Hebrews 12:22-24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
22 No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering,(A) 23 and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,[a] and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect,(B) 24 and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently[b] than that of Abel.(C)
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- 12:23 The assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven: this expression may refer to the angels of Hb 12:22, or to the heroes of the Old Testament (see Hb 11), or to the entire assembly of the new covenant.
- 12:24 Speaks more eloquently: the blood of Abel, the first human blood to be shed, is contrasted with that of Jesus. Abel’s blood cried out from the earth for vengeance, but the blood of Jesus has opened the way for everyone, providing cleansing and access to God (Hb 10:19).
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