Hebrews 11–12

11Now faith is the ^||substance of things hoped for, ^athe evidence of ^bthings not seen. ²For ^cby it ^dthe elders ^eobtained a good report. ³Through faith we understand that ^fthe worlds were ^gframed by ^hthe word of God, so that things which are seen ⁱwere not made of things which do appear. ⁴By faith ^jAbel offered unto God a more excellent ^ksacrifice than Cain, by which he ^eobtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his ^kgifts: and by it he ^lbeing dead ^||yet ^mspeaketh. ⁵By faith ⁿEnoch was translated that he should not ^osee death; ^pand was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he ^ehad this testimony, ^nqthat he pleased God. ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please him: for ^rhe that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is ^sa rewarder of them that ^tdiligently seek him. ⁷By faith ^uNoah, ^vbeing warned of God of things not seen as yet, ^||wmoved with fear, ^xprepared an ark ^yto the saving of his house; by the which ^zhe condemned the world, and became heir of ^athe righteousness which is by faith. ⁸By faith ^bAbraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹By faith he ^csojourned in the land ^dof promise, as in a strange country, ^edwelling in tabernacles ^fwith Isaac and Jacob, ^gthe heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰For he looked for ^ha city ⁱwhich hath foundations, ^kwhose builder and maker is God. ¹¹Through faith also ^lSara herself received strength to conceive seed, and ^mwas delivered of a child when she was past age, ⁿbecause she judged ^ohim faithful ^pwho had promised. ¹²Therefore sprang there even of one, and him ^qas good as dead, so many ^rsas the stars of the sky in multitude, and ^sas the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. ¹³These all died ^†in faith, ^tnot having received the promises, but ^uhaving seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and ^vembraced them, and ^wconfessed that they were ^xstrangers and ^ypilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. ¹⁵And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. ¹⁶But now they desire ^za better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore ^zzGod is not ashamed ^ato be called their God: for he hath ^bprepared for them ^ca city. ¹⁷By faith ^dAbraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received ^ethe promises offered up ^fhis only begotten son, ^18||Of whom it was said, ^ffThat in Isaac shall thy seed be called: ¹⁹Accounting that God ^gwas able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a ^hfigure. ²⁰By faith ⁱIsaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. ²¹By faith ^kJacob, when he was a dying, ^kblessed both the sons of Joseph; and ^lworshipped, leaning upon the top of ^mhis staff. ²²By faith ⁿJoseph, when he died, ^||made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and ^ogave commandment concerning his bones. ²³By faith ^pMoses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a ^qproper child; and they were not afraid of ^rthe king’s commandment. ²⁴By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called ^sthe son of Pharaoh’s daughter; ^25tChoosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin ^ufor a season; ²⁶Esteeming ^vthe reproach ^||of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto ^wthe recompence of the reward. ²⁷By faith ^xhe forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he ^yendured, ^zas seeing him who is ^ainvisible. ²⁸Through faith ^bhe ^ckept the passover, and ^dthe sprinkling of blood, lest ^ehe that destroyed ^fthe firstborn should touch them. ²⁹By faith ^gthey passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. ³⁰By faith ^hthe walls of ⁱJericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. ³¹By faith ^jthe harlot Rahab perished not with them ^||that ^kbelieved not, ^lwhen she had received the spies ^mwith peace.

³²And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of ⁿGedeon, and of ^oBarak, and of ^pSamson, and of ^qJephthae; of ^rDavid also, and ^stSamuel, and of ^tthe prophets: ³³Who through faith ^usubdued kingdoms, ^vwrought righteousness, ^wobtained promises, ^xstopped the mouths of lions, ^34yQuenched the violence of fire, ^zescaped ^athe edge of the sword, ^bout of weakness ^cwere made strong, ^dwaxed valiant in fight, ^dturned to flight ^ethe armies of ^fthe aliens. ^35gWomen received their dead raised to life again: and others ^hwere tortured, ⁱnot accepting deliverance; ^kthat they might obtain ^la better resurrection: ³⁶And others had trial of cruel ^mmockings and ⁿscourgings, yea, moreover of ^obonds and imprisonment: ³⁷They were ^pstoned, they were ^qsawn asunder, were tempted, ^rwere slain with the sword: they wandered about ^sin sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ^ttormented; ^38u(Of whom the world was not worthy:) ^vthey wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and ^win ^xdens and ^xxcaves of the earth. ³⁹And these all, ^yhaving obtained a good report through faith, ^zreceived not the promise: ⁴⁰God having ^||provided some ^lbetter thing for us, ^athat they without us should not be ^bmade perfect.

12Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, ^alet us lay aside every weight, and ^bthe sin which doth so easily beset us, and ^clet us run ^dwith patience ^ethe race that is ^fset before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the ^||author and ^gfinisher of our faith; ^hwho for ⁱthe joy that was ^fset before him endured ^kthe cross, despising ^lthe shame, and ^mis set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³For ⁿconsider him that endured such ^ocontradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye ^oobe wearied and ^pfaint in your minds.

⁴Ye have not yet resisted ^qunto blood, striving against sin. ⁵And ye have forgotten ^rthe exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, ^sMy son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor ^pfaint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and ^tscourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, ^uGod dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father ^vchasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, ^wwhereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we ^xgave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto ^ythe Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us ^||after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, ^zthat we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹Now no chastening ^afor the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth ^bthe peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are ^cexercised thereby. ¹²Wherefore ^delift up ^fgthe hands which hang down, and ^ghthe feeble knees; ¹³And ⁱmake ^||straight paths for your feet, ^jlest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but ^klet it rather be healed. ^14lFollow peace with all men, and ^mholiness, ⁿwithout which no man shall see the Lord: ¹⁵Looking diligently ^olest any man ^||fail of ^pthe grace of God; ^qlest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; ¹⁶Lest there be any ^rfornicator, or ^sprofane person, as Esau, ^twho for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. ¹⁷For ye know how that afterward, ^uwhen he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no ^||vplace of repentance, though he ^wsought it carefully with tears.

¹⁸For ye are not come unto ^xthe mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, ¹⁹And ^ythe sound of a trumpet, and ^yythe voice of words; which voice ^zthey that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: ²⁰(For they could not endure that which was commanded, ^aAnd if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: ²¹And ^bso terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I ^cexceedingly fear and quake:) ²²But ye are come unto ^dmount Sion, and unto ^ethe city of ^fthe living God, ^gthe heavenly Jerusalem, and ^hto an ⁱinnumerable company of angels, ²³To the general assembly and ^jchurch of ^kthe firstborn, ^lwhich are ^||written in heaven, and to ^mGod the Judge of all, and to ⁿthe spirits of just men ^omade perfect, ²⁴And to Jesus ^pthe mediator of the new ^||qcovenant, and to ^rthe blood of sprinkling, that speaketh ^sbetter things than ^tthat of Abel. ²⁵See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For ^uif they escaped not ^vwho refused him that ^wspake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: ^26xWhose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, ^yYet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. ²⁷And this word, Yet once more, signifieth ^zthe removing of those things that ^||are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, ^||let us have grace, whereby we may ^aserve God ^bacceptably with reverence and ^cgodly fear: ²⁹For our ^dGod is ^ea consuming fire.