Hebrews 3–4

Moses a Servant, Christ a Son

³Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,^{* 2}who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all^u God’s^v house.” ³Yet Jesus^w is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.^{* 4}(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)^{* 5}Now Moses was faithful in all God’s^x house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later.^{* 6}Christ, however, was faithful over God’s^y house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm^z the boldness and the pride inspired by hope.^*

Warning against Unbelief

⁷Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,^*

⁸do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

as on the day of testing in the wilderness,

⁹where your ancestors put me to the test,^a

though they had seen my works ¹⁰for forty years.

Therefore I was angry with that generation,

and I said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts,

and they have not known my ways.’

¹¹As in my anger I swore,

‘They will not enter my rest.’ ”

¹²Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”^*

¹⁶Now who were they who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?^{* 17}And with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?^{* 18}And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient?^{* 19}So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.^*

The Rest That God Promised

⁴Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it.^{* 2}For indeed the good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.^{b* 3}For we who have believed are entering that rest, just as God^c has said,

“As in my anger I swore,

‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”

though his works were finished since the foundation of the world. ⁴For somewhere it speaks about the seventh day as follows, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”^{* 5}And again in this place it says, “They shall not enter my rest.” ⁶Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, ⁷again he sets a certain day—“today”—saying through David much later, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.”^*

⁸For if Joshua had given them rest, God^d would not speak later about another day. ⁹So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, ¹⁰for those who enter God’s^e rest also rest from their labors as God did from his. ¹¹Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

¹²Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.^{* 13}And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.^*

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.^{* 15}For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested^f as we are, yet without sin.^{* 16}Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.