20 By faith (A)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, (B)blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith (C)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses(D)

23 By faith (E)Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s (F)command.

24 By faith (G)Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the [a]passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming (H)the [b]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures [c]in Egypt; for he looked to the (I)reward.

27 By faith (J)he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith (K)he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith (L)they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

By Faith They Overcame

30 By faith (M)the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith (N)the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who [d]did not believe, when (O)she had received the spies with peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of (P)Gideon and (Q)Barak and (R)Samson and (S)Jephthah, also of (T)David and (U)Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, (V)stopped the mouths of lions, 34 (W)quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 (X)Women received their dead raised to life again.

Others were (Y)tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and (Z)of chains and imprisonment. 37 (AA)They were stoned, they were sawn in two, [e]were tempted, were slain with the sword. (AB)They wandered about (AC)in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, (AD)in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, (AE)having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be (AF)made perfect apart from us.

The Race of Faith

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, (AG)let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and (AH)let us run (AI)with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the [f]author and [g]finisher of our faith, (AJ)who for the joy that was set before Him (AK)endured the cross, despising the shame, and (AL)has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Discipline of God(AM)

(AN)For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, (AO)lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (AP)You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

(AQ)“My son, do not despise the [h]chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For (AR)whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

(AS)If[i] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what (AT)son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, (AU)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to (AV)the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, (AW)that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no [j]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields (AX)the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality(AY)

12 Therefore (AZ)strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 (BA)Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, (BB)without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone (BC)fall short of the grace of God; lest any (BD)root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any (BE)fornicator or [k]profane person like Esau, (BF)who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was (BG)rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The Glorious Company

18 For you have not come [l]to (BH)the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and [m]darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it (BI)begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: (BJ)“And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned [n]or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, (BK)“I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the [o]general assembly and church of (BL)the firstborn (BM)who are registered in heaven, to God (BN)the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men (BO)made perfect, 24 to Jesus (BP)the Mediator of the new covenant, and to (BQ)the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things (BR)than that of Abel.

Hear the Heavenly Voice

25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For (BS)if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, (BT)“Yet once more I [p]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the (BU)removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we [q]may (BV)serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For (BW)our God is a consuming fire.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:25 temporary
  2. Hebrews 11:26 reviling because of
  3. Hebrews 11:26 NU, M of
  4. Hebrews 11:31 were disobedient
  5. Hebrews 11:37 NU omits were tempted
  6. Hebrews 12:2 originator
  7. Hebrews 12:2 perfecter
  8. Hebrews 12:5 discipline
  9. Hebrews 12:7 NU, M It is for discipline that you endure; God
  10. Hebrews 12:11 discipline
  11. Hebrews 12:16 godless
  12. Hebrews 12:18 NU to that which
  13. Hebrews 12:18 NU gloom
  14. Hebrews 12:20 NU, M omit the rest of v. 20.
  15. Hebrews 12:23 festal gathering
  16. Hebrews 12:26 NU will shake
  17. Hebrews 12:28 M omits may

Bible Gateway Recommends