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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons^(A)

48 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, ^(B)Manasseh and Ephraim. ² And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel ^[a]strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. ³ Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God ^(C)Almighty appeared to me at ^(D)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, ⁴ and said to me, ‘Behold, I will ^(E)make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and ^(F)give this land to your descendants after you ^(G)as an everlasting possession.’ ⁵ And now your ^(H)two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. ⁶ Your ^[b]offspring ^[c]whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. ⁷ But as for me, when I came from Padan, ^(I)Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

⁸ Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”

And he said, “Please bring them to me, and ^(J)I will bless them.” ¹⁰ Now ^(K)the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he ^(L)kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, ^(M)“I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”

¹² So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. ¹³ And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. ¹⁴ Then Israel stretched out his right hand and ^(N)laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, ^(O)guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the ^(P)firstborn. ¹⁵ And ^(Q)he blessed Joseph, and said:

¹⁷ Now when Joseph saw that his father ^(V)laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, ^(W)“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly ^(X)his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying, ^(Y)“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but ^(Z)God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² Moreover ^(AA)I have given to you one ^[d]portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand ^(AB)of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

Prayer in Time of Chastening

A Psalm of David. ^(A)To bring to remembrance.