Book of Common Prayer

³² What more should I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.

³³ Men believed God and were able to win over other nations. They made people do what was right. They got what God promised them. They were not eaten by lions.

³⁴ The big, hot fire did not burn them. They got away from men who wanted to kill them with long knives or swords. They were weak, but they became strong. They became very strong to fight. They drove away the armies of their enemies.

³⁵ Women had children who died and were raised to life again. Some people allowed themselves to be beaten to death. They would not go free because they wanted to rise again to a better life.

³⁶ Others were laughed at and beaten very hard. They were even tied with chains and put into prison.

³⁷ They were killed with stones. They were tested. They were cut in pieces. They were killed with swords. They walked about wearing skins of sheep and goats. They were very poor. They were treated very badly. They were punished.

³⁸ They were really too good to be in this world. They walked about in the desert and in the mountains, and in the holes in the hills and in the holes among the rocks on the earth.

³⁹ All of these people had good things said about them because they believed God. But they did not get what God had promised.

⁴⁰ God planned something better. They will be made perfect but only with us.

12 We have all these people all around us, proving to us that we should believe God. So then, like people running a race, we must take off everything that is heavy. We must put off all wrong, wrong things that get in our way. We must not stop running until we reach the mark that has been put in front of us.

² We must keep our eyes on Jesus. He believed from first to last. What was put in front of him made him glad, so he did not give up when the people nailed him on a cross. He did not care about the shame. And now he is sitting beside God.

⁶⁰ Many of his disciples heard it. They said, `This is a hard teaching. Who can listen to it?'

⁶¹ But Jesus knew that his disciples did not like what he said. He asked, `Is this hard for you?

⁶² What would you do if you saw the Son of Man go up to the place where he came from?

⁶³ It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh does not help. The words I say to you are Spirit and life.

⁶⁴ But even so, some of you do not believe me.' Jesus knew right from the beginning which ones of them would not believe. He knew who was going to give him over to people who hated him.

⁶⁵ Then Jesus said, `That is why I said to you, "No one can come to me unless my Father lets him come." '

⁶⁶ After that, many of the followers of Jesus left him and stopped travelling around with him.

⁶⁷ Jesus said to the twelve disciples, `Will you also leave me?'

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered, `Lord, to whom shall we go? It is you who has told us how we may live for ever.

⁶⁹ We believe now, and we know it is true. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'

⁷⁰ Jesus said to them, `Did I not choose you twelve? And one of you is a devil!'

⁷¹ Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was the one who was going to give him over to people who hated him. Judas was one of these twelve disciples.