Hebrews 10 - New Century Version (NCV)

10 The law is only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future; it is not the real thing. The people under the law offer the same sacrifices every year, but these sacrifices can never make perfect those who come near to worship God. 2 If the law could make them perfect, the sacrifices would have already stopped. The worshipers would be made clean, and they would no longer have a sense of sin. 3 But these sacrifices remind them of their sins every year, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 So when Christ came into the world, he said:

“You do not want sacrifices and offerings,
but you have prepared a body for me.
6 You do not ask for burnt offerings
and offerings to take away sins.
7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come.
It is written about me in the book.
God, I have come to do what you want.’” Psalm 40:6–8

8 In this Scripture he first said, “You do not want sacrifices and offerings. You do not ask for burnt offerings and offerings to take away sins.” (These are all sacrifices that the law commands.) 9 Then he said, “Look, I have come to do what you want.” God ends the first system of sacrifices so he can set up the new system. 10 And because of this, we are made holy through the sacrifice Christ made in his body once and for all time.

11 Every day the priests stand and do their religious service, often offering the same sacrifices. Those sacrifices can never take away sins. 12 But after Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, forever, he sat down at the right side of God. 13 And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. 14 With one sacrifice he made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

15 The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says:

16 “This is the agreement[a] I will make
with them at that time, says the Lord.
I will put my teachings in their hearts
and write them on their minds.” Jeremiah 31:33

17 Then he says:

“Their sins and the evil things they do—
I will not remember anymore.” Jeremiah 31:34

18 Now when these have been forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice for sins.

Continue to Trust God

19 So, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place without fear because of the blood of Jesus’ death. 20 We can enter through a new and living way that Jesus opened for us. It leads through the curtain—Christ’s body. 21 And since we have a great priest over God’s house, 22 let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.

24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. 25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day[b] coming.

26 If we decide to go on sinning after we have learned the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. 27 There is nothing but fear in waiting for the judgment and the terrible fire that will destroy all those who live against God. 28 Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was found guilty from the proof given by two or three witnesses. He was put to death without mercy. 29 So what do you think should be done to those who do not respect the Son of God, who look at the blood of the agreement that made them holy as no different from others’ blood, who insult the Spirit of God’s grace? Surely they should have a much worse punishment. 30 We know that God said, “I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them.”[c] And he also said, “The Lord will judge his people.”[d] 31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with many sufferings, but you continued strong. 33 Sometimes you were hurt and attacked before crowds of people, and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. 34 You helped the prisoners. You even had joy when all that you owned was taken from you, because you knew you had something better and more lasting.

35 So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. 36 You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. 37 For in a very short time,

“The One who is coming will come
and will not be delayed.
38 Those who are right with me
will live by faith.
But if they turn back with fear,
I will not be pleased with them.” Habakkuk 2:3–4

39 But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved.

Footnotes

  1. 10:16 agreement God gives a contract or agreement to his people. For the Jews, this agreement was the Law of Moses. But now God has given a better agreement to his people through Christ.
  2. 10:25 day The day Christ will come to judge all people and take his people to live with him.
  3. 10:30 “I . . . them.” Quotation from Deuteronomy 32:35.
  4. 10:30 “The Lord . . . people.” Quotation from Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 135:14.

You Might Also Like:

Hebrews 10 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

10 For the law having a shadow of the coming good things -- not the very image of the matters, every year, by the same sacrifices that they offer continually, is never able to make perfect those coming near, 2 since, would they not have ceased to be offered, because of those serving having no more c...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

10 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not that image of things, may never make men approaching perfect by those same sacrifices, which they offer without ceasing by all years; [Forsooth the law having shadow of goods to come, not that image of things, by all years by those same host...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

10 The law can show only a little about the good things that are coming. It cannot show the good things themselves. People come to worship God. But the law can never make them all right by the same sacrifices that are brought every year. 2 If the law could make people all right, they would stop maki...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - World English Bible (WEB)

10 For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Or else wouldn’t they have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having been once cleanse...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - The Voice (VOICE)

He who embodied the sins of the world carries His own blood into the holy presence.10 We have seen how the law is simply a shadow of the good things to come. Since it is not the perfect form of these ultimate realities, the offering year after year of these imperfect sacrifices cannot bring perfecti...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Perfect Pardon in the New Covenant10 The Torah has a shadow of the good things to come—not the form itself of the realities. For this reason it can never, by means of the same sacrifices they offer constantly year after year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All10 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near.[a] 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceas...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All10 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased ...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - Revised Geneva Translation (RGT)

10 For the law, having the shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never - with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually - sanctify those who come to it. 2 For would they not, then, have ceased to have been offered, because those who offer (once purg...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New Testament for Everyone (NTE)

The Stopping of the Sacrifices10 The law, you see, possesses a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the actual form of the things themselves. Thus it is unable to make worshippers perfect through the annual round of the same sacrifices which are continually being offered. 2 If the worship...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All10 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it[a] can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased being...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All10 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it[a] can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach.(A)2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased bein...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New Matthew Bible (NMB)

The old law has no power to cleanse away sin, but Christ did it with the offering of his body once and for all. An exhortation to receive this goodness of God thankfully, with patience and steadfast faith. 10 For the law, which has but the shadow of good things to come, and not the real things thems...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All10 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing ...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New Life Version (NLV)

In the Old Way of Worship Many Gifts Were Given10 The Law is like a picture of the good things to come. The Jewish religious leaders gave gifts on the altar in worship to God all the time year after year. Those gifts could not make the people who came to worship perfect. 2 If those gifts given to G...
Read More

Hebrews 10 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Animal Sacrifices Insufficient10 For the law, having a (A)shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, (B)can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered...
Read More