ヘブル人への手紙 11
1 第二款 舊約時代の英雄の信仰の例 抑信仰は希望すべき事物の保證、見えざる事物の證據なり、
Faith is the realisation of things hoped for — the proof of things not seen.
2 蓋故人之を以て好評を得たり。
And it was for faith that the men of old were renowned.
Faith enables us to perceive that the universe was created at the bidding of God — so that we know that what we see was not made out of visible things. (aiōn g165)
4 信仰に由りてアベルは、カインの其に優れる犠牲を神に献げ、信仰に由りて義人たる保證を受け、神其献物を保證し給ひ、彼は信仰に由りて死しても猶言ふなり。
Faith made the sacrifice which Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain’s, and won him renown as a righteous man, God himself establishing his renown by accepting his gifts; and it is by the example of his faith that Abel, though dead, still speaks.
5 信仰に由りてヘノクは、死を見ざらん為に移され、神之を移し給ひしに由りて見出されざりき、其は移転の前に神の御意に適へる事を證せられたればなり。
Faith led to Enoch’s removal from earth, that he might not experience death. ‘He could not be found because God had removed him.’ For, before his removal, he was renowned as having pleased God;
6 信仰なくしては神の御意に適ふこと能はず、蓋神に近づき奉る人は、必ずや神の存在して之を求め奉る人々に報い給ふ者なる事を信ぜざるべからず。
but without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that God exists, and that he rewards those who seek for him.
7 信仰によりてノエは、未だ見えざる事柄に就きて黙示を蒙り、畏みて家族を救はん為に方舟を造り、之を以て世の人を罪し、其身は信仰に由れる義の世嗣と為られたり。
It was faith that enabled Noah, after he had received the divine warning about what could not then be foreseen, to build, in reverent obedience, an ark in which to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world, and became possessed of that righteousness which follows upon faith.
8 信仰に由りてアブラハムは、承継ぐべき地に出づべしとの召に從ひ、何處に行くべきかを知らずして立出でたり。
It was faith that enabled Abraham to obey the Call that he received, and to set out for the place which he was afterwards to obtain as his own; and he set out not knowing where he was going.
9 彼は約束の地に於て他國にあるが如く、同じ約束を相継ぐべきイザアク、ヤコブと共に幕屋に住めり、
It was faith that made him go to live as an emigrant in the Promised Land — as in a strange country — living there in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who shared the promise with him.
10 其は神を其設立者、建築者に戴ける、基礎ある都會を待てばなり。
For he was looking for the City with the sure foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 信仰に由りてサラも、石女にして齢過ぎたるに孕を胎す力を得たり、是約し給へる者の忠實に在す事を信じたるが故なり、
Again, it was faith that enabled Sarah to conceive (though she was past the age for child-bearing), because she felt sure that he who had given her the promise would not fail her.
12 斯て一人より、而も既に死せるに齊しき者より出でし人、空の星の如く夥しく、海辺の眞砂の如く數へ難し。
And so from one man — and that when his powers were dead — there sprang a people as numerous ‘as the stars in the heavens or the countless grains of sand upon the shore.’
13 彼等は皆信仰に從ひ、約束のものを受けずして死したれども、遥に望みて之を祝し、地上に於て己は旅人たり寄留人たる事を宣言せり。
All these died sustained by faith. They did not obtain the promised blessings, but they saw them from a distance and welcomed the sight, and they acknowledged themselves to be only aliens and strangers on the earth.
14 斯く語る人々は、是本國を求むる事を示す者なり。
Those who speak thus show plainly that they are seeking their fatherland.
15 若其懐へる所曾て出でたる本國ならば、復還る時もありしならん、
If they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they could have found opportunities to return.
16 然れど彼等は、今一層善きもの、即ち天の[本國]を慕ひしなり、故に神は彼等の神と呼ばるるを耻とし給はず、其は彼等の為に都會を備へ給ひたればなり。
But no, they were longing for a better, a heavenly, land! And therefore God was not ashamed to be called their God; indeed he had already prepared them a city.
17 信仰に由りてアブラハムは、試みられし時イザアクを献げたり、其献げたりしは、約束を蒙りたりし獨子にして、
It was faith that enabled Abraham, when put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice — he who had received the promises offering up his only son,
18 曾て「汝の子孫と稱へらるるはイザアクによるべし」と謂はれし其者なりき。
of whom it had been said — ‘It is through Isaac that there shall be descendants to bear thy name.’
19 即ち彼謂へらく、神は死したる人々をも復活せしむるを得給ふなりと、而して前表として其子を還與へられたり。
For he argued that God was able even to raise a man from the dead — and indeed, figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive Isaac back from the dead.
20 信仰に由りてイザアクは、将來の事に就きてヤコブとエザウとを祝福せり。
It was faith that enabled Isaac to bless Jacob and Esau, even with regard to the future.
21 信仰に由りてヤコブは、死に臨みてヨゼフの子等を各祝福し、杖の首に倚りて禮拝せり。
Faith enabled Jacob, when dying, to give his blessing to each of the sons of Joseph, and ‘to bow himself in worship as he leant upon the top of his staff.’
22 信仰に由りてヨゼフは、死に臨みてイスラエルの子等の出立を思はしめ、己が骸骨に就きて命を下せり。
Faith caused Joseph, when his end was near, to speak of the future migration of the Israelites, and to give instructions with regard to his bones.
23 信仰に由りてモイゼは、生れて三月の間兩親によりて匿されたり、是其子の美しきを見たるが故にして、彼等は國王の命令を懼れざりき。
Faith caused the parents of Moses to hide the child for three months after his birth, for they saw that he was a beautiful child; and they would not respect the King’s order.
24 信仰に由りてモイゼは、成長してファラオンの女の子たる事を否めり、
It was faith that caused Moses, when he was grown up, to refuse the title of ‘Son of a Daughter of Pharaoh.’
25 即ち罪によれる暫時の快樂よりも、寧神の民と共に悩むことを擇み、
He preferred sharing the hardships of God’s People to enjoying the short-lived pleasures of sin.
26 キリストの耻辱を以てエジプトの寳に優れる富とせり、其は報酬を眺め居たればなり。
For he counted ‘the reproaches that are heaped upon the Christ’ of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, looking forward, as he did, to the reward awaiting him.
27 信仰に由りて彼は、國王の怒を怖れずしてエジプトを去れり、即ち見えざる所を見るが如くにして忍耐せしなり。
Faith caused him to leave Egypt, though undaunted by the King’s anger, for he was strengthened in his endurance by the vision of the invisible God.
28 信仰に由りて彼は過越を祝ひ、又長子を亡ぼせる者の彼等に触れざらん為、[羔の]血を沃ぐ禮を行へり。
Faith led him to institute the Passover and the Sprinkling of the Blood, so that the Destroyer might not touch the eldest children of the Israelites.
29 信仰に由りて彼等は、紅海を陸の如くにして渡れり、エジプト人は之を試みて溺れたりき。
Faith enabled the people to cross the Red Sea, as if it had been dry land, while the Egyptians, when they attempted to do so, were drowned.
30 信仰に由りてエリコの城壁は、七日の間廻られて崩れたり。
Faith caused the walls of Jericho to fall after being encircled for seven days.
31 信仰に由りて娼婦ラハブは、探偵者を懇切に接待せしかば、不信者と共には亡びざりき。
Faith saved Rahab, the prostitute, from perishing with the unbelievers, after she had entertained the spies with friendliness.
32 此外に我何をか言はん、ゲデオン、バラク、サムソン、イエフテ、ダヴィド、サムエル及び預言者等の事を述べんには時足らざるべし。
Need I add anything more? Time would fail me if I attempted to relate the stories of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, and those of David, Samuel, and the Prophets.
33 信仰に由りて彼等は、國々に打ち勝ち、義を行ひ、約束を蒙り、獅子の口を塞ぎ、
By their faith they subdued kingdoms, ruled righteously, gained the fulfilment of God’s promises, ‘shut the mouths of lions,’
34 火の勢を消し、剣の刃を迯れ、弱きを強うせられ、軍に勇ましき者と成りて異邦人の陣を破り、
quelled the fury of the flames, escaped the edge of the sword, found strength in the hour of weakness, displayed their prowess in war, and routed hostile armies.
35 婦人等は其死したりし者を復活を以て還與へられ、或人々は引裂かれて、勝れたる復活を得ん為に迯るる事を肯ぜず、
Women received back their dead raised to life. Some were tortured on the wheel, and refused release in order that they might rise to a better life.
36 或人々は侮辱打擲の上に捕縛入獄に遇ひ、
Others had to face taunts and blows, and even chains and imprisonment.
37 石を擲たれ、鋸にて挽かれ、試され、剣にて殺され、羊山羊の毛皮を纏ひて萬事に缺乏し、責められ悩まされて流浪せり。
They were stoned to death, they were tortured, they were swan asunder, they were put to the sword; they wandered about clothed in the skins of sheep or goats, destitute, persecuted, ill-used —
38 世は此人々を置くに堪へざりしに、彼等は荒地に山に、地の洞及び穴の内に彷徨ひしなり。
men of whom the world was not worthy — roaming in lonely places, and on the mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 彼等も皆信仰の稱揚を得たれども、約束のものをば得ざりき。
Yet, though they all won renown by their faith, they did not obtain the final fulfilment of God’s promise;
40 是神が我等の為に更に宜しき事を圖り給ひて、我等と共にならでは彼等の全うせられざらん為なり。
since God had in view some better thing for us, that they, apart from us, should not attain perfection.
