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Hebrews 3-5
New King James Version
Hebrews 3-5
New King James Version
The Son Was Faithful
3 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (A)Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 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. 4 For every house is built by someone, but (C)He who built all things is God. 5 (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, 6 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)
7 Therefore, as (K)the Holy Spirit says:
(L)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 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
4 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, (R)let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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”; 5 and again in this place: (U)“They shall not enter My rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 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.”
8 For if [d]Joshua had (W)given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 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.
Qualifications for High Priesthood
5 For every high priest taken from among men (AK)is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can [e]have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to (AL)weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for (AM)himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as (AN)Aaron was.
A Priest Forever
5 (AO)So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:
(AP)“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
6 As He also says in another place:
(AQ)“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had (AR)offered up prayers and supplications, (AS)with vehement cries and tears to Him (AT)who was able to save Him from death, and was heard (AU)because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned (AV)obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And (AW)having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest (AX)“according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom (AY)we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become (AZ)dull of hearing.
Spiritual Immaturity
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the [f]oracles of God; and you have come to need (BA)milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is (BB)a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are [g]of full age, that is, those who by reason of [h]use have their senses exercised (BC)to discern both good and evil.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 3:6 NU omits firm to the end
- Hebrews 3:13 encourage
- Hebrews 4:2 NU, M since they were not united by faith with those who heeded it
- Hebrews 4:8 Gr. Jesus, same as Heb. Joshua
- Hebrews 5:2 deal gently with
- Hebrews 5:12 sayings, Scriptures
- Hebrews 5:14 mature
- Hebrews 5:14 practice
Hebrews 3-5
New International Version
Hebrews 3-5
New International Version
Jesus Greater Than Moses
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,(A) who share in the heavenly calling,(B) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge(C) as our apostle and high priest.(D) 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(E) 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,(F) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(G) 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant(H) in all God’s house,”[a](I) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son(J) over God’s house. And we are his house,(K) if indeed we hold firmly(L) to our confidence and the hope(M) in which we glory.
Warning Against Unbelief
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:(N)
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts(O)
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.(P)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(Q)
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (R)”[b](S)
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(T) 13 But encourage one another daily,(U) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(V) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(W) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(X) 15 As has just been said:
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(Z) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(AA) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(AB) if not to those who disobeyed?(AC) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(AD)
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.(AE) 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.[d](AF) 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”[f](AH) 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”(AI)
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,(AJ) 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
8 For if Joshua had given them rest,(AL) God would not have spoken(AM) later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[h](AN) just as God did from his.(AO) 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.(AP)
12 For the word of God(AQ) is alive(AR) and active.(AS) Sharper than any double-edged sword,(AT) it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.(AU) 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.(AV) Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest(AW) who has ascended into heaven,[i](AX) Jesus the Son of God,(AY) let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.(AZ) 15 For we do not have a high priest(BA) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are(BB)—yet he did not sin.(BC) 16 Let us then approach(BD) God’s throne of grace with confidence,(BE) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God,(BF) to offer gifts and sacrifices(BG) for sins.(BH) 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray,(BI) since he himself is subject to weakness.(BJ) 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.(BK) 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.(BL)
5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory(BM) of becoming a high priest.(BN) But God said(BO) to him,
6 And he says in another place,
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions(BS) with fervent cries and tears(BT) to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard(BU) because of his reverent submission.(BV) 8 Son(BW) though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered(BX) 9 and, once made perfect,(BY) he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest(BZ) in the order of Melchizedek.(CA)
Warning Against Falling Away(CB)
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths(CC) of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!(CD) 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,(CE) is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature,(CF) who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.(CG)
Footnotes
- Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
- Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
- Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
- Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith
- Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
- Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
- Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
- Hebrews 4:10 Or labor
- Hebrews 4:14 Greek has gone through the heavens
- Hebrews 5:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 5:6 Psalm 110:4
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.