Hebrews 3; Hebrews 4:1-13; Genesis 48; Psalms 38

Hebrews 3

1 Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession;

2 He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all God's household.

3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house.

4 Now every house is built by someone, but the One who built everything is God.

5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's household, as a testimony to what would be said [in the future].

6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household, whose household we are if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the desert,

9 where your fathers tested Me, tried [ Me ], and saw My works

10 for 40 years. Therefore I was provoked with this generation and said, "They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways."

11 So I swore in My anger, "They will not enter My rest."

12 Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.

13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today , so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.

14 For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.

15 As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn't it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses?

17 And with whom was He "provoked for 40 years"? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert?

18 And to whom did He "swear that they would not enter His rest," if not those who disobeyed?

19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:1-13

1 Therefore, while the promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear so that none of you should miss it.

2 For we also have received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith

3 (for we who have believed enter the rest), in keeping with what He has said: So I swore in My anger, they will not enter My rest. And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world,

4 for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.

5 Again, in that passage [He says], They will never enter My rest.

6 Since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience,

7 again, He specifies a certain day- today -speaking through David after such a long time, as previously stated: Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken later about another day.

9 A Sabbath rest remains, therefore, for God's people.

10 For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.

11 Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

13 No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

Genesis 48

1 Some time after this, Joseph was told, "Your father is weaker." So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

3 Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.

4 He said to me, 'I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations [come from] you, and I will give this land as an eternal possession to your descendants to come.'

5 Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do.

6 Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance.

7 When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way, some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath," (that is, Bethlehem).

8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?"

9 And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons God has given me here." So Jacob said, "Bring them to me and I will bless them."

10 Now Jacob's eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.

11 Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face [again], but now God has even let me see your offspring."

12 Then Joseph took them from his [father's] knees and bowed with his face to the ground.

13 Then Joseph took them both-with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel's left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel's right-and brought them to Israel.

14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh's head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 Then he blessed Joseph and said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

16 the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm- may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow to be numerous within the land.

17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, he thought it was a mistake and took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's.

18 Joseph said to his father, "Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head."

19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation."

20 So he blessed them that day with these words: Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, "May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh," putting Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Look! I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

22 Over and above what I am giving your brothers, I am giving you the one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and bow."

Psalms 38

1 Lord, do not punish me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.

2 For Your arrows have sunk into me, and Your hand has pressed down on me.

3 There is no soundness in my body because of Your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

4 For my sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.

5 My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.

6 I am bent over and brought low; all day long I go around in mourning.

7 For my loins are full of burning pain, and there is no health in my body.

8 I am faint and severely crushed; I groan because of the anguish of my heart.

9 Lord, my every desire is known to You; my sighing is not hidden from You.

10 My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded.

11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance.

12 Those who seek my life set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long.

13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth.

14 I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth.

15 I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God.

16 For I said, "Don't let them rejoice over me- those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble."

17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is constantly with me.

18 So I confess my guilt; I am anxious because of my sin.

19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful; many hate me for no reason.

20 Those who repay evil for good attack me for pursuing good.

21 Lord, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me.

22 Hurry to help me, Lord, my Savior.