Hebrews 8:8 - An Understandable Version (2005 edition)
8 For God found fault with the Israelites [or, possibly with the first Agreement], saying [Jer. 31:31ff], “Look, the Lord says, the time will come when I will make a New Agreement with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
8 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:
8 However, He finds fault with them [showing its inadequacy] when He says, Behold, the days will come, says the Lord, when I will make and ratify a new covenant or agreement with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
8 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. ”
8 For, finding fault with them, he says: "Behold, the days shall arrive, says the Lord, when I will consummate a New Testament over the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
and to Jesus, the Mediator of a New Agreement [between God and mankind], and to the sprinkled blood [of Jesus], which says better things [to us] than [the blood of] Abel did. [Note: The contrast seems to be that Abel’s blood called for vengeance and death (See Gen. 4:10) whereas the blood of Christ provides mercy and life].
Therefore, Christ is the Mediator of a New Agreement, so that [all] those people who have been called [by God] can receive the promise of the never ending inheritance. [This is possible because] a death has taken place for the redemption of [people’s] sins who lived under the first Agreement.
He has also made us competent as ministers of a New Agreement [i.e., between Himself and mankind]. It is not [an agreement] based [merely] on a written document [i.e., such as the Law of Moses], but on the Holy Spirit, for the written document brings [spiritual] death [See Rom. 8:2], but the Holy Spirit brings [never ending] life.
In the same way [He took] the cup also, after supper, and said, “This cup [i.e., its contents] represents the New Agreement [ratified] by my blood. [Continue to] do this, whenever you people drink from it, in memory of me.”
And in the same way He took [another] cup, after the [Passover] meal, and said, “This cup is [i.e., represents] the New Agreement [i.e., between God and mankind] made by my blood, which is [to be] poured out for you.
And He said to them, “This is [i.e., represents] my blood of the Agreement [i.e., between God and mankind] which is [to be] poured out for many people.
Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of man [i.e., the time when the Messiah would deliver His people from tribulation], but you will not see it [i.e., such deliverance would not occur during their lifetimes].
for this is [i.e., represents] my blood of the Agreement [i.e., between God and mankind], which is [to be] poured out for many people in order for [their] sins to be forgiven.
But now Jesus has obtained a ministry that is as far superior [to that of the Levitical priesthood] as the [New] Agreement, of which He is the Mediator, is better [than the old one], because it has been enacted on better promises.
[So], by saying “a New Agreement,” God has made the first one obsolete. And that which is becoming obsolete and getting aged is ready to [completely] disappear.