For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.(A) But God found fault with the people and said[a]:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant(B)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors(C)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant(D) I will establish with the people of Israel
    after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
    and write them on their hearts.(E)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(F)
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,(G)
    from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.(H)[b](I)

13 By calling this covenant “new,”(J) he has made the first one obsolete;(K) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.
  2. Hebrews 8:12 Jer. 31:31-34

If there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, there would have been no need for a second one. (A)But God finds fault with his people when he says,

“The days are coming, says the Lord,
    when I will draw up a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors
    on the day I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt.
They were not faithful to the covenant I made with them,
    and so I paid no attention to them.
10 Now, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel
    in the days to come, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
    and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
11 None of them will have to teach their friends
    or tell their neighbors,
    ‘Know the Lord.’
For they will all know me,
    from the least to the greatest.
12 I will forgive their sins
    and will no longer remember their wrongs.”

13 By speaking of a new covenant, God has made the first one old; and anything that becomes old and worn out will soon disappear.

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If the first covenant had been without fault, it wouldn’t have made sense to expect a second. But God did find fault with them, since he says,

Look, the days are coming, says the Lord,
        when I will make a covenant with the house of Israel,
        and I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors
    on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
        because they did not continue to keep my covenant,
        and I lost interest in them, says the Lord.
10 This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
        after those days, says the Lord.
I will place my laws in their minds,
        and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
11     And each person won’t ever teach a neighbor
    or their brother or sister, saying,Know the Lord,
        because they will all know me,
            from the least important of them to the most important;
12         because I will be lenient toward their unjust actions,
            and I won’t remember their sins anymore.[a]

13 When it says new, it makes the first obsolete. And if something is old and outdated, it’s close to disappearing.

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For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

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