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Hebrews 11-12
A Paraphrase
{11:1} Faithfulness is the manifestation of my postmillennial hope. Faithfulness is the evidence of God working in my life, the movement of heavenly beings not seen by the Empires of the world. | |
{2} Through Faithfulness my forefathers and foremothers made a good witness to the world. | |
The People of Faith: Our Models |
The Verbs of Faith: Our Duties |
{3} By faith |
believe creationism, and understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. |
{4} By faith |
offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and though he is dead, he still speaks through it. |
{5} By faith |
was taken away so that he did not see death,
"and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had
this testimony, that he pleased God. |
{6} But without faithfulness it is impossible to please Him, for | |
he who comes to God |
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. |
{7} By faith |
being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he |
{8} By faith |
obeyed when he was called to
go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. |
{9} By faith |
dwelt in the land of promise
as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; |
{10} for |
waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. |
{11} By faith |
herself also received strength to conceive
seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. |
{12} Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude; innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. | |
{13} These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, |
embraced and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. |
{14} For those who |
say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. |
{15} And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. |
{16} But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. |
{17} By faith |
offered up Isaac, and
he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, {18} of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," {19} concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. |
{20} By faith |
blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. |
{21} By faith |
blessed each of the
sons of Joseph, and worshiped, on the top of his staff. |
{22} By faith |
made mention of the
departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones. |
{23} By faith |
was hidden three months by |
his parents, |
because they saw a beautiful
child; and they were not afraid of the king's command. |
{24} By faith |
refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter, {25} choosing to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, {26} esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. |
{27} By faith |
forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. |
{28} By faith |
kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. |
{29} By faith |
passed through the Red Sea as though dry, whereas |
the Egyptians, |
were drowned. |
{30} By faith | the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. |
{31} By faith |
did not perish with those who did not believe,
when she had received the spies with peace. |
{32} And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of | |
Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: {33} who through faith |
subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, {34} 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} Women |
received their dead raised to life again. |
And others |
were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. |
{36} Still |
trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. |
{37} They |
were stoned, |
they |
were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. |
They |
wandered about in
sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; |
{38} of whom the world was not worthy. |
|
They |
wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. |
{39} And all these |
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 made perfect apart from us. {12:1} Therefore |
|
we also, |
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, |
let us |
lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares, |
and let us |
run with endurance the
race that is set before us, {2} looking unto |
Jesus |
the author and finisher of our faith, |
Who for the joy that was set before Him |
endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. |
{3} For consider |
endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. |
{4} You |
have not yet resisted to
bloodshed, striving against sin. |
{14} Pursue peace with all
people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: {15} looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; |
|
{16} lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food |
sold his birthright. |
{17} For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, |
he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. |
{18} For you have not come to the
mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and
tempest, {19} and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. {20} (For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow." {21} And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.") |
|
{22} But |
come to Mount Zion and to
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
{23} to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, {24} to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. |
{25} See that you |
do not refuse Him who speaks. |
For 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, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." {27} Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the 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 |
are receiving a kingdom
which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which |
we |
may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. |
{29} For our God is a consuming fire. |
Justification is not by belief alone
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