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Jesus Greater Than Moses

Therefore, holy brothers,[a] you who share in (A)a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, (B)the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, (C)just as Moses also was faithful in all God's[b] house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honour than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but (D)the builder of all things is God.) (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, 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

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

(K)“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
    on the day of testing in the wilderness,
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.

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem (X)to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because (Y)they were not united by faith with those who listened.[d] For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

(Z)“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest’”,

although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: (AA)“And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said,

(AB)“They shall not enter my rest.”

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news (AC)failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today”, saying through David so long afterwards, in the words already quoted,

(AD)“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, God[e] would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also (AE)rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so (AF)that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For (AG)the word of God is living and (AH)active, (AI)sharper than any (AJ)two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and (AK)discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And (AL)no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are (AM)naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 12
  2. Hebrews 3:2 Greek his; also verses 5, 6
  3. Hebrews 3:6 Some manuscripts insert firm to the end
  4. Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts it did not meet with faith in the hearers
  5. Hebrews 4:8 Greek he

Jesus Greater Than Moses

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) He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(E) 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. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(G) “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. 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

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(N)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(O)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
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:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”[c](Y)

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

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) 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) Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”[e](AG)

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”[f](AH) And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”(AI)

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) 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:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts.”[g](AK)

For if Joshua had given them rest,(AL) God would not have spoken(AM) later about another day. 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.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
  2. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
  3. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
  4. Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts because those who heard did not combine it with faith
  5. Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5
  6. Hebrews 4:4 Gen. 2:2
  7. Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7,8
  8. Hebrews 4:10 Or labor