Hebrews 9

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Now (even) the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.	1 The first covenant also had its laws governing worship and its sanctuary, a sanctuary on this earth.
2 For a tabernacle was constructed, the outer one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place.	2 There was a tent which comprised two compartments: the first, in which the lamp-stand, the table andthe loaves of permanent offering were kept, was cal ed the Holy Place;
3 Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies,	3 then beyond the second veil, a second compartment which was called the Holy of Holies
4 in which were the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant.	4 to which belonged the gold altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant, plated al over with gold. Inthis were kept the gold jar containing the manna, Aaron's branch that grew the buds, and the tables of thecovenant.
5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. Now is not the time to speak of these in detail.	5 On top of it were the glorious winged creatures, overshadowing the throne of mercy. This is not the timeto go into detail about this.
6 With these arrangements for worship, the priests, in performing their service, go into the outer tabernacle repeatedly,	6 Under these provisions, priests go regularly into the outer tent to carry out their acts of worship,
7 but the high priest alone goes into the inner one once a year, not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people.	7 but the second tent is entered only once a year, and then only by the high priest who takes in the bloodto make an offering for his own and the people's faults of inadvertence.
8 In this way the holy Spirit shows that the way into the sanctuary had not yet been revealed while the outer tabernacle still had its place.	8 By this, the Holy Spirit means us to see that as long as the old tent stands, the way into the holy placeis not opened up;
9 This is a symbol of the present time, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper in conscience	9 it is a symbol for this present time. None of the gifts and sacrifices offered under these regulations canpossibly bring any worshipper to perfection in his conscience;
10 but only in matters of food and drink and various ritual washings: regulations concerning the flesh, imposed until the time of the new order.	10 they are rules about outward life, connected with food and drink and washing at various times, whichare in force only until the time comes to set things right.
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,	11 But now Christ has come, as the high priest of al the blessings which were to come. He has passedthrough the greater, the more perfect tent, not made by human hands, that is, not of this created order;
12 he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.	12 and he has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and bulcalves, but his own blood, having won an eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed,	13 The blood of goats and bul s and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled on those who have incurreddefilement, may restore their bodily purity.
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.	14 How much more wil the blood of Christ, who offered himself, blameless as he was, to God throughthe eternal Spirit, purify our conscience from dead actions so that we can worship the living God.
15 For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.	15 This makes him the mediator of a new covenant, so that, now that a death has occurred to redeem thesins committed under an earlier covenant, those who have been cal ed to an eternal inheritance may receive thepromise.
16 Now where there is a will, the death of the testator must be established.	16 Now wherever a wil is in question, the death of the testator must be established;
17 For a will takes effect only at death; it has no force while the testator is alive.	17 a testament comes into effect only after a death, since it has no force while the testator is stil alive.
18 Thus not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.	18 That is why even the earlier covenant was inaugurated with blood,
19 When every commandment had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves (and goats), together with water and crimson wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,	19 and why, after Moses had promulgated al the commandments of the Law to the people, he took thecalves' blood, the goats' blood and some water, and with these he sprinkled the book itself and all the people,using scarlet wool and hyssop;
20 saying, "This is 'the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined upon you.'"	20 saying as he did so: This is the blood of the covenant that God has made with you.
21 In the same way, he sprinkled also the tabernacle and all the vessels of worship with blood.	21 And he sprinkled both the tent and all the liturgical vessels with blood in the same way.
22 According to the law almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.	22 In fact, according to the Law, practical y every purification takes place by means of blood; and if thereis no shedding of blood, there is no remission.
23 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified by these rites, but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these.	23 Only the copies of heavenly things are purified in this way; the heavenly things themselves have to bepurified by a higher sort of sacrifice than this.
24 For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.	24 It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was merely a model of the realone; he entered heaven itself, so that he now appears in the presence of God on our behalf.
25 Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own;	25 And he does not have to offer himself again and again, as the high priest goes into the sanctuary yearafter year with the blood that is not his own,
26 if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.	26 or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. As it is, he has madehis appearance once and for al , at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself.
27 Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment,	27 Since human beings die only once, after which comes judgement,
28 so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.	28 so Christ too, having offered himself only once to bear the sin of many, will manifest himself a secondtime, sin being no more, to those who are waiting for him, to bring them salvation.