18-22 Even the first plan required a death to set it in motion. After Moses had read out all the terms of the plan of the law—God’s “will”—he took the blood of sacrificed animals and, in a solemn ritual, sprinkled the document and the people who were its beneficiaries. And then he attested its validity with the words, “This is the blood of the covenant commanded by God.” He did the same thing with the place of worship and its furniture. Moses said to the people, “This is the blood of the covenant God has established with you.” Practically everything in a will hinges on a death. That’s why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, especially regarding forgiveness of sins.

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18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.(A) 19 When Moses had proclaimed(B) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,(C) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.(D) 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[a](E)

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 9:20 Exodus 24:8