Jesus Our High Priest

Therefore, (A)holy brethren, partakers of a (B)heavenly calling, consider Jesus, (C)the Apostle and (D)High Priest of our (E)confession; [a]He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (F)Moses also was in all His house. (G)For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now (H)Moses was faithful in all His house as (I)a servant, (J)for a testimony of those things (K)which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as (L)a Son over His house—(M)whose house we are, (N)if we hold fast our (O)confidence and the boast of our (P)hope firm until the end.

Therefore, just as (Q)the Holy Spirit says,

(R)Today if you hear His voice,
(S)Do not harden your hearts as [b]when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
(T)Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
And saw My works for (U)forty years.
10 (V)Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 (W)As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest.’”

The Peril of Unbelief

12 (X)Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart [c]that falls away from (Y)the living God. 13 But (Z)encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the (AA)deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, (AB)if we hold fast the beginning of our (AC)assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said,

(AD)Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as [d]when they provoked Me.”

16 For who (AE)provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, (AF)did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (AG)whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear (AH)that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were (AI)disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of (AJ)unbelief.

The Believer’s Rest

Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have (AK)come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but (AL)the word [e]they heard did not profit them, because [f]it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

(AM)As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,”

although His works were finished (AN)from the foundation of the world. For He has said (AO)somewhere concerning the seventh day: “(AP)And God (AQ)rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “(AR)They shall not enter My rest.” Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of (AS)disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying [g]through David after so long a time just (AT)as has been said before,

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

For (AV)if [h]Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also (AW)rested from his works, as (AX)God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same (AY)example of (AZ)disobedience. 12 For (BA)the word of God is (BB)living and (BC)active and sharper than any two-edged (BD)sword, and piercing as far as the division of (BE)soul and (BF)spirit, of both joints and marrow, and (BG)able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And (BH)there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are (BI)open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

14 Therefore, since we have a great (BJ)high priest who has (BK)passed through the heavens, Jesus (BL)the Son of God, let us hold fast our (BM)confession. 15 For we do not have (BN)a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been (BO)tempted in all things as we are, yet (BP)without sin. 16 Therefore let us (BQ)draw near with (BR)confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:2 Lit Being faithful
  2. Hebrews 3:8 Lit in the provocation
  3. Hebrews 3:12 Lit in falling
  4. Hebrews 3:15 Lit in the rebellion
  5. Hebrews 4:2 Lit of hearing
  6. Hebrews 4:2 Two early mss read they were...faith with those who heard
  7. Hebrews 4:7 Or in
  8. Hebrews 4:8 Gr Jesus

13 They quickly (A)forgot His works;
They (B)did not wait for His counsel,
14 But (C)craved intensely in the wilderness,
And [a](D)tempted God in the desert.
15 So He (E)gave them their request,
But (F)sent a [b]wasting disease among them.

16 When they became (G)envious of Moses in the camp,
And of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 The (H)earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And engulfed the [c]company of Abiram.
18 And a (I)fire blazed up in their [d]company;
The flame consumed the wicked.

19 They (J)made a calf in Horeb
And worshiped a molten image.
20 Thus they (K)exchanged their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They (L)forgot God their Savior,
Who had done (M)great things in Egypt,
22 [e](N)Wonders in the land of Ham
And awesome things by the [f]Red Sea.
23 Therefore (O)He said that He would destroy them,
Had not (P)Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they (Q)despised the (R)pleasant land;
They (S)did not believe in His word,
25 But (T)grumbled in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore He [g](U)swore to them
That He would cast them down in the wilderness,
27 And that He would (V)cast their seed among the nations
And (W)scatter them in the lands.

28 They (X)joined themselves also to [h]Baal-peor,
And ate (Y)sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 Thus they (Z)provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And the plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas (AA)stood up and interposed,
And so the (AB)plague was stayed.
31 And it was (AC)reckoned to him for righteousness,
To all generations forever.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 106:14 Or put God to the test
  2. Psalm 106:15 Or leanness into their soul
  3. Psalm 106:17 Or assembly, band
  4. Psalm 106:18 Or assembly, band
  5. Psalm 106:22 I.e. Wonderful acts
  6. Psalm 106:22 Lit Sea of Reeds
  7. Psalm 106:26 Lit lifted up His hand
  8. Psalm 106:28 Or Baal of Peor

A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.

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