Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
Jesus Is Greater than Moses
3 ·So all of you [L Therefore] holy brothers and sisters, who ·were called by God [are partners/partakers in a heavenly calling], ·think about [consider; focus on] Jesus, who ·was sent to us [or is our apostle; C a commissioned messenger] and is the high priest ·of our faith [or whom we acknowledge/confess; L of our confession]. 2 Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him just as Moses was faithful in God’s ·family [household; house]. 3 Jesus ·has [deserves; is worthy of] more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 [L For] Every house is built by someone, but the builder of everything is God himself. 5 Moses was faithful in ·God’s family [L all of God’s house; Num. 12:7] as a servant, and he ·told [testified to] what God would say in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are God’s house if we ·confidently maintain our hope [or maintain our courage and confident hope].
We Must Continue to Follow God
7 So it is as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
8 Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past
·when you turned against God [L as in the rebellion; Ex. 17:1–7],
when you tested God in the desert.
9 There your ancestors tried me and tested me
and saw the things I did for forty years.
10 I was angry with ·them [L that generation].
I said, ‘·They are not loyal to me [L Their hearts are always wandering]
and have not ·understood my ways [or discerned/obeyed my will].’
11 I was angry and ·made a promise [L swore an oath],
‘They will never enter my rest [Ps. 95:7–11; C referring to the generation of Israel that disobeyed God and so were not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Num. 14:23)].’”
12 So brothers and sisters, ·be careful [see to it] that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that will ·turn you away from [desert; forsake] the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day while it is “today” [C meaning the time of opportunity to be saved; v. 7]. ·Help [Encourage] each other so none of you will become hardened ·because sin has tricked you [by sin’s deception]. 14 [L For] We all ·share in [or have become partners with] Christ if [indeed; in fact] we ·keep [hold firm] till the end the sure ·faith [conviction; confidence] we had in the beginning. 15 This is what the Scripture says:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts] as in the past
·when you turned against God [L as in the rebellion; Ps. 95:7–8; C referring to Ex. 17:1–7].”
16 Who heard God’s voice and ·was against [rebelled against; provoked] him? ·It was [L Was it not…?] all those people Moses led out of Egypt. 17 And with whom was God angry for forty years? ·He was angry [L Was it not…?] with those who sinned, ·who died [L whose corpses/bodies fell] in the desert [Num. 14:29, 32]. 18 And to whom ·was God talking when he promised [L did he swear] that they would never enter his rest [v. 11]? He was talking to those who did not ·obey [or believe] him. 19 So we see they were not allowed to enter [C the Promised Land and God’s promised rest] because ·they did not believe [of unbelief/faithlessness].
4 ·Now [Therefore], since ·God has left us the promise [the promise remains/still stands] that we may enter his rest, let us ·be very careful [beware; be wary/afraid] so none of you will ·fail to enter [appear/be found to fall short]. 2 [L For] The ·Good News [Gospel] was preached to us just as it was to them. But the ·teaching [message; word] they heard did not help them, because they heard it but did not ·accept [combine; join] it with faith.[a] 3 [L For; Now] We who have believed are able to enter ·and have God’s rest [L the rest]. As God has said,
“I was angry and ·made a promise [declared/swore an oath],
‘They will never enter my rest [Ps. 95:11].’”
But God’s work was finished from the ·time he made [foundation/creation of] the world. 4 ·In the Scriptures [L For somewhere] he talked about the seventh day of the week: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his works [Gen. 2:2].” 5 And again in ·the Scripture [or this passage; C Psalm 95, the passage the author has been discussing] God said, “They will never enter my rest [Ps. 95:11].”
6 ·It is still true that some people will [or This passage shows that some can still] enter God’s rest, but those who ·first [or formerly] ·heard the way to be saved [L had the Good News/Gospel proclaimed to them] did not enter, because they did not ·obey [believe; remain faithful]. 7 So God ·planned [set; established; ordained] another day, called “today” [3:13]. He spoke about that day through David a long time later in the ·same Scripture used before [words quoted before]:
“Today ·listen to what he says [L if you hear his voice…].
Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your hearts; Ps. 95:7–8].”
8 [L For; Now] If Joshua [C Moses’ successor, who led God’s people into the Promised Land; Josh. 3—4] had ·led the people into that [L given them] rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 This shows that the ·rest [L Sabbath rest; C sharing in the rest God enjoyed after Creation] for God’s people ·is still coming [or is still available; L remains]. 10 [L For] Anyone who enters God’s rest ·will rest [or has also rested] from his work as God did. 11 Let us ·try as hard as we can [strive; make every effort] to enter ·God’s [L that] rest so that no one will ·fail [be lost; L fall] by following the example of those who ·refused to obey [or did not believe; were unfaithful].
12 [L For] God’s word is alive and ·working [active; powerful; effective] and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It ·cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones [L penetrates until it divides even soul and spirit, joints and marrow]. And it ·judges [discerns] the ·thoughts [ideas] and ·feelings [attitudes; intentions] in our hearts. 13 ·Nothing in all the world [Nothing in all creation; or No creature] can be hidden from God. Everything is ·clear [naked] and ·lies open before him [L exposed to his eyes], and to him we must ·explain the way we have lived [give an account; answer].
Jesus Is Our High Priest
14 [L Therefore] Since we have a great high priest [2:17–18], Jesus the Son of God, who has ·gone into [ascended to; or passed through] ·heaven [or the heavens], let us hold ·on [firmly] to ·the faith we have [L the confession/profession; C of our faith]. 15 ·For our high priest is able [L For we do not have a high priest who is unable] to ·understand [sympathize with] our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. 16 Let us, then, ·feel very sure that we can come before [L confidently approach] God’s throne ·where there is grace [L of grace; C as opposed to a throne of judgment and condemnation]. There we can receive mercy and ·grace [L find grace] to help us ·when we need it [L at the right time].
5 [L For] Every high priest is chosen from among ·the people [human beings; C to represent humans, the priest must himself be human] and is ·given the work of going before God for them [L appointed to represent people in things related to God] to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 Since he himself is weak [C subject to human frailty, both physical and moral], he is able to be gentle with those who ·do not understand [are ignorant] and who are ·doing wrong things [easily deceived; wayward; going astray]. 3 Because he is weak, the high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins and also for the sins of the people [Lev. 16].
4 To be a high priest is an honor, but no one ·chooses himself for this work [takes this office by his own authority; L takes this honor for himself]. He must be ·called [chosen] by God as Aaron was [C Moses’ brother and Israel’s first high priest; Ex. 28:1]. 5 So also ·Christ [or the Messiah; C either a proper name or a title] did not ·choose himself to have the honor of being [L glorify/exalt himself by becoming] a high priest, but God ·chose [glorified; exalted] him. God said to him,
“You are my Son.
Today I have ·become your Father [T begotten you; Ps. 2:7].”
6 And in another Scripture God says,
“You are a priest forever,
·a priest like [L in the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek [Ps. 110:4].” [C See 7:1–10; Melchizedek was a priest and king in the time of Abraham; Gen. 14:17–24.]
7 ·While Jesus lived on earth [L In the days of his flesh/earthly life], he ·prayed to God and asked God for help [L offered prayers and petitions]. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because ·he trusted God [L of his reverence/devotion; C referring especially to Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:41, 44]. 8 Even though Jesus was ·the Son of God [or a son; C with all the rights and privileges of an heir], he learned obedience by what he suffered [C through total obedience to God, Jesus achieved the glorified or perfected state God originally intended for human beings; 2:3–9]. 9 And ·because his obedience was perfect [or having achieved perfection], he ·was able to give [L became the source/means of] eternal salvation to all who obey him. 10 In this way God ·made [designated; appointed] Jesus a high priest, ·a priest like [L in the priestly order/line of] Melchizedek [v. 6; Ps. 110:4].
Warning Against Falling Away
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are so ·slow to understand [hard of hearing; C spiritually]. 12 By now you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again the ·first lessons [elementary truths; basic principles] of God’s ·message [revelation; oracles]. You still need ·the teaching that is like milk [L milk]. You are not ready for solid food. 13 [L For] Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and ·knows nothing about [or is unskilled/inexperienced with] ·right teaching [or the message about righteousness]. 14 But solid food is for those who are ·grown up [mature]. ·They are mature enough […who through practice/exercise have trained their faculties/senses] to know the difference between good and evil.
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