Jesus Our High Priest

Therefore, (A)holy brothers and sisters, partakers of a (B)heavenly calling, consider (C)the Apostle and (D)High Priest of our (E)confession: Jesus; [a]He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (F)Moses also was in all His house. (G)For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now (H)Moses was faithful in all [b]God’s house as (I)a servant, (J)for a testimony of those things (K)which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as (L)a Son over His house—(M)whose house we are, (N)if we hold firmly to our (O)confidence and the boast of our [c](P)hope.

Therefore, just as (Q)the Holy Spirit says,

(R)Today if you hear His voice,
(S)Do not harden your hearts as [d]when they provoked Me,
As on the day of trial in the wilderness,
(T)Where your fathers put Me to the test,
And saw My works for (U)forty years.
10 (V)Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 (W)As I swore in My anger,
They certainly shall not enter My rest.’”

The Danger of Unbelief

12 (X)Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart [e]that falls away from (Y)the living God. 13 But (Z)encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the (AA)deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ (AB)if we keep the beginning of our [f](AC)commitment firm until the end, 15 while it is said,

(AD)Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as [g]when they provoked Me.”

16 For who (AE)provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, (AF)did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (AG)whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear (AH)that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were (AI)disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of (AJ)unbelief.

The Believer’s Rest

Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have (AK)come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but (AL)the word [h]they heard did not benefit them, because [i]they were not united with those who listened with faith. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

(AM)As I swore in My anger,
They certainly shall not enter My rest,”

although His works were finished (AN)from the foundation of the world. For He has said (AO)somewhere concerning the seventh day: “(AP)And God (AQ)rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “(AR)They certainly shall not enter My rest.” Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who previously had good news preached to them failed to enter because of (AS)disobedience, He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying [j]through David after so long a time just (AT)as has been said before,

(AU)Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

For (AV)if [k]Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also (AW)rested from his works, as (AX)God did from His. 11 Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same (AY)example of (AZ)disobedience. 12 For (BA)the word of God is (BB)living and (BC)active, and sharper than any two-edged (BD)sword, even penetrating as far as the division of (BE)soul and (BF)spirit, of both joints and marrow, and (BG)able to [l]judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And (BH)there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are (BI)open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom [m]we must answer.

14 Therefore, since we have a great (BJ)high priest who has (BK)passed through the heavens, Jesus (BL)the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our (BM)confession. 15 For we do not have (BN)a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been (BO)tempted in all things just as we are, yet (BP)without sin. 16 Therefore let’s (BQ)approach the throne of grace with (BR)confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:2 Lit being faithful
  2. Hebrews 3:5 Lit His
  3. Hebrews 3:6 One early ms adds firm until the end
  4. Hebrews 3:8 Lit in the provocation
  5. Hebrews 3:12 Or that leaves the; lit in falling away from
  6. Hebrews 3:14 Or assurance
  7. Hebrews 3:15 Lit in the rebellion
  8. Hebrews 4:2 Lit of hearing
  9. Hebrews 4:2 One early ms it was not united with faith in those who heard
  10. Hebrews 4:7 Or in
  11. Hebrews 4:8 Gr Jesus
  12. Hebrews 4:12 Or discern
  13. Hebrews 4:13 Lit is our word

The Son Was Faithful

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (A)Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as (B)He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but (C)He who built all things is God. (D)And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as (E)a servant, (F)for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as (G)a Son over His own house, (H)whose house we are (I)if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope [a]firm to the end.

Be Faithful(J)

Therefore, as (K)the Holy Spirit says:

(L)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but [b]exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

(M)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers

16 (N)For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (O)whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And (P)to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of (Q)unbelief.

The Promise of Rest

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, (R)let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, [c]not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

(S)“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: (T)“And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: (U)“They shall not enter My rest.”

Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

(V)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

For if [d]Joshua had (W)given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

The Word Discovers Our Condition

11 (X)Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is (Y)living and powerful, and (Z)sharper than any (AA)two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is (AB)a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 (AC)And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are (AD)naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Our Compassionate High Priest

14 Seeing then that we have a great (AE)High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, (AF)let us hold fast our confession. 15 For (AG)we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but (AH)was in all points tempted as we are, (AI)yet without sin. 16 (AJ)Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:6 NU omits firm to the end
  2. Hebrews 3:13 encourage
  3. Hebrews 4:2 NU, M since they were not united by faith with those who heeded it
  4. Hebrews 4:8 Gr. Jesus, same as Heb. Joshua

The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (A)Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the (B)garments and (C)the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread, and assemble all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting.” So Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting, Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded us to do.”

Then (D)Moses had Aaron and his sons come near, and he (E)washed them with water. Then he (F)put the tunic on [a]Aaron and wrapped his waist with the sash, and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him; and he wrapped his waist with the artistic band of the ephod, [b]with which he fitted it to him. He then placed the [c]breastpiece on him, and in the [d]breastpiece he put the [e](G)Urim and the Thummim. He also placed the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its front, he placed (H)the golden plate, the holy crown, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 Moses then took (I)the anointing oil and anointed the [f]tabernacle and everything that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 He also sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to (J)consecrate them. 12 Then he poured some of the (K)anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him. 13 (L)Next Moses had Aaron’s sons come near, and he clothed them with tunics and wrapped their waists with sashes, and bound [g]caps on them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

14 Then he brought (M)the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. 15 Next [h]Moses slaughtered it and took the blood and with his finger (N)put some of it around on the horns of the altar, and purified the altar. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it. 16 He also (O)took all the fat that was on the entrails and the [i]lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat; and Moses offered it up in smoke on the altar. 17 (P)But the bull and its hide, its flesh, and its refuse he burned in the fire outside the camp, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

18 Then he presented (Q)the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19 And [j]Moses slaughtered it and sprinkled the blood around on the altar. 20 When he had cut the ram into its pieces, Moses (R)offered up the head and the pieces and the suet in smoke. 21 After he had washed the entrails and the legs with water, Moses (S)offered up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

22 Then he presented the second ram, (T)the ram of [k]ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23 [l]And Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and (U)put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 He also had Aaron’s sons come near; and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. Moses then (V)sprinkled the rest of the blood around on the altar. 25 He then took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the entrails, and the [m]lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh. 26 And (W)from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer, and placed them on the portions of fat and on the right thigh. 27 He then (X)put all these on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons, and presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. 28 Then Moses (Y)took them from their hands and offered them up in smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. They were an ordination offering for (Z)a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to the Lord. 29 Moses also took (AA)the breast and presented it as a wave offering before the Lord; it was (AB)Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 So Moses (AC)took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.

31 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “(AD)Boil the flesh at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and eat it there together with the bread which is in the basket of the ordination offering, just as I commanded, (AE)saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 And (AF)the remainder of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn in the fire. 33 And (AG)you shall not go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day that the period of your ordination is fulfilled; for he will [n]ordain you through seven days. 34 The Lord has commanded us to do as has been done this day, to make atonement on your behalf. 35 At the doorway of the tent of meeting, moreover, you shall remain day and night for seven days and (AH)fulfill your duty to the Lord, so that you will not die; for so I have been commanded.” 36 Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 8:7 Lit him
  2. Leviticus 8:7 Lit and with it
  3. Leviticus 8:8 Or breast pouch
  4. Leviticus 8:8 Or breast pouch
  5. Leviticus 8:8 Meanings of Urim and Thummim uncertain
  6. Leviticus 8:10 Or dwelling place
  7. Leviticus 8:13 Lit headgear
  8. Leviticus 8:15 Lit he slaughtered it and Moses took
  9. Leviticus 8:16 Or appendage on
  10. Leviticus 8:19 Lit He slaughtered it and Moses sprinkled
  11. Leviticus 8:22 Lit filling, and so throughout the ch
  12. Leviticus 8:23 Lit He slaughtered it and Moses took
  13. Leviticus 8:25 Or appendage on
  14. Leviticus 8:33 Lit fill your hands

Aaron and His Sons Consecrated(A)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: (B)“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and (C)the garments, (D)the anointing oil, a (E)bull as the sin offering, two (F)rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.”

So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord commanded to be done.”

Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and (G)washed them with water. And he (H)put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him. Then he put the breastplate on him, and he (I)put the [a]Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. (J)And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 (K)Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to [b]consecrate them. 12 And he (L)poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

13 (M)Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put tunics on them, girded them with sashes, and put [c]hats on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

14 (N)And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons (O)laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering, 15 and Moses killed it. (P)Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make [d]atonement for it. 16 (Q)Then he took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. 17 But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord (R)had commanded Moses.

18 (S)Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 19 and Moses killed it. Then he sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses (T)burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 Then he washed the entrails and the legs in water. And Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a [e]sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord, (U)as the Lord had commanded Moses.

22 And (V)he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of (W)its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the (X)blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 25 (Y)Then he took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; 26 (Z)and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these (AA)in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord. 28 (AB)Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the Lord. 29 And (AC)Moses took the (AD)breast and waved it as a wave offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ (AE)part of the ram of consecration, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 Then (AF)Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.

31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, (AG)“Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 (AH)What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire. 33 And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For (AI)seven days he shall consecrate you. 34 (AJ)As he has done this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35 Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and (AK)keep the [f]charge of the Lord, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.” 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 8:8 Lit. Lights and the Perfections, Ex. 28:30
  2. Leviticus 8:11 set them apart for the Lord
  3. Leviticus 8:13 headpieces
  4. Leviticus 8:15 Lit. covering
  5. Leviticus 8:21 pleasing
  6. Leviticus 8:35 office