1 T he first therefore also indeed had ordinances of service, and the sanctuary, a worldly one.

There were special ways of worship and a special holy place made by man for the Old Way of Worship.

2 F or a tabernacle was set up; the first, in which both the candlestick and the table and the exposition of the loaves, which is called Holy;

A big tent was built and set up. It was called the holy place. It had a light and a table, and the holy bread was on the table.

3 b ut after the second veil a tabernacle which is called Holy of holies,

Behind the second curtain there was another tent. This was called the Holiest Place of All.

4 h aving a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, covered round in every part with gold, in which the golden pot that had the manna, and the rod of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tables of the covenant;

In the inside tent there was an altar where special perfume was burned. There was also a large box made of wood called the box of the Way of Worship. Both of these were covered with gold inside and out. Inside the box was a pot made of gold with the bread from heaven. It also had in it Aaron’s stick that once started to grow. The stones on which the Law of Moses was written were in it.

5 a nd above over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; concerning which it is not now to speak in detail.

Above the box were the cherubim of honor. Their wings were spread up and over and met in the center. On the top of the box and under the shadow of their wings was the mercy-seat. We cannot tell anymore about these things now.

6 N ow these things being thus ordered, into the first tabernacle the priests enter at all times, accomplishing the services;

When everything was finished, the Jewish religious leaders went in and out of the outside tent to do the things which had to be done to worship God.

7 b ut into the second, the high priest only, once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people:

Once each year the head religious leader would go into the inside tent alone. He would not go in without blood. He gave this blood to God as a gift in worship for his own sins and for the sins of all the people who sinned without knowing it.

8 t he Holy Spirit shewing this, that the way of the holies has not yet been made manifest while as yet the first tabernacle has standing;

And so the Holy Spirit is teaching that, with the Old Way of Worship, the people could not go into the Holiest Place of All as long as the outside tent and its Old Way of Worship were being used.

9 t he which an image for the present time, according to which both gifts and sacrifices, unable to perfect as to conscience him that worshipped, are offered,

The outside tent is a picture of that day. With the Old Way of Worship, animals killed and gifts given in worship to God could not take away the guilty feeling of sin.

10 o nly of meats and drinks and divers washings, ordinances of flesh, imposed until time of setting things right.

The Old Way of Worship was made up of Laws about what to eat and drink. These Laws told how to wash and other things to do with the body. These things had to be done until Christ came to bring a better way of worship. The New Way of Worship Has a Better Gift

11 B ut Christ being come high priest of the good things to come, by the better and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, (that is, not of this creation,)

But Christ came as the Head Religious Leader of the good things God promised. He made the way for man to go to God. He was a greater and more perfect tent. He was not made by human hands and was not a part of this earth.

12 n or by blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, has entered in once for all into the holies, having found an eternal redemption.

Christ went into the Holiest Place of All one time for all people. He did not take the blood of goats and young cows to give to God as a gift in worship. He gave His own blood. By doing this, He bought us with His own blood and made us free from sin forever.

13 F or if the blood of goats and bulls, and a heifer's ashes sprinkling the defiled, sanctifies for the purity of the flesh,

With the Old Way of Worship, the blood and ashes of animals could make men clean after they had sinned.

14 h ow much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God, purify your conscience from dead works to worship living God?

How much more the blood of Christ will do! He gave Himself as a perfect gift to God through the Spirit that lives forever. Now your heart can be free from the guilty feeling of doing work that is worth nothing. Now you can work for the living God.

15 A nd for this reason he is mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, the called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Christ is the One Who gave us this New Way of Worship. All those who have been called by God may receive life that lasts forever just as He promised them. Christ bought us with His blood when He died for us. This made us free from our sins which we did under the Old Way of Worship.

16 ( For where a testament, the death of the testator must needs come in.

When a man wants to give his money to someone after he dies, he writes it all down on paper. But that paper is worth nothing until the man is dead.

17 F or a testament of force when men are dead, since it is in no way of force while the testator is alive.)

That piece of paper means nothing as long as he is alive. It is good only when he dies.

18 W hence neither the first was inaugurated without blood.

The Old Way of Worship had to have a death to make it good. The blood of an animal was used.

19 F or every commandment having been spoken according to law by Moses to all the people; having taken the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, he sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

Moses told the people all the things they had to obey in the Law. Then he took the blood of animals together with water and put it on the Book of the Law and on all the people. He used special branches and red wool as he put it on them.

20 s aying, This the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined to you.

Moses said, “This is the blood of the Way of Worship which God said you must obey.”

21 A nd the tabernacle too and all the vessels of service he sprinkled in like manner with blood;

In the same way, Moses put the blood on the tent and on all the things used in worship.

22 a nd almost all things are purified with blood according to the law, and without blood-shedding there is no remission.

The Law says that almost everything is made clean by blood. Sins are not forgiven unless blood is given. One Perfect Gift

23 n ecessary then that the figurative representations of the things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with sacrifices better than these.

The tent to worship in and the things inside to worship with were like the things in heaven. They were made clean by putting blood on them. But the things in heaven were made clean by a much better gift of worship.

24 F or the Christ is not entered into holy places made with hand, figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:

For Christ did not go into the Holiest Place of All that was made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself and He is before God for us.

25 n or in order that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy places every year with blood not his own;

Christ has not given Himself many times, as the head religious leader here on earth went into the Holiest Place of All each year with blood that was not his own.

26 s ince he had been obliged often to suffer from the foundation of the world. But now once in the consummation of the ages he has been manifested for putting away of sin by his sacrifice.

For then Christ would have had to die many times since the world began. But He came once at the end of the Old Way of Worship. He gave Himself once for all time. He gave Himself to destroy sin.

27 A nd forasmuch as it is the portion of men once to die, and after this judgment;

It is in the plan that all men die once. After that, they will stand before God and be judged.

28 t hus the Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear to those that look for him the second time without sin for salvation.

It is the same with Christ. He gave Himself once to take away the sins of many. When He comes the second time, He will not need to give Himself again for sin. He will save all those who are waiting for Him.