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Hebrews 11:20-40
The Message
Hebrews 11:20-40
The Message
20 By an act of faith, Isaac reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau.
21 By an act of faith, Jacob on his deathbed blessed each of Joseph’s sons in turn, blessing them with God’s blessing, not his own—as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff.
22 By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.
23 By an act of faith, Moses’ parents hid him away for three months after his birth. They saw the child’s beauty, and they braved the king’s decree.
24-28 By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them.
29 By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.
30 By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.
31 By an act of faith, Rahab, the Jericho harlot, welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God.
* * *
32-38 I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.
39-40 Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.
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Hebrews 11:20-40
New International Version
Hebrews 11:20-40
New International Version
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.(A)
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,(B) and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.(C)
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born,(D) because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.(E)
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.(F) 25 He chose to be mistreated(G) along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace(H) for the sake of Christ(I) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.(J) 27 By faith he left Egypt,(K) not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer(L) of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.(M)
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.(N)
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.(O)
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[a](P)
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,(Q) Barak,(R) Samson(S) and Jephthah,(T) about David(U) and Samuel(V) and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,(W) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,(X) 34 quenched the fury of the flames,(Y) and escaped the edge of the sword;(Z) whose weakness was turned to strength;(AA) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.(AB) 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.(AC) There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging,(AD) and even chains and imprisonment.(AE) 37 They were put to death by stoning;[b](AF) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.(AG) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,(AH) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves(AI) and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended(AJ) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,(AK) 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us(AL) would they be made perfect.(AM)
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:31 Or unbelieving
- Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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