Hebrews 3
New Testament for Everyone
Jesus and Moses
3 Well then, my brothers and sisters: you are God’s holy ones, and you share the call from heaven. So think carefully about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession of faith. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 He deserves much more glory than Moses, you see, just as the one who builds a house deserves more glory than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the one who builds all things is God. 5 And “Moses was faithful, as a servant, in all his house,” thereby bearing witness to the things that were yet to be spoken of; 6 but the Messiah is over God’s house as a son. What is that house? It is us—those of us who hold on tightly to the boldness and confidence of our hope.
Today’s the time to listen!
7 So listen to what the holy spirit says:
Today, if you hear his voice,
8 don’t harden hearts, as in the great bitterness,
like the day in the desert when they faced the test,
9 when your fathers put me to the test, and challenged me,
and saw my works 10 for forty years.
And so I was angry with that generation,
and said, “They are always straying in their hearts,
they do not know my ways.” 11 As I swore
in my anger, “They’ll never enter my rest.”
12 Take care, my dear family, that none of you should possess an evil and unbelieving heart, leading you to withdraw from the living God. 13 But encourage one another every day, as long as it’s called “Today,” so that none of you may become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Hold on tight!
14 We share the life of the Messiah, you see, only if we keep a firm, tight grip on our original confidence, right through to the end. 15 That’s what it means when it says, “Today, if you hear his voice, don’t make your hearts hard, as in the great bitterness.”
16 Who was it, after all, who heard and then became bitter? It was all those who went out of Egypt under Moses, wasn’t it? 17 And who was it that God was angry with for forty years? It was those who sinned, wasn’t it—those whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who didn’t believe? 19 So we can see that it was their unbelief that prevented them from entering.
Hebrews 3
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.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 3:6 NU omits firm to the end
- Hebrews 3:13 encourage
Hebrews 3
English Standard Version
Jesus Greater Than Moses
3 Therefore, holy brothers,[a] you who share in (A)a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, (B)the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, (C)just as Moses also was faithful in all God's[b] house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but (D)the builder of all things is God.) 5 (E)Now Moses was faithful in all God's house (F)as a servant, (G)to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as (H)a son. And (I)we are his house, if indeed we (J)hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.[c]
A Rest for the People of God
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
(K)“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for (L)forty years.
10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
11 (M)As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from (N)the living God. 13 But (O)exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by (P)the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, (Q)if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,
(R)“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For (S)who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not (T)all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (U)whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that (V)they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that (W)they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 3:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 12
- Hebrews 3:2 Greek his; also verses 5, 6
- Hebrews 3:6 Some manuscripts insert firm to the end
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
