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15 “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch which is part of me but fails to bear fruit, he cuts off; and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit. Right now, because of the word which I have spoken to you, you are pruned. Stay united with me, as I will with you — for just as the branch can’t put forth fruit by itself apart from the vine, so you can’t bear fruit apart from me.

“I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit; because apart from me you can’t do a thing. Unless a person remains united with me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, where they are burned up.

“If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you. This is how my Father is glorified — in your bearing much fruit; this is how you will prove to be my talmidim.

“Just as my Father has loved me, I too have loved you; so stay in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will stay in my love — just as I have kept my Father’s commands and stay in his love. 11 I have said this to you so that my joy may be in you, and your joy be complete.

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The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am(A) the true vine,(B) and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,(C) while every branch that does bear fruit(D) he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.(E) Remain in me, as I also remain in you.(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;(G) apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.(H) If you remain in me(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.(J) This is to my Father’s glory,(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.(L)

“As the Father has loved me,(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands,(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.(O)

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Footnotes

  1. John 15:2 The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans.

51 Stiffnecked people,[a] with uncircumcised hearts and ears![b] You continually oppose the Ruach HaKodesh![c] You do the same things your fathers did! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who told in advance about the coming of the Tzaddik, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers! — 53 you! — who receive the Torah as having been delivered by angels — but do not keep it!”

54 On hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts and ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Ruach HaKodesh, looked up to heaven and saw God’s Sh’khinah, with Yeshua standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look!” he exclaimed, “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God![d]

57 At this, they began yelling at the top of their voices, so that they wouldn’t have to hear him; and with one accord, they rushed at him, 58 threw him outside the city and began stoning him. And the witnesses laid down their coats at the feet of a young man named Sha’ul.

59 As they were stoning him, Stephen called out to God, “Lord Yeshua! Receive my spirit!” 60 Then he kneeled down and shouted out, “Lord! Don’t hold this sin against them!” With that, he died;

and Sha’ul gave his approval to his murder.

Starting with that day, there arose intense persecution against the Messianic Community in Yerushalayim; all but the emissaries were scattered throughout the regions of Y’hudah and Shomron. Some godly men buried Stephen and mourned him deeply. But Sha’ul set out to destroy the Messianic Community — entering house after house, he dragged off both men and women and handed them over to be put in prison. However, those who were scattered announced the Good News of the Word wherever they went.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:51 Exodus 32:9; 33:3, 5
  2. Acts 7:51 Leviticus 26:41; Jeremiah 6:10; 9:25(26)
  3. Acts 7:51 Isaiah 63:10
  4. Acts 7:56 Psalm 110:1

51 “You stiff-necked people!(A) Your hearts(B) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(C) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(D) 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(E) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious(F) and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,(G) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.(H) 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open(I) and the Son of Man(J) standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city(K) and began to stone him.(L) Meanwhile, the witnesses(M) laid their coats(N) at the feet of a young man named Saul.(O)

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”(P) 60 Then he fell on his knees(Q) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”(R) When he had said this, he fell asleep.(S)

And Saul(T) approved of their killing him.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered(U) throughout Judea and Samaria.(V) Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul(W) began to destroy the church.(X) Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

Those who had been scattered(Y) preached the word wherever they went.(Z)

Therefore, as the Ruach HaKodesh says,

“Today, if you hear God’s voice,
don’t harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter Quarrel
on that day in the Wilderness when you put God to the test.
Yes, your fathers put me to the test;
they challenged me, and they saw my work for forty years!
10 Therefore, I was disgusted with that generation —
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
they have not understood how I do things’;
11 in my anger, I swore
that they would not enter my rest.”[a]

12 Watch out, brothers, so that there will not be in any one of you an evil heart lacking trust, which could lead you to apostatize from the living God! 13 Instead, keep exhorting each other every day, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you will become hardened by the deceit of sin. 14 For we have become sharers in the Messiah, provided, however, that we hold firmly to the conviction we began with, right through until the goal is reached.

15 Now where it says,

“Today, if you hear God’s voice,
don’t harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter Quarrel,” [b]

16 who were the people who, after they heard, quarreled so bitterly? All those whom Moshe brought out of Egypt. 17 And with whom was God disgusted for forty years? Those who sinned — yes, they fell dead in the Wilderness! 18 And to whom was it that he swore that they would not enter his rest? Those who were disobedient. 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of lack of trust.

Therefore, let us be terrified of the possibility that, even though the promise of entering his rest remains, any one of you might be judged to have fallen short of it; for Good News has also been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them. But the message they heard didn’t do them any good, because those who heard it did not combine it with trust. For it is we who have trusted who enter the rest.

It is just as he said,

“And in my anger, I swore
that they would not enter my rest.”[c]

He swore this even though his works have been in existence since the founding of the universe. For there is a place where it is said, concerning the seventh day,

“And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”[d]

And once more, our present text says,

“They will not enter my rest.”[e]

Therefore, since it still remains for some to enter it, and those who received the Good News earlier did not enter, he again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David, so long afterwards, in the text already given,

“Today, if you hear God’s voice, don’t harden your hearts.”[f]

For if Y’hoshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later of another “day.”

So there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God’s people. 10 For the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Therefore, let us do our best to enter that rest; so that no one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7–11
  2. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7–8
  3. Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11
  4. Hebrews 4:4 Genesis 2:2
  5. Hebrews 4:5 Psalm 95:11
  6. Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7–8

Warning Against Unbelief

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(A)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(B)
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.(C)
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,(D)
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (E)[a](F)

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(G) 13 But encourage one another daily,(H) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(I) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(J) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(K) 15 As has just been said:

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

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(M) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(N) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(O) if not to those who disobeyed?(P) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(Q)

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.(R) 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.[c](S) 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.’”[d](T)

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.”[e](U) And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”(V)

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,(W) 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.”[f](X)

For if Joshua had given them rest,(Y) God would not have spoken(Z) 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,[g](AA) just as God did from his.(AB) 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.(AC)

Footnotes

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