Hebrews:9

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* THE first covenant had regulations of worship and its holy building in this world . * For a Tent was erected , in the first part of which were the lampstand and the table and the consecrated bread . This was called the Holy Place . * Behind the second curtain was the part called the Holy of Holies . * It had the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant all covered with gold . In this was a golden jar with the manna and Aaron 's rod that sprouted and the tablets of the covenant . * Above it were cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of propitiation . Regarding these things it is not now possible to speak in detail . * But these things being thus arranged , the priests go constantly into the first part of the Tent , performing their services , * but into the second part the High Priest alone goes once in the year , not without blood , which he offers for himself and for the sins ignorantly committed by the people . * The Holy Spirit shows this , that the way into the holy place has not yet been made plain while the first Tent is standing . * That is a symbol , for the time being , in accordance with which gifts and sacrifices are offered , though they cannot make the worshiper perfect in his conscience , * since they consist only of foods and drinks and various baths \'97 rules respecting the flesh , imposed until the time of reformation . * But when Christ came as High Priest of the good things that have come , he entered once for all through the greater and more perfect Tent not made by hands \'97 that is , not of this creation \'97 * and not with the blood of goats and calves , but with his own blood , into the holy place , and thereby found eternal redemption . * For if the blood of goats and bulls , and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the defiled , makes them holy as regards purity of their flesh , * how much more will the blood of Christ , who through an eternal Spirit offered himself an unblemished sacrifice to God , cleanse our consciences from dead works for the service of the living God . * For this reason he is the mediator of a better covenant that , a death having taken place for redemption from sins under the first covenant , those who have been called may receive the eternal inheritance promised to them . * For where there is a last will and testament the death of the testator must be put in evidence . * For a will is valid in the case of the dead : it never has any force while the testator is living . * Hence the first covenant was not introduced without blood . * When all the commands of the Law had been spoken by Moses to all the people , he took the blood of calves and goats , with water and scarlet wool and hyssop , and sprinkled it on the book and on all the people , * saying , "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded for you ." * And the Tent and all the things used in worship he likewise sprinkled with blood . * Almost everything is cleansed with blood , according to the Law , and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness . * It was necessary , then , that the copies of the things in heaven should be cleansed with these sacrifices , but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these . * For Christ did not enter into a holy place made by hands , a copy of the true , but into heaven itself , now to appear before the face of God in our behalf . * Nor was it to offer himself often , as the High Priest enters into the holy place every year with blood not his own ; * then he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world . But now , once for all , at the end of the ages , he has appeared to do away with sin by his sacrifice . * And as it is appointed for men once for all to die and after this comes judgment , * so Christ was once for all offered to bear the sins of many and will appear the second time , apart from sin , to those who are looking for him , and bring them salvation .

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