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

Certamente anche il primo patto ebbe degli ordinamenti per il servizio divino e per il santuario terreno.

2 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.

Infatti fu costruito un primo tabernacolo in cui vi erano il candelabro la tavola e i pani della presentazione; esso è chiamato: "Il luogo santo".

3 B ehind the second curtain there was another tent. This was called the Holiest Place of All.

Dietro il secondo velo c'era il tabernacolo, detto: "Il luogo santissimo",

4 I n 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.

che conteneva un turibolo d'oro e l'arca del patto tutta ricoperta d'oro, nella quale si trovava un vaso d'oro contenente la manna, la verga di Aaronne che era germogliata e le tavole del patto.

5 A bove 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.

E sopra l'arca vi erano i cherubini della gloria che adombravano il propiziatorio; di queste cose non possiamo parlarne ora dettagliatamente.

6 W hen 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.

Or essendo queste cose disposte cosí, i sacerdoti entravano continuamente nel primo tabernacolo, per compiere il servizio divino;

7 O nce 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.

ma nel secondo entrava soltanto il sommo sacerdote una volta all'anno, non senza sangue, che egli offriva per se stesso, e per i peccati d'ignoranza del popolo.

8 A nd 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.

Lo Spirito Santo voleva cosí dimostrare che la via del santuario non era ancora resa manifesta, mentre sussisteva ancora il primo tabernacolo,

9 T he 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.

il quale è una figura per il tempo presente, e voleva indicare che i doni e i sacrifici offerti non potevano rendere perfetto nella coscienza colui che faceva il servizio divino,

10 T he 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

trattandosi solo di cibi, di bevande, di varie abluzioni e di ordinamenti carnali, imposti fino al tempo del cambiamento.

11 B ut 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.

Ma Cristo, essendo venuto come sommo sacerdote dei beni futuri, attraverso un tabernacolo piú grande e piú perfetto non fatto da mano d'uomo, cioè non di questa creazione,

12 C hrist 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.

entrò una volta per sempre nel santuario, non con sangue di capri e di vitelli, ma col proprio sangue, avendo acquistato una redenzione eterna.

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

Infatti, se il sangue dei tori e dei capri e la cenere di una giovenca aspersi sopra i contaminati li santifica, purificandoli nella carne,

14 H ow 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.

quanto piú il sangue di Cristo, che mediante lo Spirito eterno offerse se stesso puro di ogni colpa a Dio, purificherà la vostra coscienza dalle opere morte per servire il Dio vivente!

15 C hrist 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.

E perciò egli è il mediatore del nuovo patto affinché, essendo intervenuta la morte per il riscatto dalle trasgressioni commesse sotto il primo patto, i chiamati ricevano la promessa dell'eterna eredità.

16 W hen 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.

Poiché dove c'è un testamento, ci deve essere necessariamente anche la morte del testatore.

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

Il testamento infatti è valido solo dopo la morte di qualcuno, perché non ha alcuna forza mentre vive ancora il testatore.

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

Per questo neppure il primo fu inaugurato senza sangue.

19 M oses 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.

Infatti, quando tutti i comandamenti secondo la legge furono proclamati da Mosè a tutto il popolo, egli, preso il sangue dei vitelli e dei capri, con acqua, lana scarlatta e issopo, asperse il libro stesso e tutto il popolo,

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

dicendo «Questo è il sangue del patto che Dio ha ordinato per voi».

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

Parimenti con quel sangue egli asperse pure il tabernacolo e tutti gli arredi del servizio divino.

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

E, secondo la legge, quasi tutte le cose sono purificate col sangue; e senza spargimento di sangue non c'è perdono dei peccati.

23 T he 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.

Era dunque necessario che i modelli delle cose celesti fossero purificati con queste cose; ma le cose celesti stesse lo dovevano essere con sacrifici piú eccellenti di questi.

24 F or 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.

Cristo infatti non è entrato in un santuario fatto da mani d'uomo, figura delle cose vere, ma nel cielo stesso per comparire ora davanti alla presenza di Dio per noi,

25 C hrist 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.

e non per offrire se stesso piú volte, come il sommo sacerdote che entra ogni anno nel santuario con sangue, non suo.

26 F or 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.

altrimenti egli avrebbe dovuto soffrire piú volte dalla fondazione del mondo; ma ora, una sola volta, alla fine delle età, Cristo è stato manifestato per annullare il peccato mediante il sacrificio di se stesso.

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

E come è stabilito che gli uomini muoiano una sola volta, e dopo ciò viene il giudizio,

28 I t 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.

cosí anche Cristo, dopo essere stato offerto una sola volta per prendere su di sé i peccati di molti, apparirà una seconda volta senza peccato a coloro che lo aspettano per la salvezza.