Hebrews 11–12

By Faith

11Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ^ethings not seen. ²For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³By faith we understand that the universe was created by ^fthe word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of ^gthings that are visible.

⁴By faith ^hAbel offered to God ⁱa more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^jthrough his faith, though he died, he ^kstill speaks. ⁵By faith ^lEnoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God ^mmust believe that he exists and ^mthat he rewards those who seek him. ⁷By faith ⁿNoah, being warned by God concerning ^oevents as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of ^pthe righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸By faith ^qAbraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place ^rthat he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in ^sthe land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^tliving in tents ^uwith Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to ^vthe city that has ^wfoundations, ^xwhose designer and builder is God. ¹¹By faith ^ySarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered ^zhim faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one man, and ^ahim as good as dead, were born descendants ^bas many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

¹³These all died in faith, ^cnot having received the things promised, but ^dhaving seen them and greeted them from afar, and ^ehaving acknowledged that they were ^fstrangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, ^gthey would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed ^hto be called their God, for ⁱhe has prepared for them a city.

¹⁷By faith ^jAbraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, ¹⁸of whom it was said, ^k“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ^19lHe considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ²⁰By faith ^mIsaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. ²¹By faith ⁿJacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ^obowing in worship over the head of his staff. ²²By faith ^pJoseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

²³By faith ^qMoses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of ^rthe king’s edict. ²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown up, ^srefused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ^25tchoosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy ^uthe fleeting pleasures of sin. ^26vHe considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to ^wthe reward. ²⁷By faith he ^xleft Egypt, ^ynot being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured ^zas seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith ^ahe kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

²⁹By faith ^bthe people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. ³⁰By faith ^cthe walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. ³¹By faith ^dRahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she ^ehad given a friendly welcome to the spies.

³²And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of ^fGideon, ^gBarak, ^hSamson, ⁱJephthah, of ^jDavid and ^kSamuel and the prophets— ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, ^lstopped the mouths of lions, ^34mquenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, ⁿbecame mighty in war, ⁿput foreign armies to flight. ^35oWomen received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even ^pchains and imprisonment. ^37qThey were stoned, they were sawn in two,^{1 r}they were killed with the sword. ^sThey went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy—^twandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹And all these, ^uthough commended through their faith, ^udid not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰since God had provided something better for us, ^vthat apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and ^wsin which clings so closely, and ^xlet us run ^ywith endurance the race that is ^zset before us, ²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, ^awho for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising ^bthe shame, and ^cis seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

^3dConsider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or ^efainthearted. ⁴In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

^f“My son, ^gdo not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

⁶For ^hthe Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

⁷It is for discipline that you have to endure. ⁱGod is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸If you are left without discipline, ^jin which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to ^kthe Father of spirits ^land live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, ^mthat we may share his holiness. ¹¹ⁿFor the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields ^othe peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore ^plift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, ¹³and ^qmake straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint ^rbut rather be healed. ^14sStrive for peace with everyone, and for the ^tholiness ^uwithout which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one ^vfails to obtain the grace of God; that no ^w“root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶that no one is ^xsexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that ^yafterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

¹⁸For you have not come to ^zwhat may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest ¹⁹and ^athe sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words ^bmade the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. ²⁰For they could not endure the order that was given, ^c“If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹Indeed, ^dso terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” ²²But you have come to ^eMount Zion and to the city of the living God, ^fthe heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^ginnumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³and to ^hthe assembly¹ of the firstborn who are ⁱenrolled in heaven, and to ^jGod, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, ^kthe mediator of a new covenant, and to ^lthe sprinkled blood ^mthat speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For ⁿif they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. ²⁶At that time ^ohis voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ^p“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” ²⁷This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates ^qthe removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore let us be grateful for receiving ^ra kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus ^slet us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our ^tGod is a consuming fire.