Him who is greater
14. Hebrews 6:17 Lit In which
15. Hebrews 6:17 Lit the unchangeableness of His
16. Hebrews 6:17 Or mediated
17. Hebrews 6:19 Lit Which hope we have
18. Hebrews 6:19 Or inside

Hebrews 5

The Perfect High Priest

5 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; ^2 [a]he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is ^[b]clothed in weakness; ³ and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins for himself, as well as for the people. ⁴ And no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just as Aaron also was.

⁵ So too Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but it was He who said to Him,

“You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”;

⁶ just as He also says in another passage,

“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷ In the days of ^[c]His humanity, ^[d]He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him ^[e]from death, and He ^[f]was heard because of His devout behavior. ⁸ Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him, ¹⁰ being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

¹¹ Concerning ^[g]him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become ^[h]poor listeners. ¹² For though ^[i]by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the ^[j]elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.

Footnotes

1. Hebrews 5:2 Lit being able to
2. Hebrews 5:2 I.e., weak by nature
3. Hebrews 5:7 Lit His flesh
4. Hebrews 5:7 Lit who having offered up
5. Hebrews 5:7 Or out of
6. Hebrews 5:7 Lit having been heard
7. Hebrews 5:11 Lit whom; or which
8. Hebrews 5:11 Lit sluggish in hearing
9. Hebrews 5:12 Lit because of the time
10. Hebrews 5:12 Lit elements of the beginning