Hebreus 8

Christ Is Our High Priest

1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle,*8:2 Or tent; also in 8:5. the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.

3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. 4 If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. 5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: "Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain."*8:5 Exod 25:40; 26:30.

6 But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. 8 But when God found fault with the people, he said:

"The day is coming, says the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel and Judah.

9 This covenant will not be like the one

I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

and led them out of the land of Egypt.

They did not remain faithful to my covenant,

so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.

10 But this is the new covenant I will make

with the people of Israel on that day,*8:10 Greek after those days. says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their minds,

and I will write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

11 And they will not need to teach their neighbors,

nor will they need to teach their relatives,*8:11 Greek their brother.

saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’

For everyone, from the least to the greatest,

will know me already.

12 And I will forgive their wickedness,

and I will never again remember their sins."*8:8-12 Jer 31:31-34.

13 When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.