⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^(A)hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

^51 (A)“You stiff-necked people, ^(B)uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. ^(C)As your fathers did, so do you.

⁸ He said to them, “Because of your ^(A)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

^26 (A)“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you ^(B)and cast your law behind their back ^(C)and killed your prophets, who ^(D)had warned them in order to turn them back to you, ^(E)and they committed great blasphemies.

¹⁶ “But they and our fathers ^(A)acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. ¹⁷ They refused to obey ^(B)and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.^[a] But you are a God ready to forgive, ^(C)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

A Rest for the People of God

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

²⁷ For I know how rebellious and ^(A)stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, ^(B)you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death!

⁶ “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are ^(A)a stubborn people.