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Hebrews 3-4
Contemporary English Version
Hebrews 3-4
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Is Greater than Moses
3 My friends, God has chosen you to be his holy people. So think about Jesus, the one we call our apostle and high priest! 2 (A) Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in serving all[a] God's people. 3 But Jesus deserves more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves more honor than the house. 4 Of course, every house is built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything.
5 Moses was a faithful servant and told God's people what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is the Son in charge of God's people. And we are those people, if we keep on being brave and don't lose hope.
A Rest for God's People
7 (B) It is just as the Holy Spirit says,
“If you hear God's voice today,
8 don't be stubborn!
Don't rebel like those people
who were tested
in the desert.
* 9 [b] For forty years your ancestors
tested God and saw
the things he did.
10 “Then God got tired of them
and said,
‘You people never
show good sense,
and you don't understand
what I want you to do.’
11 God became angry
and told the people,
‘You will never enter
my place of rest!’ ”
12 My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. 13 You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 14 We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end. 15 (C) The Scriptures say,
“If you hear his voice today,
don't be stubborn
like those who rebelled.”
16 (D) Who were those people that heard God's voice and rebelled? Weren't they the same ones that came out of Egypt with Moses? 17 Who were the people that made God angry for 40 years? Weren't they the ones that sinned and died in the desert? 18 And who did God say would never enter his place of rest? Weren't they the ones that disobeyed him? 19 We see that those people did not enter the place of rest because they did not have faith.
4 The promise to enter the place of rest is still good, and we must take care that none of you miss out. 2 We have heard the message, just as they did. But they failed to believe what they heard, and the message did not do them any good. 3 (E) Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say,
“God became angry
and told the people,
‘You will never enter
my place of rest!’ ”
God said this, even though everything has been ready from the time of creation. 4 (F) In fact, somewhere the Scriptures say that by the seventh day, God had finished his work, and so he rested. 5 (G) We also read that he later said, “You people will never enter my place of rest!” 6 This means that the promise to enter is still good, because those who first heard about it disobeyed and did not enter. 7 (H) Much later God told David to make the promise again, just as I have already said,
“If you hear his voice today,
don't be stubborn!”
8 (I) If Joshua had really given the people rest, there would not be any need for God to talk about another day of rest. 9 But God has promised us a Sabbath when we will rest, even though it has not yet come. 10 (J) On that day God's people will rest from their work, just as God rested from his work.
11 We should do our best to enter the place of rest, so none of us will disobey and miss going there, as they did. 12 God's word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. 13 (K) Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.
Jesus Is the Great High Priest
14 We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.
Hebrews 3-4
New International Version
Hebrews 3-4
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.
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
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