Book of Common Prayer

³² And what more shall I say? The time would be too short for me to tell of Gideon, Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, also of David and Samuel, and of the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, wrought righteousness, received promises fulfilled, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the force of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the other nations. ³⁵ And the women received their dead raised to life again.

Others were racked, and would not be delivered, so that they might receive a better resurrection. ³⁶ Others tasted of mockings and scourgings; moreover of bonds and imprisonment; ³⁷ were stoned, were hewn asunder, were sorely tried, were slain with swords, walked up and down in sheepskins, in goatskins, in need, tribulation, and vexation – ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in wilderness, in mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ And these all through faith obtained good report, and yet did not obtain the promise, ⁴⁰ God providing a better thing for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

An exhortation to be patient and steadfast in trouble and adversity, in the hope of everlasting reward. A commendation of the new testament above the old.

12 Therefore let us also (seeing that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses) lay away all that presses down, and the sin that hangs on, and let us run with patience to the battle that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him suffered the cross, disregarding the shame, and is seated on the right hand of the throne of God.

⁶⁰ Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying. Who can abide the hearing of it?

⁶¹ Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, and said to them, Does this offend you? ⁶² What if you see the Son of man ascend up to where he was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit that quickens. The flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak to you, are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe. (For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that did not believe, and who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ And he said, Therefore I said to you that no one can come to me, unless it be given to him by my Father.

⁶⁶ From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve, Will you also go away? ⁶⁸ Then Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹ and we believe and know that you are Christ, the Son of the living God.

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve? And yet one of you is a devil. ⁷¹ He spoke this of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. For it was he who would betray him, and was one of the twelve.