Hebrews 10:32-12:12

New American Standard Bible

³²But remember ^(A)the former days, ^[a]when, after being ^(B)enlightened, you endured a great ^(C)conflict of sufferings, ³³partly by being ^(D)made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming ^[b]^(E)companions with those who were so treated. ³⁴For you ^(F)showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted ^(G)joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves ^(H)a better and lasting possession. ³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your ^(I)confidence, which has a great ^(J)reward. ³⁶For you have need of ^(K)endurance, so that when you have ^(L)done the will of God, you may ^(M)receive ^[c]what was promised.

³⁷^(N)For yet in a very little while,
^(O)He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
³⁸^(P)But My righteous one will live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

³⁹But ^[d]we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.

The Triumphs of Faith

11 Now faith is the ^(Q)certainty of things ^[e]^(R)hoped for, a ^[f]proof of ^(S)things not seen. ²For by it the ^(T)people of old ^[g]^(U)gained approval.

³By faith we understand that the ^[h]^(V)world has been created ^(W)by the word of God so that what is seen ^(X)has not been made out of things that are visible. ⁴By faith ^(Y)Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was ^(Z)attested to be righteous, God testifying ^[i]about his ^(AA)gifts, and through ^[j]faith, though ^(AB)he is dead, he still speaks. ⁵By faith ^(AC)Enoch was taken up so that he would not ^(AD)see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who ^(AE)comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. ⁷By faith ^(AF)Noah, being ^(AG)warned by God about ^(AH)things not yet seen, ^[k]^(AI)in reverence ^(AJ)prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of ^(AK)the righteousness which is according to faith.

⁸By faith ^(AL)Abraham, when he was called, obeyed ^[l]by going out to a place which he was to ^(AM)receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he lived as a stranger in ^(AN)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^(AO)living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, ^(AP)fellow heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰for he was looking for ^(AQ)the city which has ^(AR)foundations, ^(AS)whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹By faith even ^(AT)Sarah herself received ^[m]ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him ^(AU)faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore even from one man, and ^(AV)one who was as good as dead ^[n]at that, there were born descendants who were ^(AW)just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore.

¹³^(AX)All these died in faith, ^(AY)without receiving the promises, but ^(AZ)having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and ^(BA)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. ¹⁵And indeed if they had been ^[o]thinking of that country which they left, ^(BB)they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a ^(BC)heavenly one. Therefore ^(BD)God is not ^[p]ashamed to be ^(BE)called their God; for ^(BF)He has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By faith ^(BG)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had ^(BH)received the promises was offering up his ^[q]only son; ¹⁸it was he to whom it was said, “^(BI)Through Isaac your ^[r]descendants shall be named.” ¹⁹^[s]He considered that ^(BJ)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back ^[t]as a ^[u]^(BK)type. ²⁰By faith ^(BL)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. ²¹By faith ^(BM)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and ^(BN)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. ²²By faith ^(BO)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

²³By faith ^(BP)Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the ^(BQ)king’s edict. ²⁴By faith Moses, ^(BR)when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to ^(BS)endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, ²⁶^(BT)considering the ^[v]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the ^(BU)reward. ²⁷By faith he ^(BV)left Egypt, not ^(BW)fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though ^(BX)seeing Him who is unseen. ²⁸By faith he ^[w]^(BY)kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that ^(BZ)the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. ²⁹By faith they ^(CA)passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were ^[x]drowned.

³⁰By faith ^(CB)the walls of Jericho fell down ^[y]^(CC)after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. ³¹By faith the prostitute ^(CD)Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies ^[z]in peace.

³²And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of ^(CE)Gideon, ^(CF)Barak, ^(CG)Samson, ^(CH)Jephthah, of ^(CI)David and ^(CJ)Samuel and the prophets, ³³who by faith ^(CK)conquered kingdoms, ^(CL)performed acts of righteousness, ^(CM)obtained promises, ^(CN)shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴^(CO)quenched the power of fire, ^(CP)escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, ^(CQ)became mighty in war, ^(CR)put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵^(CS)Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their ^[aa]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; ³⁶and others ^[ab]experienced mocking and flogging, and further, ^(CT)chains and imprisonment. ³⁷They were ^(CU)stoned, they were sawn in two, ^[ac]they were tempted, they were ^(CV)put to death with the sword; they went about ^(CW)in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ^(CX)tormented ³⁸(people of whom the world was not worthy), ^(CY)wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes ^[ad]in the ground.

³⁹And all these, having ^(CZ)gained approval through their faith, ^(DA)did not receive ^[ae]what was promised, ⁴⁰because God had ^[af]provided ^(DB)something better for us, so that ^(DC)apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Jesus, the Example

12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s ^(DD)rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s ^(DE)run with ^(DF)endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking only at Jesus, the ^[ag]^(DG)originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him ^(DH)endured the cross, ^(DI)despising the shame, and has ^(DJ)sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³For ^(DK)consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary ^[ah]^(DL)and lose heart.

A Father’s Discipline

⁴^(DM)You have not yet resisted ^[ai]^(DN)to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; ⁵and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“^(DO)My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor ^(DP)faint when you are punished by Him;
⁶^(DQ)For ^(DR)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

⁷It is for discipline that you endure; ^(DS)God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸But if you are without discipline, ^(DT)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Furthermore, we had ^[aj]earthly fathers to discipline us, and we ^(DU)respected them; shall we not much more be subject to ^(DV)the Father of ^[ak]spirits, and ^(DW)live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, ^(DX)so that we may share His holiness. ¹¹^(DY)For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the ^(DZ)peaceful fruit of righteousness.