¹⁶ With all of these,^[a] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.^(A)

⁸ Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.^{(A) 9} Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.^(B)

⁴ for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.^{(A) 5} Who is it who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?^(B)

God’s Covenant with Abram

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”^(A)

¹⁷ In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath,^{(A) 18} so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.^(B)

Living by Faith

¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.^{(A) 17} For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,^{(B) 18} because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.^(C)

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered abuse suffered for the Christ^[a] to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger, for he persevered as though^[b] he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.^[c](A)

The Faith of Other Israelite Heroes

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned.^{(B) 30} By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.^{(C) 31} By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient,^[d] because she had received the spies in peace.^(D)