BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

يَُّا إِخْوَة، لَمَّا وَعَدَ اللهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِذْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ أَعْظَمُ يُقْسِمُ بِهِ، أَقْسَمَ بِنَفْسِهِ، قَائِلاً: ((إِنِّي لأُبَارِكَنَّكَ بَرَكَةً وَأُكَثِّرَنَّكَ تَكْثِيراً)). وَهَكَذَا إِذْ تَأَنَّى نَالَ الْمَوْعِدَ. فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يُقْسِمُونَ بِالأَعْظَمِ، وَنِهَايَةُ كُلِّ مُشَاجَرَةٍ عِنْدَهُمْ لأَجْلِ التَّثْبِيتِ هِيَ الْقَسَمُ. فَلِذَلِكَ إِذْ أَرَادَ اللهُ أَنْ يُظْهِرَ أَكْثَرَ كَثِيراً لِوَرَثَةِ الْمَوْعِدِ عَدَمَ تَغَيُّرِ قَضَائِهِ، تَوَسَّطَ بِقَسَمٍ، حَتَّى بِأَمْرَيْنِ عَدِيمَيِ التَّغَيُّرِ، لاَ يُمْكِنُ أَنَّ اللهَ يَكْذِبُ فِيهِمَا، تَكُونُ لَنَا تَعْزِيَةٌ قَوِيَّةٌ، نَحْنُ الَّذِينَ الْتَجَأْنَا لِنُمْسِكَ بِالرَّجَاءِ الْمَوْضُوعِ أَمَامَنَا، الَّذِي هُوَ لَنَا كَمِرْسَاةٍ لِلنَّفْسِ مُؤْتَمَنَةٍ وَثَابِتَةٍ، تَدْخُلُ إِلَى مَا دَاخِلَ الْحِجَابِ، حَيْثُ دَخَلَ يَسُوعُ كَسَابِقٍ لأَجْلِنَا، صَائِراً عَلَى رُتْبَةِ مَلْكِي صَادَقَ، رَئِيسَ كَهَنَةٍ إِلَى الأَبَدِ.

At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."

17في ذلك الزمان دنا إلى يسوع انسان وسجد له قائلاً : ((يَا مُعَلِّمُ، قَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكَ ابْنِي بِهِ رُوحٌ أَخْرَسُ، 18وَحَيْثُمَا أَدْرَكَهُ يُمَزِّقْهُ فَيُزْبِدُ وَيَصِرُّ بِأَسْنَانِهِ وَيَيْبَسُ. فَقُلْتُ لِتَلاَمِيذِكَ أَنْ يُخْرِجُوهُ فَلَمْ يَقْدِرُوا)). 19فأَجَابَ وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: ((أَيُّهَا الْجِيلُ غَيْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِ، إِلَى مَتَى أَكُونُ مَعَكُمْ؟ إِلَى مَتَى أَحْتَمِلُكُمْ؟ قَدِّمُوهُ إِلَيَّ!)). 20فَقَدَّمُوهُ إِلَيْهِ. فَلَمَّا رَآهُ لِلْوَقْتِ صَرَعَهُ الرُّوحُ، فَوَقَعَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ يَتَمَرَّغُ وَيُزْبِدُ. 21فَسَأَلَ أَبَاهُ: ((كَمْ مِنَ الزَّمَانِ مُنْذُ أَصَابَهُ هَذَا؟)) فَقَالَ: ((مُنْذُ صِبَاهُ. 22وَكَثِيراً مَا أَلْقَاهُ فِي النَّارِ وَفِي الْمَاءِ لِيُهْلِكَهُ. لَكِنْ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَسْتَطِيعُ شَيْئاً فَتَحَنَّنْ عَلَيْنَا وَأَعِنَّا)). 23فَقَالَ لَهُ يَسُوعُ: ((إِنْ كُنْتَ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ. كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُسْتَطَاعٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ)).24فَلِلْوَقْتِ صَرَخَ أَبُو الْوَلَدِ بِدُمُوعٍ وَقَالَ: ((أُومِنُ يَا سَيِّدُ، فَأَعِنْ عَدَمَ إِيمَانِي)). 25فَلَمَّا رَأَى يَسُوعُ أَنَّ الْجَمْعَ يَتَرَاكَضُونَ، انْتَهَرَ الرُّوحَ النَّجِسَ قَائِلاً لَهُ: ((أَيُّهَا الرُّوحُ الأَخْرَسُ الأَصَمُّ، أَنَا آمُرُكَ: اخْرُجْ مِنْهُ وَلاَ تَدْخُلْهُ أَيْضاً!)) 26فَصَرَخَ وَصَرَعَهُ شَدِيداً وَخَرَجَ فَصَارَ كَمَيْتٍ، حَتَّى قَالَ كَثِيرُونَ: ((إِنَّهُ مَاتَ!)). 27فَأَمْسَكَهُ يَسُوعُ بِيَدِهِ وَأَقَامَهُ، فَقَامَ. 28وَلَمَّا دَخَلَ بَيْتاً سَأَلَهُ تَلاَمِيذُهُ عَلَى انْفِرَادٍ: ((لِمَاذَا لَمْ نَقْدِرْ نَحْنُ أَنْ نُخْرِجَهُ؟)) 29فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: ((هَذَا الْجِنْسُ لاَ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ بِشَيْءٍ إلاَّ بِالصَّلاَةِ وَالصَّوْمِ)).30وَخَرَجُوا مِنْ هُنَاكَ وَاجْتَازُوا الْجَلِيلَ، وَلَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ أَحَدٌ، 31لأَنَّهُ كَانَ يُعَلِّمُ تَلاَمِيذَهُ وَيَقُولُ لَهُمْ: ((إِنَّ ابْنَ الإِنْسَانِ يُسَلَّمُ إِلَى أَيْدِي النَّاسِ فَيَقْتُلُونَهُ. وَبَعْدَ أَنْ يُقْتَلَ يَقُومُ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ)).