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Listen and Obey, or Harden and Fall Away

Therefore, just as the Ruach ha-Kodesh says,

“Today if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts
    as in the rebellion,[a]
    on the day of testing[b] in the wilderness.
There your fathers put Me to the test,
    though they saw My works for forty years.
10 Therefore I was provoked by this generation,
    and I said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
        and they have not known My ways.’
11 As I swore in my wrath,
    ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”[c]

12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil heart of unbelief that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day by day—as long as it is called “Today”—so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partners of Messiah, if we hold our original conviction firm until the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today if you hear His voice,
    do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”[d]

16 Now which ones heard and rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt with Moses? 17 And with whom was He provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest? Was it not to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter in because of lack of trust.

Make Every Effort to Enter God’s Rest

Let us fear then! Though a promise of entering His rest is left open, some of you would seem to have fallen short.

Διό, καθὼς λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ, κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὗ [a]ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν [b]ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου 10 τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη· διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ [c]ταύτῃ καὶ εἶπον· Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ· αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου· 11 ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου· Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου. 12 βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος, 13 ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ Σήμερον καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ [d]τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· 14 μέτοχοι γὰρ [e]τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγόναμεν, ἐάνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ὑποστάσεως μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν. 15 ἐν τῷ λέγεσθαι· Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, Μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ. 16 τίνες γὰρ ἀκούσαντες παρεπίκραναν; ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντες οἱ ἐξελθόντες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ Μωϋσέως; 17 τίσιν δὲ προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη; οὐχὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν, ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; 18 τίσιν δὲ ὤμοσεν μὴ εἰσελεύσεσθαι εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἀπειθήσασιν; 19 καὶ βλέπομεν ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν εἰσελθεῖν δι’ ἀπιστίαν.

Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι·

Footnotes

  1. ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ 3:9 ἐπείρασαν WH Treg NIV ] + με RP
  2. ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ 3:9 ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ WH Treg NIV ] ἐδοκιμασάν με RP
  3. ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ 3:10 ταύτῃ WH Treg NIV ] ἐκείνῃ RP
  4. ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ 3:13 τις ἐξ ὑμῶν WH Treg NIV ] ἐξ ὑμῶν τις RP
  5. ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ 3:14 τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγόναμεν WH Treg NIV ] γεγόναμεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ RP

Warning Against Unbelief

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(A)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(B)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
    though for forty years they saw what I did.(C)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(D)
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (E)[a](F)

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(G) 13 But encourage one another daily,(H) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(I) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(J) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(K) 15 As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”[b](L)

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(M) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(N) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(O) if not to those who disobeyed?(P) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(Q)

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
  2. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8