Hebrews 3:11–4:11

¹¹So I angrily took a solemn oath 

that they would never enter my place of rest.” 

¹²Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³Encourage each other every day while you have the opportunity. If you do this, none of you will be deceived by sin and become stubborn. ¹⁴After all, we will remain Christ’s partners only if we continue to hold on to our original confidence until the end. 

¹⁵Scripture says, 

“If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn. 

Don’t be stubborn like those who rebelled.” 

¹⁶Who heard God and rebelled? All those whom Moses led out of Egypt rebelled. ¹⁷With whom was God angry for 40 years? He was angry with those who sinned and died in the desert. ¹⁸Who did God swear would never enter his place of rest? He was talking about those who didn’t obey him. ¹⁹So we see that they couldn’t enter his place of rest because they didn’t believe. 

4TH CHAPTER

We Will Enter God’s Place of Rest

¹God’s promise that we may enter his place of rest still stands. We are afraid that some of you think you won’t enter his place of rest. ²We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe. 

³We who believe are entering that place of rest. As God said, “So I angrily took a solemn oath that they would never enter my place of rest.” God said this even though he had finished his work when he created the world. ⁴Somewhere in Scripture God has said this about the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 

⁵God also said in the same passage, “They will never enter my place of rest.” ⁶However, some people enter that place of rest. Those who heard the Good News in the past did not enter God’s place of rest because they did not obey God. ⁷So God set another day. That day is today. Many years after ⸤your ancestors failed to enter that place of rest⸥ God spoke about it through David in the passage already quoted: “If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn.” ⁸If Joshua had given the people rest, God would not have spoken about another day. ⁹Therefore, a time of eternal rest exists for God’s people. ¹⁰Those who entered his place of rest also rest from their work as God did from his. 

¹¹So we must make every effort to enter that place of rest. Then no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.