Hebrews 11 Cross References - Goodspeed

¹ Faith means the assurance of what we hope for; it is our conviction about things that we cannot see. ² For it was by it that the men of old gained God's approval. ³ It is faith that enables us to see that the universe was created at the command of God, so that the world we see did not simply arise out of matter. ⁴ Faith made Abel's sacrifice greater in the sight of God than Cain's; through faith he gained God's approval as an upright man, for God himself approved his offering, and through faith even when he was dead he still spoke. ⁵ Faith caused Enoch to be taken up from the earth without experiencing death; he could not be found, because God had taken him up. For before he was taken up there is evidence that he pleased God, ⁶ but without faith it is impossible to please him; for whoever would approach God must have faith in his existence and in his willingness to reward those who try to find him. ⁷ Faith led Noah, when he was warned by God of things no one then saw, in obedience to the warning to build an ark in which to save his family, and by such faith he condemned the world, and came to possess that uprightness which faith produces. ⁸ Faith enabled Abraham to obey when God summoned him to leave his home for a region which he was to have for his own, and to leave home without knowing where he was going. ⁹ Faith led him to make a temporary home as a stranger in the land he had been promised, and to live there in his tents, with Isaac and Jacob, who shared the promise with him. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to that city with the sure foundations, designed and built by God. ¹¹ Faith made even Sarah herself able to have a child, although she was past the time of life for it, because she thought, that he who had made the promise would keep it. ¹² And so from one man, for any prospect of descendants as good as dead, there sprang a people in number like the stars in the heavens or the countless sands on the seashore. ¹³ All these people lived all their lives in faith, and died without receiving what had been promised; they only saw it far ahead and welcomed the sight of it, recognizing that they themselves were only foreigners and strangers here on earth. ¹⁴ For men who recognize that show that they are in search of a country of their own. ¹⁵ And if it had been the country from which they had come to which their thoughts turned back, they would have found an opportunity to return to it. ¹⁶ But, as it is, their aspirations are for a better, a heavenly country! That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city to receive them. ¹⁷ Faith enabled Abraham, when he was put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had accepted God's promises was ready to sacrifice his only son, ¹⁸ of whom he had been told, "Your posterity is to arise through Isaac!" ¹⁹ For he believed that God was able to raise men even from the dead, and from the dead he did indeed, to speak figuratively, receive him back. ²⁰ Faith enabled Isaac to bequeath to Jacob and Esau blessings that were still to be. ²¹ Faith made Jacob when he was dying give a blessing to each of Joseph's sons, and bow in worship even while leaning on his staff. ²² Faith inspired Joseph when he was dying to tell of the future migration of the Israelites, and to give instructions about his own body. ²³ Faith led Moses' parents to hide him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child and they would not respect the edict of the king. ²⁴ Faith made Moses, when he was grown up, refuse to be known as a son of Pharaoh's daughter, ²⁵ for he preferred sharing the hardships of God's people to a short-lived enjoyment of sin, ²⁶ and thought such contempt as the Christ endured was truer wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the coming reward. ²⁷ Faith made him leave Egypt, unafraid of the king's anger, for he persevered as though he saw him who is unseen. ²⁸ Faith made him institute the Passover and splash the blood upon the door-posts, to keep the angel that destroyed the firstborn from touching them. ²⁹ Faith enabled them to cross the Red Sea as though it were dry land, although the Egyptians when they tried to follow them across it were drowned. ³⁰ Faith made the walls of Jericho fall, after they had marched around them each day for seven days. ³¹ Faith saved Rahab the prostitute from being destroyed with those who disobeyed God, because she had given a friendly welcome to the scouts. ³² And why should I go on? For my time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, ³³ who by their faith conquered kingdoms, attained uprightness, received new promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ put out furious fires, escaped death by the sword, found strength in their time of weakness, proved mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women had their dead restored to them by resurrection. Others endured torture, and refused to accept release, that they might rise again to the better life. ³⁶ Still others had to endure taunts and blows, and even fetters and prison. ³⁷ They were stoned to death, they were tortured to death, they were sawed in two, they were killed with the sword. Clothed in the skins of sheep or goats, they were driven from place to place, destitute, persecuted, misused— ³⁸ men of whom the world was not worthy wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. ³⁹ Yet though they all gained God's approval by their faith, they none of them received what he had promised, ⁴⁰ for God had resolved upon something still better for us, that they might not reach the fulfilment of their hopes except with us.

¹ The ancestry of Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, who was descended from Abraham.

⁵ and Salmon of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. And Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. And Obed was the father of Jesse,

⁴ John wore clothing made of hair cloth, and he had a leather belt around his waist, and he lived on dried locusts and wild honey.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming?

¹⁰ "Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them! ¹¹ "Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account. ¹² Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you!

¹² Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you!

¹ "But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

¹ "But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven. ² So when you are going to give to charity, do not blow a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and the streets, to make people praise them. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get!

⁵ "When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, to let people see them. I tell you, that is the only reward they will get!

¹⁶ "When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they neglect their personal appearance to let people see that they are fasting. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get.

³³ But you must make his kingdom, and uprightness before him, your greatest care, and you will have all these other things besides.

²⁴ "Everyone, therefore, who listens to this teaching of mine and acts upon it, will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew, and beat about that house, and it did not go down, for its foundations were on rock.

²⁰ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and wild birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head!"

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came up to him, and he said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" They said to him, "Yes, sir."

²² You will be hated by everybody on my account, but the man who holds out to the very end will be saved.

²⁸ Have no fear of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. You had better be afraid of one who can destroy both soul and body in the pit.

⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have the same reward as a prophet, and whoever welcomes an upright man because he is upright will have the same reward as an upright man.

⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have the same reward as a prophet, and whoever welcomes an upright man because he is upright will have the same reward as an upright man. ⁴² And no one who will give the humblest of my disciples even a cup of cold water because he is my disciple, I tell you, can ever fail of his reward."

⁴¹ Men of Nineveh will rise with this age at the judgment and condemn it, for when Jonah preached they repented, and there is more than Jonah here! ⁴² The queen of the south will rise with this age at the judgment and condemn it, for she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and there is more than Solomon here!

¹⁷ For I tell you, many prophets and upright men have longed to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it.

²¹ but it takes no real root in him, and lasts only a little while, and when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, he gives it up at once.

¹⁹ and hand him over to the heathen to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised to life."

³⁵ But the tenants took his slaves and beat one and killed another and stoned a third.

³⁰ For after the resurrection there is no marrying or being married, but they live as angels do in heaven. ³¹ But as to the resurrection of the dead, did you never read what was said to you by God, ³² 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of dead men but of living!"

³⁴ This is why I am going to send you prophets, wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and hunt from one town to another; ³⁵ it is that on your heads may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of Abel the upright to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar!

³⁵ it is that on your heads may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of Abel the upright to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar! ³⁶ I tell you, all this will come upon this age! ³⁷ "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! murdering the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused!

¹³ But he who holds out to the end will be saved.

¹⁵ "So when you see the dreadful desecration, of which the prophet Daniel spoke, set up in the Holy Place"—the reader must take note of this—

²⁵ Here I have told you beforehand.

³⁸ For just as in those days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and being married, until the very day Noah entered the ark,

³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take possession of the kingdom which has been destined for you from the creation of the world.

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas for them, and he had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.

¹⁷ but it takes no real root in them and they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes because of the message they give it up at once.

³⁸ For if anyone is ashamed of me and my teachings in this unfaithful and sinful age, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes back in his Father's glory, with the holy angels."

³⁴ and they will ridicule him and spit on him and flog him and kill him; and three days after he will rise again."

²⁵ For when people rise from the dead, there is no marrying or being married, but they live as angels do in heaven. ²⁶ But as to the dead being raised, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

¹³ You will be hated by everyone, because you bear my name. But he who holds out to the end will be saved.

¹⁷ And signs like these will attend those who believe: with my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in foreign tongues;

³⁶ And your relative, Elizabeth, although she is old, is going to give birth to a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was said to be barren.

³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Maleleel, the son of Cainan,

³⁵ But love your enemies, and help them and lend to them, never despairing, and you will be richly rewarded, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked.

¹² As he came up to the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out; he was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A crowd of the townspeople was with her. ¹³ And when the Master saw her, he pitied her, and said to her, "Do not weep." ¹⁴ And he went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, "Young man, I tell you, wake up!" ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him back to his mother. ¹⁶ And they were all overcome with awe, and they praised God, and said, "A great prophet has appeared among us!" and "God has not forgotten his people!"

²³ And he turned to his disciples when they were alone, and said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴ For I tell you, many prophets and kings have wished to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it!"

³¹ The queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation at the Judgment and will condemn them, for she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and there is more than Solomon here! ³² Men of Nineveh will rise with this generation at the Judgment and will condemn it, for they repented at Jonah's preaching, and there is more than Jonah here.

⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you! This age will be charged with it all!

⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you! This age will be charged with it all! ⁵² Alas for you experts in the Law! For you have taken the key to the door of knowledge, but you have not entered it yourselves, and you have kept out those who tried to enter." ⁵³ After he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began to watch him closely and to try to draw him out on many subjects, ⁵⁴ plotting to entrap him in something he might say.

⁴ I tell you, who are my friends, have no fear of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. ⁵ I will show you whom to fear: fear him who, after killing you, has power to hurl you into the pit. Yes, fear him, I tell you.

¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have great wealth stored up for years to come. Now take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." ' ²⁰ But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. Then who will have all you have prepared?'

³¹ But you must strive to find his kingdom, and you will have these other things besides. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

²⁸ There you will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, while you are put outside.

³⁴ O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! murdering the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused!

¹⁴ Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright."

²⁵ And Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus had his misfortunes in his; and now he is being comforted here, while you are in anguish.

³¹ He answered, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!' "

²⁶ In the time of the Son of Man it will be just as it was in the time of Noah.

³² For he will be handed over to the heathen, and ridiculed and insulted and spat upon,

³⁶ For they cannot die again; they are like the angels, and through sharing in the resurrection, they are sons of God. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised to life, even Moses indicated in the passage about the bush, when he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'

¹¹ And Herod and his guards made light of him and ridiculed him, and they put a gorgeous robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

³⁶ The soldiers also made sport of him, coming up and offering him sour wine,

³ Everything came into existence through him, and apart from him nothing came to be.

¹⁶ For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that no one who believes in him should be lost, but that they should all have eternal life.

¹⁸ No one who believes in him has to come up for judgment. Anyone who does not believe stands condemned already, for not believing in God's only Son. ¹⁹ And the basis of the judgment is this, that the light has come into the world, and yet, because their actions were wicked, men have loved the darkness more than the light.

²⁹ and those who have done right will come out to resurrection and life, and those who have done wrong, to resurrection and judgment.

²⁴ That is why I said to you that you would die in the midst of your sins, for unless you believe that I am what I say, you will die in the midst of your sins."

⁵¹ I tell you, if anyone observes my teaching, he will never experience death." ⁵² The Jews said to him, "Now we are sure that you are possessed! Abraham is dead and so are the prophets, and yet you say, 'If anyone observes my teaching, he will never know what death is!'

⁵⁶ Your forefather Abraham exulted at the thought of seeing my coming. He has seen it, and it has made him glad."

³¹ The Jews again picked up stones to stone him with. ³² Jesus answered, "I have let you see many good things from the Father; which of them do you mean to stone me for?" ³³ The Jews answered, "We are not stoning you for doing anything good, but for your impious talk, and because you, a mere man, make yourself out to be God."

⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, "Have I not promised you that if you will believe in me you will see the glory of God?" ⁴¹ So they moved the stone away. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for listening to me, ⁴² though I knew that you always listen to me. But I have said this for the sake of the people that are standing around me that they may believe that you have made me your messenger." ⁴³ After saying this he called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and with his face muffled with a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him move." ⁴⁵ So it came about that many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and saw what Jesus did, came to believe in him,

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw his glory; it was of him that he spoke.

² There are many rooms in my Father's house; if there were not, I would have told you, for I am going away to make ready a place for you.

⁶ Jesus said to him, "I am Way and Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

²⁵ There are many other things that Jesus did, so many in fact that if they were all written out, I do not suppose that the world itself would hold the books that would have to be written.

²⁵ For David says of him, 'I constantly regarded the Lord before me, For he is at my right hand, so that I may not be displaced.

²⁹ "Brothers, one may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his grave is here among us to this very day. ³⁰ But as he was a prophet, and knew that God had promised him with an oath that he would put one of his descendants upon his throne, ³¹ he foresaw the resurrection of the Christ and told of it, for he was not deserted in death and his body was not destroyed.

²⁴ Why, all the prophets from Samuel down, who have spoken, have also foretold these days.

³ They arrested them, and as it was already evening, they shut them up until next morning.

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, "You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you instead of him,

¹⁸ and they had the apostles arrested and put in the common jail.

⁴⁰ They were convinced by him, and they called the apostles in and had them flogged, and warned them not to speak about the name of Jesus, and then let them go. ⁴¹ So they went out from before the council, glad that they had been thought worthy to bear disgrace for the sake of Jesus,

² He answered, "Brothers and fathers, listen. The glorious God appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, ³ and he said to him, 'Leave your country and your relatives and come to the country that I will show you.' ⁴ So he left the country of the Chaldeans and went to live in Haran, and from there after the death of his father, God caused him to move into this country where you now live. ⁵ He gave him no property in it, not a single foot, but he promised to give it to him and his posterity after him permanently, though he had no children at that time. ⁶ This was what God said: 'His descendants will be strangers, living in a foreign land, and they will be enslaved and misused for four hundred years,

¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

²⁰ It was at this time that Moses was born. He was a wonderfully beautiful child, and for three months he was taken care of in his father's house. ²¹ When he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh adopted him and brought him up as her own son. ²² So Moses was educated in all the Egyptian culture; he was strong in speech and action. ²³ When he was forty years old, it occurred to him to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. ²⁴ Seeing one of them being imposed upon, he interfered and defended the man who was being ill treated, striking down the Egyptian.

²⁴ Seeing one of them being imposed upon, he interfered and defended the man who was being ill treated, striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him as the means of delivering them, but they did not.

³² 'I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses was terrified and did not dare to look at it.

⁵² Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? They killed the men who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and killed—

⁵⁸ and dragged him out of the city and stoned him, the witnesses throwing down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ As they stoned Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

³ But Saul harassed the church. He went into one house after another, and dragging out men and women, put them in prison.

⁴¹ He gave her his hand and raised her to her feet, and calling in the believers and the widows, he gave her back to them alive.

⁴³ It is of him that all the prophets bear witness that everyone that believes in him will have his sins forgiven in his name."

² He had John's brother, James, beheaded, ³ and when he saw that this gratified the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, at the time of the festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ He had him seized and put in jail, with four squads of soldiers to guard him, meaning after the Passover to bring him out before the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in the jail, but the church was praying earnestly to God for him. ⁶ The night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter was asleep between two soldiers, and fastened with two chains, and watchmen were at the door, guarding the jail, ⁷ when an angel of the Lord stood at his side, and a light shone in the room, and striking Peter on the side, he woke him, and said to him, "Get up quickly!" The chains dropped from his hands, ⁸ and the angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals!" And he did so. Then he said to him, "Put on your coat and follow me!" ⁹ So he followed him out without knowing that what the angel was doing was real, for he thought he was having a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first guard and then the second, and came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened to them of itself, and they passed out and went along one street, when suddenly the angel left him. ¹¹ Then Peter came to himself, and he said, "Now I am certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the power of Herod and all that the Jewish people were expecting." ¹² When he realized his situation, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a number of people were gathered, praying. ¹³ When he knocked at the outer door, a maid named Rhoda came to answer it, ¹⁴ and when she recognized Peter's voice, in her joy she did not stop to open the door, but ran in and told them that Peter was standing outside. ¹⁵ But they said to her, "You are crazy!" But she insisted that it was so. Then they said, "Then it is his guardian angel!" ¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him they were amazed. ¹⁷ He motioned to them to be quiet, and then related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. "Tell all this to James and the brothers," he said. Then he left them and went somewhere else. ¹⁸ But when morning came, there was no little commotion among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ Herod had inquiries made for him, and when he could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he left Judea for Caesarea, and stayed there.

²⁰ After that he gave them judges, down to the time of the prophet Samuel.

²² Then he removed him and raised David up to be their king, bearing this testimony to him: 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my own heart, who will do all that I desire.' ²³ It is from his descendants that God has brought to Israel as he promised to do, a savior in Jesus, ²⁴ in preparation for whose coming John had preached to all the people of Israel baptism in token of repentance. ²⁵ Toward the end of his career, John said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he! No! Someone is coming after me, the shoes on whose feet I am not fit to untie!' ²⁶ Brothers! Descendants of the house of Abraham, and those others among you who reverence God! It is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For the people of Jerusalem and their leaders refused to recognize him, and condemned him, thus fulfilling the very utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, ²⁸ and though they could find no ground for putting him to death, they demanded of Pilate that he be executed. ²⁹ When they had carried out everything that had been said about him in the Scriptures, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days he appeared to those who had come up to Jerusalem with him from Galilee, and they are now witnesses for him to the people. ³² So we now bring you the good news ³³ that God has fulfilled to us, their children, the promise that he made to our forefathers, by raising Jesus to life, just as the Scripture says in the second psalm, You are my Son! Today I have become your Father!' ³⁴ Now as evidence that he has raised him from the dead, never again to return to decay, he said this: 'I will fulfil to you my sacred promises to David.' ³⁵ For in another psalm he says, 'You will not let your Holy One undergo decay.' ³⁶ Now David, after serving God's purposes in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his forefathers and did undergo decay,

¹⁵ and shouting, "Friends, why are you doing this? We are only human beings like you, and we bring you the good news that you should turn from these follies to a living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that they contain.

¹⁹ But some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and won the people over, and they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead.

²² The crowd also joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and beaten. ²³ After beating them severely, they put them in jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch of them. ²⁴ He, having had such strict orders, put them into the inner cell, and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ suddenly there was such an earthquake that the jail shook to its foundations; all the doors flew open, and everybody's chains were unfastened. ²⁷ It woke up the jailer, and when he saw that the doors of the jail were open, he drew his sword and was just going to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted out, "Do not do yourself any harm! We are all here!" ²⁹ Then he called for lights and rushed in, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. ³⁰ He led them out of the jail and said to them, "Gentlemen, what must I do to be saved?" ³¹ "Believe in the Lord Jesus," they said, "and you and your household will be saved!" ³² Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household. ³³ And right then in the night, he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all his household were baptized immediately. ³⁴ Then he took them up to his house and offered them food, and he and all his household were very happy over their new faith in God. ³⁵ In the morning the magistrates sent policemen with instructions to let the men go. ³⁶ The jailer reported this message to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent orders that you are to be released. So you can take your leave and go unmolested." ³⁷ But Paul said to them, "They had us beaten in public without giving us a trial, and put us in jail, although we are Roman citizens! And now are they going to dismiss us secretly? By no means! Have them come here themselves and take us out!" ³⁸ The policemen delivered this message to the magistrates, and they were alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens, ³⁹ and came and conciliated them, and took them out of the jail, and begged them to leave the town. ⁴⁰ After leaving the jail they went to Lydia's house, and saw the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left the town.

²⁴ God who created the world and all that is in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by human hands,

²¹ but earnestly urged Greeks as well as Jews to turn to God in repentance and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

²³ except that in every town I visit, the holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and persecution are awaiting me. ²⁴ But my life does not matter, if I can only finish my race and do the service intrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of declaring the good news of God's favor.

³³ Then the colonel came up and seized him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains, and then inquired who he was and what he had been doing.

²⁴ the colonel ordered Paul brought into the barracks, and gave directions that he should be examined under the lash, so that he might find out why they made such an outcry against him. ²⁵ But when they had strapped him up, Paul said to the officer who was standing near, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen, and without giving him a trial?"

²⁹ Then the men who had been going to examine him immediately left him, and the colonel himself was alarmed to find that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had had him bound.

⁶ Knowing that part of them were Sadducees and part of them Pharisees, Paul called out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and the son of Pharisees! It is for my hope for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial!"

¹⁵ and I have the same hope in God that they themselves hold, that there is to be a resurrection of the upright and the wicked.

²⁷ But when two whole years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and as he wanted to gratify the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison.

⁵ through whom we have received God's favor and been commissioned in his name to urge obedience and faith upon all the heathen,

¹⁷ In it God's way of uprightness is disclosed through faith and for faith, just as the Scripture says, "The upright will have life because of his faith."

¹⁹ For all that can be known of God is clearly before them; God has shown it to them. ²⁰ Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature—his eternal power and divine character—have been clearly perceptible through what he has made. So they have no excuse, ²¹ for, though they knew God, they have not honored him as God or given thanks to him, but they have indulged in futile speculations, until their stupid minds have become dark.

⁵ But if our wrongdoing brings out the uprightness of God, what are we to say? Is it wrong in God (I am putting it in ordinary human terms) to inflict punishment?

²² It is God's way of uprightness and comes through having faith in Jesus Christ, and it is for all who have faith, without distinction.

²⁵ For God showed him publicly dying as a sacrifice of reconciliation to be taken advantage of through faith. This was to vindicate his own justice (for in his forbearance, God passed over men's former sins)— ²⁶ to vindicate his justice at the present time, and show that he is upright himself, and that he makes those who have faith in Jesus upright also.

¹ Then what are we to say about our ancestor Abraham?

¹¹ and he was afterward given the mark of circumcision as the stamp of God's acknowledgment of the uprightness based on faith that was his before he was circumcised, so that he should be the forefather of all who, without being circumcised, have faith and so are credited with uprightness,

¹³ For the promise made to Abraham and his descendants that the world should belong to him did not come to him or his descendants through the Law, but through the uprightness that resulted from his faith.

¹⁷ as the Scripture says, "I have made you the father of many nations." The promise is guaranteed in the very sight of God in whom he had faith, who can bring the dead to life and call into being what does not exist.

¹⁷ as the Scripture says, "I have made you the father of many nations." The promise is guaranteed in the very sight of God in whom he had faith, who can bring the dead to life and call into being what does not exist.

¹⁷ as the Scripture says, "I have made you the father of many nations." The promise is guaranteed in the very sight of God in whom he had faith, who can bring the dead to life and call into being what does not exist. ¹⁸ Abraham, hoping against hope, had faith, and so became the father of many nations, in fulfilment of the Scripture, "So countless shall your descendants be."

¹⁸ Abraham, hoping against hope, had faith, and so became the father of many nations, in fulfilment of the Scripture, "So countless shall your descendants be." ¹⁹ His faith did not weaken, although he realized that his own body was worn out, for he was about a hundred years old, and that Sarah was past bearing children.

¹⁹ His faith did not weaken, although he realized that his own body was worn out, for he was about a hundred years old, and that Sarah was past bearing children. ²⁰ He did not incredulously question God's promise, but his faith gave him power and he praised God ²¹ in the full assurance that God was able to do what he had promised.

²¹ in the full assurance that God was able to do what he had promised.

³ More than that, we ought to glory in our troubles, for we know that trouble produces endurance,

¹⁴ Still death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned as Adam had, in the face of an express command. So Adam foreshadowed the one who was to come.

¹ Then what shall we conclude? Are we to continue to sin to increase the spread of mercy?

¹⁷ But, thank God! though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from your hearts to the standard of teaching that you received,

⁷ Then what shall we conclude? That the Law is sin? Certainly not! Yet, if it had not been for the Law, I should never have learned what sin was; I should not have known what it was to covet if the Law had not said, "You must not covet."

⁸ Those who are physical cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not physical but spiritual, if God's Spirit has really taken possession of you; for unless a man has Christ's spirit, he does not belong to Christ.

¹⁷ and if children, heirs also; heirs of God, and fellow-heirs with Christ, if we really share his sufferings in order to share his glory too. ¹⁸ For I consider what we suffer now not to be compared with the glory that is to burst upon us.

²³ More than that, we ourselves, though we have in the Spirit a foretaste of the future, groan to ourselves as we wait to be declared God's sons, through the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ It was in this hope that we were saved. But a hope that can be seen is not a hope, for who hopes for what he sees?

²⁴ It was in this hope that we were saved. But a hope that can be seen is not a hope, for who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But when we hope for something that we do not see, we wait persistently for it.

³⁵ Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble or misfortune or persecution or hunger or destitution or danger or the sword? ³⁶ As the Scripture says, "For your sake we are being put to death all day long, We are treated like sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷ But in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor their hierarchies nor the present nor the future ³⁹ nor any supernatural forces either of height or depth will be able to separate us from the love God has shown in Christ Jesus our Lord!

⁷ nor are they all children of Abraham because they are descended from him, but he was told, "The line of Isaac will be called your descendants."

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out about Israel, "Although the sons of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,

³⁰ Then what do we conclude? That heathen who were not striving for uprightness attained it, that is, an uprightness which was produced by faith;

⁶ But this is what the uprightness that springs from faith says: "Do not say to yourself, 'Who will go up to heaven?' " that is, to bring Christ down;

¹⁴ But how are they to call upon him if they have not believed in him? And how are they to believe him if they have never heard him? And how are they to hear unless someone preaches to them?

¹⁶ It is true, they have not all accepted the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what we have told?"

⁹ For it seems to me, God has exhibited us apostles at the very end of the procession, like the men condemned to die in the arena. For we have become a spectacle to the whole universe, angels as well as men. ¹⁰ We are made fools of, for the sake of Christ, while you are men of sense, through being united with him. We are weak, you are strong. You are distinguished, we are despised. ¹¹ To this day we have gone hungry, thirsty, and ill-clad; we have had rough usage, we have had no home, ¹² we have worked with our hands for a living. When people abuse us, we bless them, when they persecute us, we put up with it, ¹³ when they slander us, we try to conciliate them. We have come to be like the scum of the earth, the dregs of the world, and we are so now.

⁷ It will bear anything, believe anything, hope for anything, endure anything.

¹³ So faith, hope, and love endure. These are the great three, and the greatest of them is love.

⁵⁴ And when this mortal nature puts on immortality, then what the Scripture says will come true—"Death has been triumphantly destroyed.

¹⁸ because I keep my eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

¹⁸ because I keep my eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

¹ For I know that if this earthly tent that I live in is taken down, God will provide me a building in heaven to live in, not built by human hands but eternal.

⁷ (for I have to guide my steps by faith, not by what is seen)—

¹⁷ So if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new being; the old state of things has passed away; there is a new state of things.

¹⁰ pained, when I am always glad, poor, when I make many others rich, penniless, when really I own everything.

¹² If a man is willing to give, the value of his gift is in its proportion to what he has, not to what he has not.

⁴ for if some people from Macedonia come with me, and find that you are not ready, it will humiliate me—to say nothing of you—for having expressed such confidence.

⁴ for the weapons I use are not earthly ones, but divinely strong for destroying fortresses. ⁵ I destroy arguments and every obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought and make it obey Christ,

⁵ I destroy arguments and every obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought and make it obey Christ,

¹⁷ When I boast in this reckless way, I do not say what I am saying for the Lord, but as a fool would talk.

²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death.

²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I have been given one less than forty lashes, by the Jews.

²⁴ Five times I have been given one less than forty lashes, by the Jews. ²⁵ I have been beaten three times by the Romans, I have been stoned once, I have been shipwrecked three times, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea;

²⁵ I have been beaten three times by the Romans, I have been stoned once, I have been shipwrecked three times, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; ²⁶ with my frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the heathen, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, ²⁷ through toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, often without food, and exposed to cold.

⁹ and he said to me, "My favor is enough for you, for only where there is weakness is perfect strength developed." So I am perfectly willing to boast of all my weakness, so that the strength of Christ may shelter me. ¹⁰ That is why I am pleased with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, when they are endured for Christ's sake, for it is when I am weak that I am strong.

¹⁰ That is why I am pleased with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, when they are endured for Christ's sake, for it is when I am weak that I am strong.

¹⁶ Now the promises were made to Abraham and his line. It does not say, "and to your lines," in the plural, but in the singular, "and to your line," that is, Christ.

⁵ But we, by the Spirit, through faith wait for the uprightness we hope for. ⁶ For in union with Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor the want of it counts for anything, but only faith acting through love.

¹⁸ enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people,

¹⁹ So you are no longer foreigners or strangers, but you are fellow-citizens of God's people and members of his family.

¹ This is why I, Paul, whom Jesus the Christ has made a prisoner for the sake of you heathen—

⁸ To me, the very least of all his people, this favor has been given, of preaching to the heathen the inexhaustible wealth of the Christ,

²⁰ To him who by the exertion of his power within us can do unutterably more than all we ask or imagine,

¹ So I, the prisoner for the Lord's sake, appeal to you to live lives worthy of the summons you have received;

²³ I am undecided between the two, for I long to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better,

⁷ But for the sake of Christ I have come to count my former gains as loss.

⁹ and be known to be united to him, with any uprightness I may have not based on law but coming through faith in Christ—the uprightness that comes from God through faith.

¹¹ in the hope of attaining resurrection from the dead.

²⁰ But the commonwealth to which we belong is in heaven, and from it we are eagerly awaiting the coming of a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴ At present I am glad to be suffering in your interest, and I am making up in my own person what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the church, which is his body.

⁴ God has thought us fit to be intrusted with the good news, and so we tell it, making no effort to please men, but to please God, who tests our hearts.

³ We always have to thank God for you, brothers, as it is right that we should, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. ⁴ As a result, we ourselves speak of you with pride in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in the face of all the persecutions and troubles you are having to endure. ⁵ This is a proof of God's justice in judging, and it is to prove you worthy of the Kingdom of God, for the sake of which you are suffering, ⁶ since God considers it only just to repay with suffering those who are making you suffer

¹⁷ To the eternal King, immortal and invisible, the one God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

¹⁶ who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

⁸ So you must not be ashamed to testify to our Lord, nor be ashamed of me who am in prison for his sake, but join with me in suffering for the good news, through the power of God.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often cheered me and was not ashamed of my being in prison.

³ Share my hardships like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ Anyone who is in the army keeps from being involved in business affairs, so as to please the officer who enlisted him. ⁵ No one who competes in the games is awarded a crown unless he obeys the rules. ⁶ The farmer who does the work ought to be the first to have some of the produce. ⁷ Think over what I say. For the Lord will help you to understand it perfectly. ⁸ Remember Jesus Christ as risen from the dead, and descended from David, as I preach the good news, ⁹ for the sake of which I even suffer imprisonment as a criminal. But God's message is not imprisoned!

⁹ for the sake of which I even suffer imprisonment as a criminal. But God's message is not imprisoned! ¹⁰ For that reason I am ready to submit to anything for the sake of those whom God has chosen, so that they too may gain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and brings eternal glory.

¹¹ my persecutions, my sufferings—the things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the persecutions I endured; yet the Lord brought me safely out of them all. ¹² But everyone who wants to live a godly life as a follower of Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me, and gave me strength, so that I might make a full presentation of the message and let all the heathen hear it. So I was saved from the jaws of the lion. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from any harm and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹ Paul, a slave of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to arouse faith in those whom God has chosen, and the comprehension of religious truth,

¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they disown him by what they do; they are detestable, disobedient men, worthless for any good purpose.

² but in these latter days he has spoken to us in a Son, whom he had destined to possess everything, and through whom he had made the world.

² For if the message delivered by angels proved to be authentic, and every violation or neglect of it led to a corresponding penalty, ³ how can we escape if we pay no attention to such a salvation as this? It was first proclaimed by the Lord himself, and it was guaranteed to us by those who heard him,

¹¹ For both he who purifies them and they who are purified spring from one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

⁴ For every house has a builder, and the builder of the universe is God.

¹² See to it, my brothers, that no one of you has a wicked, unbelieving heart, that turns away from the ever-living God,

¹⁴ For we are true partners with Christ if we really keep the conviction that we had at first unshaken to the very end.

¹⁸ And who was it to whom God made oath that they should not be admitted to his Rest, if it was not to those who had disobeyed him?

¹⁸ And who was it to whom God made oath that they should not be admitted to his Rest, if it was not to those who had disobeyed him? ¹⁹ So we see that it was their unbelief that kept them from being admitted to it.

² For we have had good news preached to us, just as they did, but the message they heard did them no good because they did not agree through faith with what they heard.

⁶ Since then it is still true that somebody will be admitted to it, and those who had a gospel preached to them before were not admitted because of their disobedience,

⁹ So there must still be a promised Sabbath of Rest for God's people.

⁷ For Jesus in his life on earth offered prayers and entreaties, crying aloud with tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and because of his piety his prayer was heard.

⁹ and when he was fully qualified, he became a source of unending salvation for all who obey him,

¹² so that you may never grow careless, but may learn to follow the example of those who through their faith and endurance are the possessors of God's promises.

¹² so that you may never grow careless, but may learn to follow the example of those who through their faith and endurance are the possessors of God's promises. ¹³ For when God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to make oath by, he did so by himself, ¹⁴ and said, "I will certainly bless you richly, and greatly increase your numbers." ¹⁵ And so after waiting patiently, he received what God had promised him.

¹⁵ And so after waiting patiently, he received what God had promised him.

¹⁷ Therefore, God in his desire to make it perfectly clear to those to whom he made his promise, that his purpose was unalterable, bound himself with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by these two unalterable things, which make it impossible for God to break his promise, we who have taken refuge with him may be greatly encouraged to seize upon the hope that is offered to us. ¹⁹ This hope is like an anchor for our souls. It reaches up secure and strong into the sanctuary behind the heavenly curtain,

⁶ But this man, whose ancestry is not connected with theirs, collected tithes from Abraham himself, and gave his blessing to the man who had received the promises from God.

¹⁹ (for there was nothing final about the Law), and a better hope begins to dawn, through which we may approach God.

²² the agreement which he guarantees is better than the old one,

²⁵ Therefore, he is able to save forever all who come to God through him, because he lives and intercedes for them forever.

⁶ But, as it is, the priestly service to which Christ has been appointed is as much better than the old as the agreement established by him and the promises on which it is based are superior to the former ones.

⁸ In all this the holy Spirit was seeking to show that there was no free access to the sanctuary while the outer tent was still standing. ⁹ And all this looked toward the present time and was symbolic of the fact that the mere offering of material gifts and sacrifices cannot inwardly qualify the worshiper to approach God, ¹⁰ since they have to do only with food and drink and various washings—material regulations in force only until the time for the new order. ¹¹ But when Christ came, as the high priest of the better system under which we live, he went once for all, through that greater, more perfect tent of worship not made by human hands nor a part of our material creation, into the sanctuary, ¹² taking with him no blood of goats and calves, but his own, and secured our permanent deliverance. ¹³ For if sprinkling ceremonially defiled persons with the blood of bulls and goats and with the ashes of a heifer purifies them physically, ¹⁴ how much more surely will the blood of the Christ, who with the eternal Spirit made himself an unblemished offering to God, purify our consciences from the old wrongdoing for the worship of the everliving God? ¹⁵ And this is why he is the negotiator of a new agreement, in order that as someone has died to deliver them from the offenses committed under the old agreement, those who have been offered it may receive the unending inheritance they have been promised.

¹⁹ For when Moses had told all the regulations of the Law to all the people, he took calves' and goats' blood, along with water, crimson wool, and a bunch of hyssop, and sprinkled the roll of the Law and all the people,

²² In fact, under the Law, almost everything is purified with blood, and unless blood is poured out nothing is forgiven. ²³ By such means, therefore, these things that were only copied from the originals in heaven had to be purified, but the heavenly originals themselves required far better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For it was not a sanctuary made by human hands and only copied after the true one that Christ entered, but he went into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God.

¹¹ Every other priest stands officiating day after day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices, though they were powerless ever to remove people's sins. ¹² But Christ has offered for all time one sacrifice for sin, and has taken his seat at God's right hand, ¹³ from that time waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by that one sacrifice he has forever qualified those who are purified from sin to approach God.

²² let us draw near to God in sincerity of heart and with perfect faith, with our hearts cleansed from the sense of sin, and our bodies washed with clean water. ²³ Let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we profess, for he who has given us his promise may be trusted.

³² But you must remember those early days when after you had received the light you had to go through a great struggle with persecution, ³³ sometimes being actually exposed as a public spectacle to insults and violence, and sometimes showing yourselves ready to share the lot of those in that condition. ³⁴ For you showed sympathy with those who were in prison, and you put up with it cheerfully when your property was taken from you, for you knew that you had in yourselves a greater possession that was lasting. ³⁵ You must not lose your courage, for it will be richly rewarded, ³⁶ but you will need endurance if you are to carry out God's will and receive the blessing he has promised.

³⁹ But we will not draw back and perish, but we will have faith and save our souls.

¹ Faith means the assurance of what we hope for; it is our conviction about things that we cannot see. ² For it was by it that the men of old gained God's approval. ³ It is faith that enables us to see that the universe was created at the command of God, so that the world we see did not simply arise out of matter. ⁴ Faith made Abel's sacrifice greater in the sight of God than Cain's; through faith he gained God's approval as an upright man, for God himself approved his offering, and through faith even when he was dead he still spoke.

⁴ Faith made Abel's sacrifice greater in the sight of God than Cain's; through faith he gained God's approval as an upright man, for God himself approved his offering, and through faith even when he was dead he still spoke.

⁴ Faith made Abel's sacrifice greater in the sight of God than Cain's; through faith he gained God's approval as an upright man, for God himself approved his offering, and through faith even when he was dead he still spoke. ⁵ Faith caused Enoch to be taken up from the earth without experiencing death; he could not be found, because God had taken him up. For before he was taken up there is evidence that he pleased God, ⁶ but without faith it is impossible to please him; for whoever would approach God must have faith in his existence and in his willingness to reward those who try to find him.

⁶ but without faith it is impossible to please him; for whoever would approach God must have faith in his existence and in his willingness to reward those who try to find him. ⁷ Faith led Noah, when he was warned by God of things no one then saw, in obedience to the warning to build an ark in which to save his family, and by such faith he condemned the world, and came to possess that uprightness which faith produces.

⁷ Faith led Noah, when he was warned by God of things no one then saw, in obedience to the warning to build an ark in which to save his family, and by such faith he condemned the world, and came to possess that uprightness which faith produces. ⁸ Faith enabled Abraham to obey when God summoned him to leave his home for a region which he was to have for his own, and to leave home without knowing where he was going.

¹⁰ For he was looking forward to that city with the sure foundations, designed and built by God. ¹¹ Faith made even Sarah herself able to have a child, although she was past the time of life for it, because she thought, that he who had made the promise would keep it. ¹² And so from one man, for any prospect of descendants as good as dead, there sprang a people in number like the stars in the heavens or the countless sands on the seashore. ¹³ All these people lived all their lives in faith, and died without receiving what had been promised; they only saw it far ahead and welcomed the sight of it, recognizing that they themselves were only foreigners and strangers here on earth. ¹⁴ For men who recognize that show that they are in search of a country of their own.

¹⁶ But, as it is, their aspirations are for a better, a heavenly country! That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city to receive them. ¹⁷ Faith enabled Abraham, when he was put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had accepted God's promises was ready to sacrifice his only son,

²⁶ and thought such contempt as the Christ endured was truer wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the coming reward. ²⁷ Faith made him leave Egypt, unafraid of the king's anger, for he persevered as though he saw him who is unseen.

³³ who by their faith conquered kingdoms, attained uprightness, received new promises, shut the mouths of lions,

³⁷ They were stoned to death, they were tortured to death, they were sawed in two, they were killed with the sword. Clothed in the skins of sheep or goats, they were driven from place to place, destitute, persecuted, misused—

³⁹ Yet though they all gained God's approval by their faith, they none of them received what he had promised,

¹ Therefore, let us too, with such a crowd of witnesses about us, throw off every impediment and the entanglement of sin, and run with determination the race for which we are entered,

¹ Therefore, let us too, with such a crowd of witnesses about us, throw off every impediment and the entanglement of sin, and run with determination the race for which we are entered, ² fixing our eyes upon Jesus, our leader and example in faith, who in place of the happiness that belonged to him, submitted to a cross, caring nothing for its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Think of the opposition that he encountered from those sinners against themselves, if you would not grow weary and faint-hearted.

²² But you have come up to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels, ²³ to the solemn gathering of all God's elder sons, enrolled as citizens in heaven, to a judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of upright men now at last enjoying the fulfilment of their hopes, ²⁴ to Jesus the negotiator of a new agreement, and to sprinkled blood that speaks more powerfully than even Abel's.

²⁴ to Jesus the negotiator of a new agreement, and to sprinkled blood that speaks more powerfully than even Abel's.

²⁸ Let us, therefore, be thankful that the kingdom given to us cannot be shaken, and so please God by worshiping him with reverence and awe;

⁶ So that we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can men do to me?"

¹³ Let us, therefore, go out to him, outside the camp, sharing the contempt that he endured, ¹⁴ for we have no permanent city here on earth, but we are in search of the city that is to come.

² You must find the greatest joy, my brothers, in being involved in various trials, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith leads to steadfastness, ⁴ and steadfastness must have full play, so that you may be fully and perfectly developed without any defects.

²⁰ for men's anger does not produce the uprightness God wishes.

¹⁴ My brothers, what is the good of a man's saying he has faith, if he has no good deeds to show? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If some brother or sister has no clothes and has not food enough for a day, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "Goodbye, keep warm and have plenty to eat," without giving them the necessaries of life, what good does it do?

²¹ Was not our forefather Abraham made upright for his good deeds, for offering his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that in his case faith and good deeds worked together; faith found its highest expression in good deeds, ²³ and so the Scripture came true that says, "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness, and he was called God's friend." ²⁴ You see a man is made upright by his good deeds and not simply by having faith. ²⁵ Was not even Rahab the prostitute made upright for her good deeds, in entertaining the scouts and sending them off by a different road?

⁵ You have lived luxuriously and voluptuously here on earth; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.

¹⁰ As an example, brothers, of ill-treatment patiently endured, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord.

¹⁰ As an example, brothers, of ill-treatment patiently endured, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Why, we call those who showed such endurance happy! You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen what the Lord brought out of it, for the Lord is very kind and merciful.

¹¹ Why, we call those who showed such endurance happy! You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen what the Lord brought out of it, for the Lord is very kind and merciful.

² whom God the Father has chosen and predestined by the consecration of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ, and to be sprinkled with his blood; God bless you and give you perfect peace.

⁶ Rejoice over this, although just now perhaps distressed by various trials; ⁷ they are to show that your faith when tested is found to be more precious than gold, which though it is perishable is tested with fire, and they will bring you praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

⁷ they are to show that your faith when tested is found to be more precious than gold, which though it is perishable is tested with fire, and they will bring you praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ You must love him, though you have not seen him, but since you believe in him though you do not now see him, rejoice with triumphant, unutterable joy

⁸ You must love him, though you have not seen him, but since you believe in him though you do not now see him, rejoice with triumphant, unutterable joy

¹⁰ About this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the blessing that was destined for you made the most careful investigation, ¹¹ trying to learn for what possible time the spirit of Christ within them in predicting the sufferings destined for Christ intended them and the glories that were to follow them.

¹¹ trying to learn for what possible time the spirit of Christ within them in predicting the sufferings destined for Christ intended them and the glories that were to follow them. ¹² It was disclosed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in dealing with these things, which have now been told you by those who through the holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news; things into which angels long to look!

¹² It was disclosed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in dealing with these things, which have now been told you by those who through the holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news; things into which angels long to look!

¹⁷ And if you address him as Father who judges everyone impartially by what he does, you must live reverently all the time you stay here,

²² Now that by obeying the truth you have purified your souls for sincere love of the brotherhood, you must love one another intensely and heartily,

⁸ and "A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip them up." They stumble over the message because they will not obey it; that is their destiny.

¹⁰ you who were once "no people" but are now "God's people"; once "unpitied" but now "pitied indeed." ¹¹ Dear friends, I beg you, as aliens and exiles here, not to indulge the physical cravings that are at war with the soul.

¹ You married women, in the same way, must be submissive to your husbands, so that any who refuse to believe the message may be won over without argument through the behavior of their wives

⁵ It was in that way in ancient times that those pious women who set their hopes on God made themselves attractive. They were submissive to their husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham, and called him Master. You are true daughters of hers, if you do right and are unafraid.

²⁰ who had once been disobedient, when in Noah's time God in his patience waited for the ark to be made ready, in which a few people, eight in all, were brought safely through the water.

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised that a test of fire is being applied to you, as though a strange thing were happening to you,

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised that a test of fire is being applied to you, as though a strange thing were happening to you, ¹³ but be glad that you are in a measure sharing the sufferings of the Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may be triumphantly happy. ¹⁴ If you are being abused for the sake of Christ, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit of God is resting upon you.

¹⁴ If you are being abused for the sake of Christ, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit of God is resting upon you. ¹⁵ For no one of you must suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or revolutionist, ¹⁶ but if a man suffers for being a Christian, he must not be ashamed of it, but must do honor to God through that name. ¹⁷ For the time has come for the judgment to begin with the household of God, and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who refuse God's good news?

⁸ Be calm and watchful. Your opponent the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion, wanting to devour you.

¹ Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the uprightness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have been given a faith as privileged as ours;

⁵ For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, make all the greater efforts to make God's call and choice of you certain. For if you have these qualities, you will never stumble,

²¹ for no prophecy ever originated in the human will, but under the influence of the holy Spirit men spoke for God.

⁵ and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood upon the godless world;

² to remember the things foretold by the holy prophets, and the command of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.

⁵ For they wilfully ignore the fact that long ago there existed heavens and an earth which had been formed at God's command out of water and by water, ⁶ by which also that world was destroyed, through being flooded with water.

¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, while waiting for this, make every effort to be found by him unstained, irreproachable, and at peace.

¹¹ For the message you have heard from the beginning is this: We must love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain who was a child of the evil one, and butchered his brother. And why did he butcher him? Because his own actions were wicked and his brother's upright.

¹⁹ From that we can be sure that we are on the side of the truth, and satisfy our consciences in God's sight,

²² and we obtain from him whatever we ask for, because we are obeying his commands and doing the things that please him.

¹¹ Alas for them, for they follow Cain's path, they plunge into Balaam's error for gain, and they perish in rebelliousness like Korah's.

¹⁴ Of them also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said, "See! The Lord comes with his holy myriads

⁹ I know of your distress and poverty—though you are rich!—I know how you are slandered by those who claim to be Jews when they are not so, but only a synagogue of Satan! ¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are going to suffer. See! The devil is going to put some of you into prison to be tested there, and for ten days to endure persecution. Prove faithful even unto death and I will give you the crown of life.

¹⁰ Because you have kept in mind the message of what I endured, I also will keep you safe in the time of testing that is going to come upon the whole world, to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹⁸ I advise you to buy of me gold that has been tested with fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to put on, to keep your shameful nakedness from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see.

¹¹ "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power, for you created all things; by your will they existed and were created."

¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to be quiet a little while longer, until the number of their fellow-slaves and their brothers, who were to be killed as they had been, should be complete.

³ And I will permit my two witnesses, clothed in sackcloth, to prophesy for 1,260 days."

⁹ For three days and a half, men of all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their bodies, and will not let them be buried. ¹⁰ The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate by sending presents to one another, for these two prophets were a torment to the inhabitants of the earth. ¹¹ After three days and a half, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror seized those who saw them. ¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, before the eyes of their enemies.

⁷ The more she has given herself to pride and luxury the more you must give her torture and grief. Because she says to herself, 'I sit on a throne; I am not a widow, I shall never have any sorrow,'

⁸ and will go out to lead astray the heathen in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and to muster them for battle, in numbers like the sand of the seashore.

² And I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, come down out of heaven from God, like a bride dressed and ready to meet her husband.

⁸ But the cowardly, unfaithful, and polluted—murderers, immoral people, those who practice magic or idolatry, and all liars will find themselves in the burning lake of fire and brimstone. This is the second death."

¹⁰ He carried me away in a trance to a great, high mountain, and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ in all the glory of God. It shone with a radiance like that of some very precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, which had carved upon them the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the Lamb's twelve apostles. ¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a gold measuring rod, with which to measure the city and its gates and wall. ¹⁶ The city was a square, its length the same as its breadth. He measured the city with his rod, and it was 12,000 furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height were the same. ¹⁷ He measured the wall and it was about 144 cubits (216 feet), as men measure, for that was the way the angel measured. ¹⁸ The material of the wall was jasper, but the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass. ¹⁹ The foundation stones of the wall of the city were ornamented with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate made of a single pearl. The principal street of the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass. ²² I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun nor the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God lighted it, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The heathen will walk by its light. The kings of the earth will bring their splendor to it. ²⁵ Its gates will never be shut by day—for there will be no night there ²⁶ and they will bring the splendor and the wealth of the heathen into it. ²⁷ Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who indulges in abominable practices and falsehoods, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.