1 Just like a shadow vaguely represents the thing that it is a shadow of, the laws that God gave Moses only poorly represent [MET] the good things that were to come later. Those laws were not all the good things themselves that God has promised. So, by offering the same kinds of sacrifices every year, people [PRS] who approach God can never become ◄perfect/all that God intends them to be►. 2 If God had removed the guilt for having sinned of those who brought the sacrifices, they would not feel that they were still guilty. So they would certainly have stopped offering those sacrifices! [RHQ] 3 But rather, the fact that they offer those sacrifices each year reminds them that they are still guilty for their sins. 4 The principle is that blood of animals such as bulls or goats can never remove the guilt of those who have sinned.

5 So, as Christ was coming into the world, he spoke to his Father about offering himself as a sacrifice for people’s sin. The Psalmist wrote this that Christ said:

8 First, Christ said, “It is not sacrifices and offerings and animals that the priests have completely burned up and other offerings to atone for those who have sinned that you have really wanted. They have not pleased you.” Christ said that even though those things were offered {they offered all those things} according to the laws God gave Moses! 9 Then, concerning his offering himself as a sacrifice to atone for people’s sin, he said, “Listen! I have come here to do what you want me to do!” In that way Christ got rid of the first way of atoning for sin, in order to establish the second way of atoning for sin. 10 Because of Jesus Christ doing what God wanted him to do, we have been dedicated to {he has set us apart for} God by his offering his own body only once as a sacrifice, a sacrifice that will not need to be repeated.

11 As every Jewish priest stands daily in front of the altar, he performs rituals and offers the same kind of sacrifices that could never remove the guilt from anyone who sinned [MTY]. 12 But Christ offered a sacrifice that will be adequate forever, and he offered it only one time! Then he sat down to rule with God at the place of highest honor [MTY]. 13 From now on, he is waiting for God to completely subdue all Christ’s enemies [MTY]. 14 By offering himself once, he has provided that those whom God has set apart will be eternally made ◄perfect/all that God intends them to be►. 15 The Holy Spirit also confirms to us that this is true. First the Lord says:

17 Then the Lord said:

18 When God has forgiven someone’s sins, that person does not need to make any more offerings to atone for his sin!

19 So, my fellow believers, because we trust in what Jesus accomplished when his own blood flowed for us, we can confidently go into God’s very presence that was symbolized by the very holy place in the tent [MTY]. 20 Jesus enabled us to go into God’s presence by making a new and effective way. Specifically, he offered his body as a sacrifice for us in order that nothing would stop us from entering God’s presence, just like [MET] the curtain of the very holy place prevented people from entering God’s presence. 21 Christ is a great priest who rules over us, who are God’s people [MTY]. 22 Just like the priests were sprinkled {as Moses sprinkled the priests} with blood [MET] to symbolize that they were no longer guilty for having sinned, we also no longer are guilty for having done evil. Just like the priests ceremonially washed their bodies with pure water to prepare themselves to serve God, we are allowing God to continually make us pure. So, we (inc) must approach God sincerely by confidently trusting in him. 23 We must unwaveringly keep holding tight to what we believe. Since God faithfully does all he promised to do, we must confidently expect him to keep doing that. 24 Since God faithfully does all that he promised to do, let us consider how each of us can motivate other believers, in order that believers will love each other, and in order that each one will do good things. 25 We must not stop assembling ourselves to worship the Lord, as some people have done. Instead, each one of us must encourage/exhort other believers. Let us do that even more since we know that the day that the Lord will return [MTY] is near.

26 We(inc) must do those things, because if we deliberately and habitually sin after we have known the true message about Christ, no other sacrifice will remove our guilt for having sinned in that way. 27 Instead, we must fearfully expect that God will judge and angrily punish his enemies in a furious fire [MET]. 28 Everyone who rejected the laws that God gave Moses was mercilessly killed when at least two or three people testified that they had done that. 29 That was severe punishment. But Christ is ◄God’s Son/the man who is also God►. His blood, by means of which he put into effect the new covenant, is sacred. Because of Christ’s [MTY] blood flowing for us when he died, God freed us from our guilt. So, you can be sure [RHQ] that anyone who shows contempt for those truths and who insults the Spirit of God, the one who acts with kindness toward us in a way we do not deserve, deserves to be punished even worse than those Israelis were punished [MET]! 30 We can be sure of that (OR, need to think about that carefully) since we know that God said, “I myself will get revenge on those who sinned, and I will punish them as they deserve [DOU].” Moses wrote, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It will be a terrible thing if God who is all-powerful [MTY] seizes and punishes you [IDM]!

32 Recall previous times when you first understood [MET] the message about Christ. You endured a hard struggle, but you continued to trust him when you suffered because you believed in Christ. 33 At times you were publicly insulted {people publicly insulted you} and you suffered {people persecuted you}. But you showed great concern for those who were treated like that. 34 You not only were kind to those who were in prison because they believed in Christ, but you also accepted it joyfully when unbelievers took away your possessions. You accepted it because you yourselves knew very well that you have eternal possessions in heaven that are much better than those that they took from you! 35 So, do not become discouraged when they cause you to suffer {you are persecuted}, because if you continue to trust in God, he will greatly reward you. 36 You must patiently continue to trust in him in order that, because of your doing what God wants you to do, he will give you what he has promised. 37 You must do that since a prophet wrote in the Scriptures that God said about the Messiah,

39 But we are not ones who in a cowardly manner stop trusting in God, with the result that God will severely punish us. Instead, we are ones who trust in him, with the result that God will save us [SYN] eternally.