Hebrews 3:11–4:11

¹¹So in my anger I took an oath.

I said, ‘They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.’ ”

¹²Brothers and sisters, make sure that none of you has a sinful heart. Do not let an unbelieving heart turn you away from the living God. ¹³But build one another up every day. Do it as long as there is still time. Then none of you will become stubborn. You won’t be fooled by sin’s tricks.

¹⁴We belong to Christ if we hold firmly to the faith we had at first. But we must hold to it until the end. ¹⁵It has just been said,

“Listen to his voice today.

If you hear it, don’t be stubborn.

You were stubborn when you opposed me.”

¹⁶Who were those who heard and refused to obey? Weren’t they all the people Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷Who was God angry with for 40 years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned? They died in the desert. ¹⁸What people did God promise with an oath that they would never enjoy the rest he planned for them? Wasn’t it those who didn’t obey?

¹⁹So we see that they weren’t able to enter. That’s because they didn’t believe.

God’s People Enter His Sabbath Rest

4God’s promise of enjoying his rest still stands. So be careful that none of you fails to receive it.

²The good news was preached to our people long ago. It has also been preached to us. The message they heard didn’t have any value for them. They didn’t combine it with faith. ³Now we who have believed enjoy that rest. God said,

“When I was angry I took an oath.

I said, ‘They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.’ ”

Ever since God created the world, his work has been finished.

⁴Somewhere he spoke about the seventh day. He said, “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” ⁵In the part of Scripture I talked about earlier God said, “They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.”

⁶It is still true that some will enjoy that rest. But those who had the good news preached to them earlier didn’t go in. That was because they didn’t obey.

⁷So God again chose a certain day. He named it Today. He did that when he spoke through David a long time later. As it was said earlier,

“Listen to his voice today.

If you hear it, don’t be stubborn.”

⁸Suppose Joshua had given them rest. If he had, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹So there is still a Sabbath rest for God’s people.

¹⁰God rested from his work. Those who enjoy God’s rest also rest from their work. ¹¹So let us make every effort to enjoy that rest. Then no one will fall into sin by following the example of those who didn’t obey God.