¹For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. ²For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? ³But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. ⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵So when he came into the world, he said,“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.⁶Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.⁷Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come—it is written of me in the scroll of the book—to do your will, O God.’” ⁸When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), ⁹then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second. ¹⁰By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again—sacrifices that can never take away sins. ¹²But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. ¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying, ¹⁶“This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,” ¹⁷then he says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.” ¹⁸Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. ¹⁹Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. ²³And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. ²⁴And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, ²⁵not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. ²⁶For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, ²⁷but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God’s enemies. ²⁸Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for the Son of God, and profanes the blood of the covenant that made him holy, and insults the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ³²But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. ³³At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way. ³⁴For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly had a better and lasting possession. ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence, because it has great reward. ³⁶For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. ³⁷For just a little longer and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. ³⁸But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him. ³⁹But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.