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The Lord’s Judgment against Israel

10 How prosperous Israel is—
    a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.
But the richer the people get,
    the more pagan altars they build.
The more bountiful their harvests,
    the more beautiful their sacred pillars.
The hearts of the people are fickle;
    they are guilty and must be punished.
The Lord will break down their altars
    and smash their sacred pillars.
Then they will say, “We have no king
    because we didn’t fear the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
    what could he do for us anyway?”
They spout empty words
    and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.
So injustice springs up among them
    like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.

The people of Samaria tremble in fear
    for their calf idol at Beth-aven,[a]
    and they mourn for it.
Though its priests rejoice over it,
    its glory will be stripped away.[b]
This idol will be carted away to Assyria,
    a gift to the great king there.
Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,
    because its people have trusted in this idol.
Samaria and its king will be cut off;
    they will float away like driftwood on an ocean wave.
And the pagan shrines of Aven,[c] the place of Israel’s sin, will crumble.
    Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars.
They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!”
    and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!”

The Lord says, “O Israel, ever since Gibeah,
    there has been only sin and more sin!
You have made no progress whatsoever.
    Was it not right that the wicked men of Gibeah were attacked?
10 Now whenever it fits my plan,
    I will attack you, too.
I will call out the armies of the nations
    to punish you for your multiplied sins.

11 “Israel[d] is like a trained heifer treading out the grain—
    an easy job she loves.
    But I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck.
I will force Judah to pull the plow
    and Israel[e] to break up the hard ground.
12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
    and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
    for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come
    and shower righteousness upon you.’

13 “But you have cultivated wickedness
    and harvested a thriving crop of sins.
You have eaten the fruit of lies—
    trusting in your military might,
believing that great armies
    could make your nation safe.
14 Now the terrors of war
    will rise among your people.
All your fortifications will fall,
    just as when Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel.
Even mothers and children
    were dashed to death there.
15 You will share that fate, Bethel,
    because of your great wickedness.
When the day of judgment dawns,
    the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

The Lord’s Love for Israel

11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,[f]
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.
I myself taught Israel[g] how to walk,
    leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
    that it was I who took care of him.
I led Israel along
    with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
    and I myself stooped to feed him.

“But since my people refuse to return to me,
    they will return to Egypt
    and will be forced to serve Assyria.
War will swirl through their cities;
    their enemies will crash through their gates.
They will destroy them,
    trapping them in their own evil plans.
For my people are determined to desert me.
They call me the Most High,
    but they don’t truly honor me.

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
    How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
    or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
    and my compassion overflows.
No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
    I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
    I am the Holy One living among you,
    and I will not come to destroy.
10 For someday the people will follow me.
    I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
    my people will return trembling from the west.
11 Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt.
    Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria.
And I will bring them home again,”
    says the Lord.

Charges against Israel and Judah

12 [h]Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit,
    but Judah still obeys God
    and is faithful to the Holy One.[i]

12 [j]The people of Israel[k] feed on the wind;
    they chase after the east wind all day long.
They pile up lies and violence;
    they are making an alliance with Assyria
    while sending olive oil to buy support from Egypt.

Now the Lord is bringing charges against Judah.
    He is about to punish Jacob[l] for all his deceitful ways,
    and pay him back for all he has done.
Even in the womb,
    Jacob struggled with his brother;
when he became a man,
    he even fought with God.
Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won.
    He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him.
There at Bethel he met God face to face,
    and God spoke to him[m]
the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,
    the Lord is his name!
So now, come back to your God.
    Act with love and justice,
    and always depend on him.

But no, the people are like crafty merchants
    selling from dishonest scales—
    they love to cheat.
Israel boasts, “I am rich!
    I’ve made a fortune all by myself!
No one has caught me cheating!
    My record is spotless!”

“But I am the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
And I will make you live in tents again,
    as you do each year at the Festival of Shelters.[n]
10 I sent my prophets to warn you
    with many visions and parables.”

11 But the people of Gilead are worthless
    because of their idol worship.
And in Gilgal, too, they sacrifice bulls;
    their altars are lined up like the heaps of stone
    along the edges of a plowed field.
12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram,
    and there he[o] earned a wife by tending sheep.
13 Then by a prophet
    the Lord brought Jacob’s descendants[p] out of Egypt;
and by that prophet
    they were protected.
14 But the people of Israel
    have bitterly provoked the Lord,
so their Lord will now sentence them to death
    in payment for their sins.

Footnotes

  1. 10:5a Beth-aven means “house of wickedness”; it is being used as another name for Bethel, which means “house of God.”
  2. 10:5b Or will be taken away into exile.
  3. 10:8 Aven is a reference to Beth-aven; see 10:5a and the note there.
  4. 10:11a Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.
  5. 10:11b Hebrew Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
  6. 11:2 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads the more they called to him, the farther he moved from them.
  7. 11:3 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 11:8, 9, 12.
  8. 11:12a Verse 11:12 is numbered 12:1 in Hebrew text.
  9. 11:12b Or and Judah is unruly against God, the faithful Holy One. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  10. 12:1a Verses 12:1-14 are numbered 12:2-15 in Hebrew text.
  11. 12:1b Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 12:8, 14.
  12. 12:2 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew word for “deceiver.”
  13. 12:4 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads to us.
  14. 12:9 Hebrew as in the days of your appointed feast.
  15. 12:12 Hebrew Israel. See note on 10:11b.
  16. 12:13 Hebrew brought Israel. See note on 10:11b.

Retribution for Israel’s Sin

10 Israel is a luxuriant (A)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more his fruit,
The more altars he (B)made;
The [a]richer his land,
The better [b]he made the (C)memorial stones.
Their heart is [c](D)deceitful;
Now they must suffer for their (E)guilt.
[d]The Lord will (F)break down their altars
And destroy their memorial stones.

Certainly now they will say, “We have (G)no king,
For we do not revere the Lord.
As for the king, what can he do for us?”
They speak mere words,
[e]With (H)worthless oaths they make covenants;
And (I)judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
The inhabitants of Samaria will fear
For the [f](J)calf of (K)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its (L)idolatrous priests [g]will cry out over it,
Over its (M)glory, since it has left it.
The thing itself will be brought to (N)Assyria
As a gift of tribute to [h](O)King Jareb;
Ephraim will [i]be (P)seized with shame,
And Israel will be ashamed of its (Q)own plan.
Samaria will be (R)destroyed with her king,
Like a twig on the surface of the water.
Also the (S)high places of Aven, the (T)sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
(U)Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars;
Then they will (V)say to the mountains,
“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”
Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel;
There they stand!
Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?
10 When it is My (W)desire, I will [j](X)discipline them;
And (Y)the peoples will be gathered against them
When they are bound for their double guilt.

11 Ephraim is a trained (Z)heifer that loves to thresh,
[k]And I (AA)passed over her lovely neck;
I will harness Ephraim,
Judah will plow, Jacob will [l]harrow for himself.
12 (AB)Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness;
Harvest in accordance with [m]kindness.
(AC)Break up your uncultivated ground,
For it is time to (AD)seek the Lord
Until He (AE)comes and (AF)rains righteousness on you.
13 You have (AG)plowed wickedness, you have harvested injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of (AH)lies.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your (AI)many warriors,
14 An uproar will arise among your people,
And all your (AJ)fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When (AK)mothers were [n]slaughtered with their children.
15 So it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

God Yearns over His People

11 When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And (AL)out of Egypt I (AM)called My son.
The more [o](AN)they called them,
The more they went away from [p]them;
They kept (AO)sacrificing to the Baals
And (AP)burning incense to idols.
Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
[q]I (AQ)took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I (AR)healed them.
I (AS)pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love,
And (AT)I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and (AU)fed them.

[r]They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyria—he will be [s]their king
Because they (AV)refused to return to Me.
And the (AW)sword will whirl against [t]their cities,
And will destroy [u]their oracle priests
And (AX)consume them, because of their (AY)counsels.
So My people are determined to (AZ)turn from Me.
Though [v]they call [w]them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.

(BA)How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I [x]make you like (BB)Admah?
How can I treat you like (BC)Zeboiim?
My heart is turned over within Me,
[y]All My compassions are kindled.
I will (BD)not carry out My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim (BE)again.
For (BF)I am God and not a man, the (BG)Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in [z]wrath.
10 They will (BH)walk after the Lord,
He will (BI)roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar,
And His sons will come (BJ)trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from (BK)Egypt,
And like (BL)doves from the land of (BM)Assyria;
And I will (BN)settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.

12 [aa]Ephraim surrounds Me with (BO)lies
And the house of Israel with deceit;
[ab]Judah is still unruly against God,
Even against the Holy One who is faithful.

Ephraim Reminded

12 [ac]Ephraim feeds on (BP)wind,
And pursues the (BQ)east wind continually;
He multiplies lies and violence.
Moreover, [ad]he makes a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is brought to Egypt.
The Lord also has a (BR)case against Judah,
And will punish Jacob (BS)according to his ways;
He will repay him according to his deeds.
In the womb he (BT)took his brother by the heel,
And in his mature strength he (BU)contended with God.
Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and (BV)implored His favor.
He found Him at (BW)Bethel,
And there He spoke with us,
And the Lord, the God of armies,
The Lord is His [ae](BX)name.
So as for you, (BY)return to your God,
(BZ)Maintain [af]kindness and justice,
And (CA)wait for your God continually.
A [ag]merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent (CB)balances,
Loves to exploit.
And Ephraim said, “I have certainly become (CC)rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
(CD)No wrongdoing, which would be sin.”
But I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt;
I will make you (CE)live in tents again,
As in the days of the appointed festival.
10 I have also spoken to the (CF)prophets,
And I [ah]provided many visions,
And through the prophets I spoke in (CG)parables.
11 Is there injustice in Gilead?
Certainly they are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
Yes, (CH)their altars are like stone heaps
Beside the furrows of a field.

12 Now (CI)Jacob fled to the [ai]land of Aram,
And (CJ)Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13 But by a (CK)prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was protected.
14 (CL)Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his (CM)guilt for bloodshed on him
And bring his (CN)disgrace back to him.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 10:1 Lit better
  2. Hosea 10:1 Lit they
  3. Hosea 10:2 Lit slippery; or divided
  4. Hosea 10:2 Lit He
  5. Hosea 10:4 Or Swearing falsely in making a covenant
  6. Hosea 10:5 As in some ancient versions; MT calves
  7. Hosea 10:5 Or who used to rejoice over
  8. Hosea 10:6 Another reading is the great king; or the contentious king
  9. Hosea 10:6 Lit receive shame
  10. Hosea 10:10 Or instruct
  11. Hosea 10:11 Or But I put a yoke on her lovely
  12. Hosea 10:11 I.e., pull a harrow, a farming device
  13. Hosea 10:12 Or loyalty
  14. Hosea 10:14 Lit shattered
  15. Hosea 11:2 I.e., God’s prophets
  16. Hosea 11:2 I.e., God’s prophets
  17. Hosea 11:3 As in ancient versions; MT He...His
  18. Hosea 11:5 Lit He
  19. Hosea 11:5 Lit his
  20. Hosea 11:6 Lit his
  21. Hosea 11:6 Lit his
  22. Hosea 11:7 I.e., God’s prophets
  23. Hosea 11:7 Lit him; i.e., Israel
  24. Hosea 11:8 Lit give
  25. Hosea 11:8 Lit Together
  26. Hosea 11:9 Lit agitation
  27. Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Heb
  28. Hosea 11:12 Or But Judah still goes about with God, even with
  29. Hosea 12:1 Ch 12:2 in Heb
  30. Hosea 12:1 Lit they make
  31. Hosea 12:5 Lit invocation
  32. Hosea 12:6 Or loyalty
  33. Hosea 12:7 Or Canaanite
  34. Hosea 12:10 Lit multiplied the vision
  35. Hosea 12:12 Lit field

Book three (Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those whose hearts are pure.
But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
    My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
For I envied the proud
    when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
They seem to live such painless lives;
    their bodies are so healthy and strong.
They don’t have troubles like other people;
    they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
    and clothe themselves with cruelty.
These fat cats have everything
    their hearts could ever wish for!
They scoff and speak only evil;
    in their pride they seek to crush others.
They boast against the very heavens,
    and their words strut throughout the earth.
10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,
    drinking in all their words.
11 “What does God know?” they ask.
    “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
12 Look at these wicked people—
    enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
    Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
    every morning brings me pain.

15 If I had really spoken this way to others,
    I would have been a traitor to your people.
16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
    But what a difficult task it is!
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
    and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
    and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
    you will laugh at their silly ideas
    as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
    and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
    I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
    you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.

27 Those who desert him will perish,
    for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
    and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

BOOK 3

The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 God certainly is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
They are (F)not [c]in trouble like other people,
Nor are they (G)tormented together with the rest of mankind.
Therefore arrogance is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
Their eye [d]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
They (K)mock and [e]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
They have (M)set their mouth [f]against the heavens,
And their tongue [g]parades through the earth.

10 Therefore [h]his people return here,
And (N)abundant waters are drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [i]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long,
And [k](U)punished every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)thought of understanding this,
It was [l]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I entered the [m](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 You indeed put them on (Z)slippery ground;
You dropped them into [n](AA)ruin.
19 How they are [o](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
Lord, when (AE)stirred, You will (AF)despise their image.

21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [p]within,
22 Then I was (AI)stupid and ignorant;
I was like an (AJ)animal [q]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will (AL)guide me with Your plan,
And afterward (AM)receive me [r]to glory.

25 (AN)Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [s]strength of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have destroyed all those who [t](AS)are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord [u]God my (AU)refuge,
So that I may (AV)tell of all Your works.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:2 Lit were caused to slip
  2. Psalm 73:3 Or boasters
  3. Psalm 73:5 Lit in the trouble of people
  4. Psalm 73:7 Lit goes forth
  5. Psalm 73:8 Or they speak in wickedness; From on high they speak of oppression
  6. Psalm 73:9 Or in
  7. Psalm 73:9 Lit walks
  8. Psalm 73:10 Or His
  9. Psalm 73:11 Lit in
  10. Psalm 73:13 Or cleansed my heart
  11. Psalm 73:14 Lit my punishment
  12. Psalm 73:16 Lit labor, trouble
  13. Psalm 73:17 Lit sanctuaries
  14. Psalm 73:18 Or deception
  15. Psalm 73:19 Lit become a desolation
  16. Psalm 73:21 Lit in my kidneys
  17. Psalm 73:22 Lit with You
  18. Psalm 73:24 Or with honor
  19. Psalm 73:26 Lit rock
  20. Psalm 73:27 Lit go to a whoring from
  21. Psalm 73:28 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

Promised Rest for God’s People

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.[a] For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said,

“In my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’”[b]

even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”[c] But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”[d]

So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts.”[e]

Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest[f] still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Christ Is Our High Priest

14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Footnotes

  1. 4:2 Some manuscripts read they didn’t combine what they heard with faith.
  2. 4:3 Ps 95:11.
  3. 4:4 Gen 2:2.
  4. 4:5 Ps 95:11.
  5. 4:7 Ps 95:7-8.
  6. 4:9 Or a Sabbath rest.

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 (A)come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but (B)the word [a]they heard did not benefit them, because [b]they were not united with those who listened with faith. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

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

although His works were finished (D)from the foundation of the world. For He has said (E)somewhere concerning the seventh day: “(F)And God (G)rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “(H)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 (I)disobedience, He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying [c]through David after so long a time just (J)as has been said before,

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

For (L)if [d]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 (M)rested from his works, as (N)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 (O)example of (P)disobedience. 12 For (Q)the word of God is (R)living and (S)active, and sharper than any two-edged (T)sword, even penetrating as far as the division of (U)soul and (V)spirit, of both joints and marrow, and (W)able to [e]judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And (X)there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are (Y)open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom [f]we must answer.

14 Therefore, since we have a great (Z)high priest who has (AA)passed through the heavens, Jesus (AB)the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our (AC)confession. 15 For we do not have (AD)a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been (AE)tempted in all things just as we are, yet (AF)without sin. 16 Therefore let’s (AG)approach the throne of grace with (AH)confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 4:2 Lit of hearing
  2. Hebrews 4:2 One early ms it was not united with faith in those who heard
  3. Hebrews 4:7 Or in
  4. Hebrews 4:8 Gr Jesus
  5. Hebrews 4:12 Or discern
  6. Hebrews 4:13 Lit is our word