1 A hora bien, incluso el primer pacto tenía reglas para el culto, y un santuario terrenal.

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

2 E n efecto, el tabernáculo estaba dispuesto así: en la primera parte, llamada el Lugar Santo, estaban el candelabro, la mesa y los panes de la proposición.

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 T ras el segundo velo estaba la parte del tabernáculo llamada el Lugar Santísimo,

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

4 e l cual tenía un incensario de oro y el arca del pacto, totalmente recubierta de oro; en el arca había una urna de oro que contenía el maná, la vara de Aarón que reverdeció, y las tablas del pacto.

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 P or encima del arca estaban los querubines de la gloria, los cuales cubrían el propiciatorio. Pero de esto no se puede hablar ahora en detalle.

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 C on todo esto dispuesto así, los sacerdotes entran continuamente en la primera parte del tabernáculo para celebrar los oficios del culto;

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 p ero en la segunda parte entra únicamente el sumo sacerdote, y esto sólo una vez al año, y siempre llevando sangre, la cual ofrece por sí mismo y por los pecados involuntarios que el pueblo comete.

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 C on esto el Espíritu Santo nos da a entender que, mientras la primera parte del tabernáculo siga en pie, el camino que lleva al Lugar Santísimo aún no estará abierto.

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 odo esto es un símbolo para el tiempo presente, de que las ofrendas y sacrificios que allí se presentan no pueden perfeccionar la conciencia de los que adoran así,

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 y a que tienen que ver sólo con comidas y bebidas, y con diversas ceremonias de purificación y ordenanzas externas, cuyo valor tiene vigencia hasta que llegue el tiempo de reformarlo todo.

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 P ero Cristo vino ya, y es el sumo sacerdote de los bienes venideros, a través del tabernáculo más amplio y más perfecto, el cual no ha sido hecho por los hombres, es decir, que no es de esta creación,

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 y no por medio de la sangre de machos cabríos ni de becerros, sino por medio de su propia sangre. Entró una sola vez y para siempre en el Lugar Santísimo, y así obtuvo para nosotros la redención eterna.

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 S i la sangre de los toros y de los machos cabríos, y las cenizas de la becerra rociadas sobre los impuros, santifican para la purificación de la carne,

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

14 ¡ cuánto más la sangre de Cristo, que por medio del Espíritu eterno se ofreció a sí mismo sin mancha a Dios, limpiará de obras muertas nuestra conciencia, para que sirvamos al Dios vivo!

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 P or eso Cristo es mediador de un nuevo pacto, para que los llamados reciban la promesa de la herencia eterna, pues con su muerte libera a los hombres de los pecados cometidos bajo el primer pacto.

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 P orque cuando hay un testamento, es necesario que haya constancia de la muerte del que lo hizo,

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 y a que un testamento no tiene ningún valor mientras el que lo hizo siga con vida.

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

18 P or eso, ni siquiera el primer pacto se estableció sin sangre,

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

19 p orque después de que Moisés anunció todos los mandamientos de la ley a todo el pueblo, tomó la sangre de los becerros y de los machos cabríos junto con agua, lana escarlata y una rama de hisopo, y roció el libro de la ley y a todo el pueblo.

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 E ntonces le dijo al pueblo: «Ésta es la sangre del pacto que Dios les ha mandado.»

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

21 A demás de esto, con la sangre roció también el tabernáculo y todos los vasos del ministerio.

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

22 S egún la ley, casi todo es purificado con sangre; pues sin derramamiento de sangre no hay perdón. El sacrificio de Cristo quita el pecado

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

23 P or lo tanto, era absolutamente necesario que las réplicas de las cosas celestiales fueran purificadas así; pero las cosas celestiales mismas necesitan mejores sacrificios que éstos,

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 p orque Cristo no entró en el santuario hecho por los hombres, el cual era un mero reflejo del verdadero, sino que entró en el cielo mismo para presentarse ahora ante Dios en favor de nosotros.

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 Y no entró para ofrecerse muchas veces, como el sumo sacerdote, que cada año entra en el Lugar Santísimo con sangre ajena.

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 i así fuera, Cristo habría tenido que morir muchas veces desde la creación del mundo; pero ahora, al final de los tiempos, se presentó una sola vez y para siempre, y se ofreció a sí mismo como sacrificio para quitar el pecado.

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 Y así como está establecido que los hombres mueran una sola vez, y después venga el juicio,

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

28 a sí también Cristo fue ofrecido una sola vez para llevar los pecados de muchos; pero aparecerá por segunda vez, ya sin relación con el pecado, para salvar a los que lo esperan.

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.