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32 And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,(A)

33 Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions,(B)

34 Extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts.(C)

35 [Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured [a]to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life.(D)

36 Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment.

37 They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated—

38 [Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth.

39 And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised,

40 Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:35 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,(A) Barak,(B) Samson(C) and Jephthah,(D) about David(E) and Samuel(F) and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,(G) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,(H) 34 quenched the fury of the flames,(I) and escaped the edge of the sword;(J) whose weakness was turned to strength;(K) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.(L) 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.(M) 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,(N) and even chains and imprisonment.(O) 37 They were put to death by stoning;[a](P) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.(Q) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,(R) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves(S) and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended(T) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,(U) 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us(V) would they be made perfect.(W)

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;