Faith is Being Sure
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. 2 For by this, the ancients gained approval.
3 By faith, we understand that the universe was formed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.
The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah
4 By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Abel’s righteousness testified of his faith, which God confirmed by accepting his gifts, through which, even though he is dead, still speaks.
5 By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he would not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him. For he has had testimony given to him that before he was taken he had been pleasing to God.
6 Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
7 By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear and prepared a ship for the saving of his family, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
The Faith of Abraham
8 By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed, going out to the place which he was to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was waiting for the city with eternal foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past the age of childbearing, since she considered that he who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore as many as the multitude of stars in the sky, and as innumerable as the sand by the seashore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.
13 These people all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.Abraham Offers his One Son
17 By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son, 18 to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be accounted,” 19 concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead, from which, in a figurative sense, he also received him.
The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph
20 By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, concerning things to come.
21 By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22 By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the Israelites, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
The Faith of Moses
23 By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
24 By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share mistreatment with God’s people than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.
27 By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.
29 By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.
The Faith of Many
30 By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days.
31 By faith, Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace.
32 What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.
35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned. They were sawed apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.
39 All of these, having had testimony given to them through their faith, did not receive what was promised. 40 God had provided something better for us, so that they, without us, should not be made perfect.