by faith the walls of Jericho did fall, having been surrounded for seven days;

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with the unbelieving, having received the spies in peace.

who through faith did subdue kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped mouths of lions,

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness was made strong, became valiant in fight, put to flight armies of the aliens; Women received their dead raised to life again:

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

and others of mockings and scourgings did receive trial, and yet of bonds and imprisonment;

(The world did not deserve such people). They wandered in deserts and mountains, [living] in caves and [even] holes in the ground.

And these all, having obtained witness through faith, did not receive the promise,

because God had planned to give us something better [than they got], so that they would not be complete without us. [Note: The idea here is that these faithful people of Old Testament times did not receive the fullest of blessings until Christ came to make them available to both them and us together].

looking to the author and perfecter of faith -- Jesus, who, over-against the joy set before him -- did endure a cross, shame having despised, on the right hand also of the throne of God did sit down;

Not yet unto blood did ye resist -- with the sin striving;

Look carefully [at how you are living] so that no one falls away from God's unearned favor, and that no "poisonous plant sprouts up" to cause trouble and corrupt many people [Note: This is an analogy from Deut. 29:16-18 being used as a warning against the evil influence of wicked people],

lest any one be a fornicator, or a profane person, as Esau, who in exchange for one morsel of food did sell his birthright,

For you know that also afterwards, [when he] wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.

For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging windstorm,

and a sound of a trumpet, and a voice of sayings, which those having heard did entreat that a word might not be added to them,

for they did not try to bear the order, "Even if a wild animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death,"

And the sight [of all these things] was so terrifying that Moses said [See Deut. 9:19], "I tremble with fear."

and to Jesus, the Mediator of a New Agreement [between God and mankind], and to the sprinkled blood [of Jesus], which says better things [to us] than [the blood of] Abel did. [Note: The contrast seems to be that "Abel's blood called for vengeance and death (See Gen. 4:10) whereas the blood of Christ provides mercy and life"].

See that ye refuse not him that speaks. For if those did not escape who had refused him who uttered the oracles on earth, much more we who turn away from him who does so from heaven:

of the hospitality be not forgetful, for through this unawares certain did entertain messengers;

Keep your lives free from the love of money [and be] content with what you have, because God [Himself] has said [Deut. 31:6], "By no means will I [ever] desert you or give up on you."

Be mindful of those leading you, who did speak to you the word of God, whose faith -- considering the issue of the behaviour -- be imitating,

Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.

Do not be carried away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established and strengthened by grace and not by foods [rules of diet and ritualistic meals], which bring no benefit or spiritual growth to those who observe them.

Wherefore, also Jesus -- that he might sanctify through his own blood the people -- without the gate did suffer;

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

equip you with every good deed for doing God's will. [May He] work in us [to accomplish] what is very pleasing in His sight through [the power of] Jesus Christ. May there be praise to Him forever and ever. May it be so.

for the sun did rise with the burning heat, and did wither the grass, and the flower of it fell, and the grace of its appearance did perish, so also the rich in his way shall fade away!

Happy the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving Him.

having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.

for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was;

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If anyone considers himself to be religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, this person is self-deceived and his religion is worthless.

ye did not judge fully in yourselves, and did become ill-reasoning judges.

Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?

and ye did dishonour the poor one; do not the rich oppress you and themselves draw you to judgment-seats;

For the judgment is merciless to him who did no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

and one of you tells them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled;" and yet you did not give them the things the body needs, what good is it?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

When our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar, was he not justified by what he did?

Thou seest that, his faith, had been working together with his works, and by his works did his faith become full-grown, -

and fulfilled was the Writing that is saying, 'And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;' and, 'Friend of God' he was called.

So too with Rahab the harlot. Was she not justified by what she did, when she entertained the scouts and got them away by a different road?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

For we all make mistakes in many areas [of life]. If anyone does not make a mistake in what he says, he is a perfect person, capable of keeping a tight rein on his whole life also.

For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed.

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness (spiritual maturity) is sown in peace by those who make peace [by actively encouraging goodwill between individuals].

you quarrel and go to war, but without success, because you don't petition for it: and if you did,

Do ye think that emptily the Writing saith, 'To envy earnestly desireth the spirit that did dwell in us,'

Come now [and pay attention to this], you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and carry on our business and make a profit.”

lo, the reward of the workmen, of those who in-gathered your fields, which hath been fraudulently kept back by you -- doth cry out, and the exclamations of those who did reap into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth have entered;

ye did live in luxury upon the earth, and were wanton; ye did nourish your hearts, as in a day of slaughter;

ye did condemn -- ye did murder the righteous one, he doth not resist you.

An example take ye of the suffering of evil, my brethren, and of the patience, the prophets who did speak in the name of the Lord;

Remember that we call those blessed who endured what they did. You have also heard of Job's patient endurance, and have seen the issue of the Lord's dealings with him--how full of tenderness and pity the Lord is.

Elias was a man of like passions to us, and he prayed with prayer that it should not rain; and it did not rain upon the earth three years and six months;

and again he did pray, and the heaven did give rain, and the land did bring forth her fruit.

let him know that he who did turn back a sinner from the straying of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

concerning which salvation seek out and search out did prophets who concerning the grace toward you did prophecy,

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

[Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation].

but according as He who did call you is holy, ye also, become holy in all behaviour,

Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

because all flesh is as grass, and all glory of man as flower of grass; wither did the grass, and the flower of it fell away,

if so be ye did taste that the Lord is gracious,

to you, then, who are believing is the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner,

and ye are a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light;

for to this ye were called, because Christ also did suffer for you, leaving to you an example, that ye may follow his steps,

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

While being reviled and insulted, He did not revile or insult in return; while suffering, He made no threats [of vengeance], but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges fairly.

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

for thus once also the holy women who did hope on God, were adorning themselves, being subject to their own husbands,

as Sarah was obedient to Abraham, calling him 'sir,' of whom ye did become daughters, doing good, and not fearing any terror.

because also Christ once for sin did suffer -- righteous for unrighteous -- that he might lead us to God, having been put to death indeed, in the flesh, and having been made alive in the spirit,

in which also to the spirits in prison having gone he did preach,

who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah -- an ark being preparing -- in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead;

Christ, then, having suffered for us in the flesh, ye also with the same mind arm yourselves, because he who did suffer in the flesh hath done with sin,

For you have given time enough in the past to the doing of the things which the Gentiles delight in-- pursuing, as you did, a course of habitual licence, debauchery, hard drinking, noisy revelry, drunkenness and unholy image-worship.

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

And the God of all grace, who did call you to His age-during glory in Christ Jesus, having suffered a little, Himself make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you;

Through Silvanus, to you the faithful brother, as I reckon, through few words I did write, exhorting and testifying this to be the true grace of God in which ye have stood.

Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who did obtain a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:

As all things to us His divine power (the things pertaining unto life and piety) hath given, through the acknowledgement of him who did call us through glory and worthiness,

having known that soon is the laying aside of my tabernacle, even as also our Lord Jesus Christ did shew to me,

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

For he did receive honor and glory from God the Father, when there was borne such a voice to him from the Majestic Glory, This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I delight;

and this voice we -- we did hear, out of heaven borne, being with him in the holy mount.

But you must above all consider, that no prophecy of the scripture did proceed

for not by will of man did ever prophecy come, but by the Holy Spirit borne on holy men of God spake.

And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction,

For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick gloom, having cast them down to Tartarus, did deliver them to judgment, having been reserved,

and the old world did not spare, but the eighth person, Noah, of righteousness a preacher, did keep, a flood on the world of the impious having brought,

and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah having turned to ashes, with an overthrow did condemn, an example to those about to be impious having set them;

and righteous Lot, worn down by the conduct in lasciviousness of the impious, He did rescue,