²⁶ for in Christ Jesus ^(A)you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as ^(B)were baptized ^(C)into Christ have ^(D)put on Christ. ^28 (E)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[a] nor free, ^(F)there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

^23 (A)since you have been born again, ^(B)not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^(C)the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of ^(A)Gideon, ^(B)Barak, ^(C)Samson, ^(D)Jephthah, of ^(E)David and ^(F)Samuel and the prophets— ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, ^(G)stopped the mouths of lions, ^34 (H)quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, ^(I)became mighty in war, ^(J)put foreign armies to flight. ^35 (K)Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even ^(L)chains and imprisonment. ^37 (M)They were stoned, they were sawn in two,^{[a] (N)}they were killed with the sword. ^(O)They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy—^(P)wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ And all these, ^(Q)though commended through their faith, ^(R)did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, ^(S)that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and ^(T)sin which clings so closely, and ^(U)let us run ^(V)with endurance the race that is ^(W)set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, ^(X)who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising ^(Y)the shame, and ^(Z)is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

God's Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(A)If God is for us, who can be^[a] against us?

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is ^(A)born ^(B)again^[a] he cannot ^(C)see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born ^(D)of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

¹² But to all who did receive him, ^(A)who believed in his name, ^(B)he gave the right ^(C)to become ^(D)children of God, ¹³ who ^(E)were born, ^(F)not of blood ^(G)nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And ^(H)the Word ^(I)became flesh and ^(J)dwelt among us, ^(K)and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[a] from the Father, full of ^(L)grace and ^(M)truth.

³⁵ The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And ^(A)the name of the city from that time on shall be, ^(B)The Lord Is There.”

²² But you have come to ^(A)Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, ^(B)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^(C)innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to ^(D)the assembly^[a] of the firstborn who are ^(E)enrolled in heaven, and to ^(F)God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, ^(G)the mediator of a new covenant, and to ^(H)the sprinkled blood ^(I)that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.