Warnings From Israel’s History

10 For I do not want you to be ignorant^(A) of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud^(B) and that they all passed through the sea.^{(C) 2} They were all baptized into^(D) Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food^{(E) 4} and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock^(F) that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.^(G)

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples^(H) to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters,^(I) as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”^{[a](J) 8} We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.^{(K) 9} We should not test Christ,^[b](L) as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.^{(M) 10} And do not grumble, as some of them did^(N)—and were killed^(O) by the destroying angel.^(P)

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples^(Q) and were written down as warnings for us,^(R) on whom the culmination of the ages has come.^(S)

³² “‘If someone brings a lamb^(A) as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.^{(B) 33} They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it^(C) for a sin offering^(D) at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.^{(E) 34} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(F) 35} They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(G) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

John Testifies About Jesus

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(A) who takes away the sin of the world!^(B)

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

4 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.^{(A) 2} For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^{[a](B) 3} Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^{[c](D) 5} And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”^(E)

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,^{(F) 7} God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest,^(H) God would not have spoken^(I) later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[e](J) just as God did from his.^{(K) 11} Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.^(L)