21In the same way, he sprinkled the sacred lodge tent and all the ceremonial objects with blood. 22So then, according to our tribal law, almost all things need to be washed clean with blood, and unless lifeblood has been poured out in death there is no being set free from broken ways. 23If the earthly copies of what is in the spirit-world above needed purification in this way, then better offerings are needed to purify the things in the spirit-world above.
HE REPRESENTS US
24For the Chosen One did not go into a Holy Place made with human hands—an earthly copy of the true Holy Place. He went into the spirit-world above, where he now represents us before the Great Spirit. 25He did not go in to offer himself again and again like the chief holy man who every year goes into the earthly Holy Place with lifeblood that is not his own. 26For then, from the time when the world was formed, he would have had to suffer over and over again. But now, at the fullness of the ages, he appeared to bring an end to broken ways by performing the once-for-all-time ceremony when he offered himself.
27Human beings die once, and then they must stand before the one who decides what they have done right and what they have done wrong. 28So the Chosen One also died once when he took on himself the bad hearts and broken ways of many people. He will appear a second time, not to die for broken ways but to set free and make whole all who keep their eyes wide open as they wait for him.
A DIM SHADOW
1Our tribal law is only a dim shadow of the good things to come, not the things themselves. The ceremonial sacrifices and offerings required by our law are repeated over and over again year after year. These ceremonies cannot fully set free and make whole those who draw near to the Great Spirit. 2If they could, would they not have stopped offering them? For once the ceremonies had been performed, the people would be purified in their hearts and minds, and no longer feel the guilt of their broken ways.
3But these yearly ceremonies keep reminding the people that their bad hearts and broken ways have not been fully purified. 4For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away bad hearts and broken ways.
NO MORE SACRIFICES
5So then, when the Chosen One came into this world, he said, “O Great Spirit, sacrifice and offering is not what you want, but you have given me a human body to bring an end to these sacrifices once and for all. 6Burnt animal sacrifices and other offerings for broken ways do not make your heart glad.” 7Then the Chosen One said, “In the Sacred Book, it has been written about me. ‘Behold! I have come to do what you want done, O Great Spirit.’”
8First, the Chosen One said that “the Great Spirit does not want sacrifices and offerings, nor is he pleased with them,” even though they are required by our tribal law. 9Then he said, “Behold, I have come to do what you, the Great Spirit, wants done.” This means that he has taken away the first peace treaty with its law of sacrifices and offerings to put in its place the second. 10The Chosen One did what Creator wanted when he made us holy by offering his body once for all time.
11Under our tribal law holy men keep performing the same ceremonies day after day and making the same sacrifices over and over again. Those sacrifices can never take away bad hearts and broken ways.
12But the Chosen One, after performing the once-for-all-time ceremony to heal our broken ways, sat down at Creator’s right hand—the place of greatest honor. 13He now rules from there and waits until all his enemies have been defeated and humbled.27 14For by this one offering he has for all time completely set free the ones he is making holy.
15The Holy Spirit tells us the same truth. First, he says, 16“‘This is the peace treaty I will make with them in the coming days,’ says the Great Spirit Chief. ‘I will carve my laws on their hearts and plant them into their minds.’”28
17Then he says, “And their broken ways and wrongdoings I will remember no more.”29
18Now when broken ways and wrongdoings have been forgiven like this, there is no longer any need for further offerings.
A NEW AND LIVING WAY
19So then, my sacred family members, since Creator Sets Free (Jesus) has offered his own lifeblood in this way, this gives us the courage to walk boldly into the Most Holy Place. 20He has made a new and living way for us to pass through the blanket—that is, his human body—to go into the Most Holy Place.
21Since we have such a great chief holy man, who is headman of Creator’s family lodge, 22let us draw near with honest hearts, trusting fully in what the Chosen One has done. For our hearts have been washed clean from guilt and shame and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us get a firm and steady hold on this hope we say is ours, for the one who made the promise to us can be fully trusted.
24We should think about how to stir each other up toward love and doing good. 25To do this, we must never give up on gathering together, as some have. Instead, we should encourage each other, and all the more as you see the day of his appearing coming near.
26For if we keep stubbornly walking in broken ways after the truth has been made clear to us, then no further sacrifice can be made for our broken ways. 27All that remains is to wait for the fiery judgment that will burn up all who are hostile to Creator’s right ways.
28Under the law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses), anyone who set aside that law was put to death without pity on the word of two or three witnesses. 29How much worse punishment do you think is deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of the Great Spirit, who treats the lifeblood of the peace treaty that makes us holy as having no value, and treats with disrespect the Spirit who gives us the gift of his great kindness?
30For we know Creator has said, “Punishment for wrongs belongs to me. I will make sure that wrongs are made right again.”30 And the Sacred Teachings have also said, “The Great Spirit Chief will decide for all his people who has done right and who has done wrong.”31 31It is a fearful thing to come before the living Creator to give an answer for the wrongs we have done.
KEEP WALKING FORWARD
32Remember those early days when you first started walking in the light of the good story. You kept walking the road even when the way forward was a struggle filled with pain and suffering. 33At times the path was hard to walk, as you faced open shame and insults. At other times you walked side by side with those who were being mistreated. 34You shared in the pain of those who were in prison. When your own possessions were stolen, you accepted it with glad hearts, knowing that you have been given better possessions that will never fade away.
35So keep your hearts from falling to the ground. Hold your heads high. For a great honor awaits you at the end of the trail. 36All you need is to keep walking with firm steps, doing what Creator wants. He will make sure you receive all that he has promised.
37For the Sacred Teachings tell us, “It will not be long until the Coming One arrives. He will be here soon! 38Until then the ones who are in good standing with Creator will walk the road of life by trusting in him. But he will not be pleased with any who turn back.”32
39We are not the ones who turn back and lose their way, but we are the ones whose whole beings are kept safe and made whole by trusting in him.
BRAVE ONES WHO TRUSTED CREATOR
1Trusting Creator is the solid ground our hope rests on. It means we can be sure of the things we do not yet see. 2For it was this kind of trusting that brought honor to our tribal ancestors. 3By trusting, we understand that the Great Spirit, by his voice, created all that we can see. By trusting we understand that the things we see were brought into being by that which we cannot see.
4Because he trusted Creator, His Breath Goes Up (Abel) offered a ceremonial gift that was more acceptable to the Great Spirit than the offering of Spear Maker (Cain).33 Because he trusted, Creator was pleased with his gift, which gave him the reputation of being in good standing. So because he trusted, his voice still speaks to us today, even though he died long ago.
5Because he trusted the Great Spirit, Walks with Creator (Enoch) did not die. No one could find him becaus
e Creator took him.34 Before he was taken, he had the reputation of one who makes Creator’s heart glad. 6For no one can make Creator’s heart glad without trusting him. So then, those who draw near to the Great Spirit must believe that he is and that he honors all who truly seek him.
7Because he trusted the One Above Us All, One Who Rests (Noah) took to heart the warning given to him by the Great Spirit and made a great wooden canoe for the safety of his family. By trusting he showed the world how terrible their ways had become. By trusting he took his place among those who, by trusting, share in the blessing of good standing with Creator.
8Because he trusted the Great Mystery, Father of Many Nations (Abraham) left his homeland to go to another land that was promised to him and his descendants. He followed the voice of the Great Spirit even though he was going to a land he had never been before. 9By trusting in this way, he lived in the Land of Promise as a stranger in a strange land. Father of Many Nations (Abraham) settled his family in tents, along with his sons, He Made Us Laugh (Isaac) and Heel Grabber (Jacob), who would share with him in the same promise. 10There he waited, for he was looking for a village that would remain—one built on solid ground. A village whose maker and builder is the Great Spirit.
11Because he trusted the Maker of Life, Father of Many Nations (Abraham) was able to father a child, even though his wife Noble Woman (Sarah) was barren and they were both too old. For they were sure the Great Spirit could be trusted to keep the promise he made to them. 12So from this one man, his body as good as dead, many descendants were born, as many as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
LONGING FOR A BETTER LAND
13Every one of these people died still trusting in Creator. Even though they did not receive all that had been promised, they took the promises to heart and welcomed them from afar. They said of themselves, “We are strangers and wanderers on the land.” 14People who say things like this make it clear that they are looking for a land of their own. 15If they had been longing for the land from which they had come, they could have returned. 16But they are longing for a better land—one from the spirit-world above. That is why Creator is not ashamed to be called their Great Spirit and has prepared for them a village to live in.
MORE EXAMPLES OF TRUSTING
17-18Because he trusted the Giver of Breath, Father of Many Nations (Abraham), when he was tested by the Great Spirit, offered up He Made Us Laugh (Isaac) as a ceremonial sacrifice. For Creator had promised him, “It is through He Made Us Laugh (Isaac) that your descendants will be born.” But there he was, ready to offer up his only son! 19For he was sure that Creator had the power to raise him up, even from the dead. So in a spiritual way of thinking, he did receive He Made Us Laugh (Isaac) back from the dead.
20Because he trusted the Most Holy One, He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), when he spoke the family blessing over Heel Grabber (Jacob) and his brother Hairy Man (Esau), told them about things to come.
21Because he trusted the Great Spirit, Heel Grabber (Jacob), at the end of his days, blessed each of the sons of Creator Gives More (Joseph) as he leaned on his walking stick and humbled himself before Creator.
22Because he trusted the One Above Us All, Creator Gives More (Joseph), at the end of his days, spoke of the time when the children of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) would go out from Black Land (Egypt), and he gave instructions about where to bury his bones.
23Because his parents trusted the Great Mystery, they hid Drawn from the Water (Moses) for three moons. They saw Creator’s beauty in the child and did not fear the instructions of the ruler of Black Land (Egypt).
24Because he trusted the Maker of Life, Drawn from the Water (Moses), as a full-grown man, refused to be called the son of the daughter of Great House (Pharaoh), the ruler of Black Land (Egypt). 25He chose to suffer with Creator’s people, rather than finding joy in the passing pleasures of the broken ways of Black Land (Egypt). 26He knew that the honor he would receive by suffering with the Chosen One was greater than all the treasures of Black Land (Egypt), because he kept his eyes on the honor that was to be his. 27By trusting he left Black Land (Egypt) without fear of its ruler. He kept walking forward, keeping his eyes on the one who cannot be seen.
28Because he trusted the Giver of Breath, Drawn from the Water (Moses) participated in the first Passover while he was still in Black Land (Egypt) when the blood of a lamb was sprinkled on the doorposts. This is how the firstborn sons of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) were not killed by the spirit-messenger of death.35 29By trusting Creator, the people walked through the Red Sea as if they were on dry land. But when the soldiers of Black Land (Egypt) tried to cross, they were swallowed up by the sea.36
30Because the people trusted the Great Spirit, they walked around Moon Village (Jericho) for seven days, and the walls fell to the ground. 31Boastful Woman (Rahab), who lived in Moon Village (Jericho), made her living by trading her body for possessions. But because she trusted and welcomed the spies with peace, she did not die with the ones who refused to obey Creator.
SO MANY BRAVE ONES TO HONOR
32If I had more time, I would tell you about He Tears Down (Gideon), Lightning Flashing Across the Sky (Barak), Strength of the Sun (Samson), and He Breaks Out (Jephthah). I would also tell the stories of Chief Much Loved One (David), of Creator Hears Him (Samuel), and the prophets. 33Because men such as these trusted the Great Spirit, they won the victory over nations, made wrongs right again, took hold of promises, and closed the mouths of mountain lions. 34They defeated the power of fire and escaped the long knives of their enemies. The weak were made strong and became great warriors who drove their enemies away. 35Women received their loved ones back from the dead.
Others were tortured, refusing to be set free, knowing they would be honored when the dead are raised. 36Some were insulted and mocked, whipped with leather straps, or chained and thrown into prison. 37Some were killed with rocks. Others were cut in two. Others faced temptation. And some were cut down by long knives. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, hunted down, mistreated, and in need of many things. 38They roamed aimlessly through deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground. The world is not worthy of people like this.
CREATOR PROVIDED SOMETHING BETTER
39Even though these faithful ones have been honored for showing what it means to trust Creator, they did not receive all that was promised. 40But the Great Spirit has provided something better for us who live in these last days. So now those who came before us can finally see Creator’s promise come to its full meaning and purpose. For without us they would not be complete in the Chosen One.
A GREAT CLOUD OF TRUTH TELLERS
1We are surrounded by a great cloud of truth tellers who have shown us what it means to trust the Great Spirit. So let us lay to the side everything that weighs us down and the broken ways that so easily wrap around our legs to trip us. And let us run as if we are in a long-distance race, setting a steady pace and heading toward the goal.
2This means we must keep our eyes on Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the trailblazer of our spiritual ways,37 the one who was first to reach the end of the trail. The joy that lay before him gave him the strength to suffer on the cross and willingly bear its shame. He now sits at Creator’s right hand in the place of greatest honor.
3If you will keep your thoughts on how much hostility Creator Sets Free (Jesus) endured from those with bad hearts and broken ways, it will keep you from growing weary and your hearts from falling to the ground. 4For in your struggle against bad hearts and broken ways you have not yet had to face your own blood being shed.
THE DISCIPLINE OF THE GREAT SPIRIT
5Have you forgotten the wise counsel in our Sacred Teachings that speaks to you as mature sons and daughters? “Do not treat lightly the wise counsel of the Great Spirit Chief or let your heart fall to the ground when he shows you where you have gone wrong. 6For he brings correction to the ones he loves and disciplines every child he takes
into his family.”38 7So accept difficult times as the loving discipline of a parent, for Creator is treating you as one of his children. Are not all children disciplined by their fathers? 8But if you never receive the discipline that all take part in, it means you are not truly his children and not part of the family.
9When our earthly fathers disciplined us, we respected them for it. So how much more should we accept and respect Creator’s discipline, for he is our spiritual Father and the one who gives us the life of beauty and harmony! 10For a short time, our earthly fathers disciplined us as they saw best, but the Great Spirit disciplines us for our own good, so we can be holy like him.
11Now, all discipline at the time seems to create more sorrow than joy. But for those who have learned its worth, it grows into a life of peace and doing what is right. 12So lift up your arms that hang down and begin using your weak knees. 13Make the path you walk straight, so that those with weak knees may not stumble from the path but instead be healed.
WALK IN PEACE WITH EVERYONE
14Live in a sacred way by walking the road of peace with all people, for those who fail to walk in this way will not see our Honored Chief. 15See to it that no one among you misses out on the gift of Creator’s great kindness and that no bitter root springs up among you, making trouble and poisoning many hearts. 16See that no one becomes an impure or unspiritual person like Hairy Man (Esau), who for a single meal traded away his family birthright. 17For you know that later on, he wanted it back. But even though he begged his father with many tears, it was too late to undo what he had done.
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