Hebrews 9 THE first covenant had regulations of worship and its holy building in this world.

Riverside⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ THE first covenant had regulations of worship and its holy building in this world. ² 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. ³ Behind the second curtain was the part called the Holy of Holies. ⁴ 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. ⁵ Above it were cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of propitiation. Regarding these things it is not now possible to speak in detail. ⁶ But these things being thus arranged, the priests go constantly into the first part of the Tent, performing their services, ⁷ 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. ⁸ The Holy Spirit shows this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been made plain while the first Tent is standing. ⁹ 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, ¹⁰ since they consist only of foods and drinks and various baths — rules respecting the flesh, imposed until the time of reformation. ¹¹ 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 — that is, not of this creation — ¹² and not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, into the holy place, and thereby found eternal redemption. ¹³ 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, ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ For where there is a last will and testament the death of the testator must be put in evidence. ¹⁷ For a will is valid in the case of the dead: it never has any force while the testator is living. ¹⁸ Hence the first covenant was not introduced without blood. ¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded for you." ²¹ And the Tent and all the things used in worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. ²² Almost everything is cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. ²³ 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. ²⁴ 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. ²⁵ Nor was it to offer himself often, as the High Priest enters into the holy place every year with blood not his own; ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ And as it is appointed for men once for all to die and after this comes judgment, ²⁸ 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.