Hebrews
11
- Now faith is being sure of what we hope
for and certain of what we do not see.
- This is what the ancients were commended
for.
- By faith we understand that the universe
was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what
was visible.
- By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice
than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke
well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
- By faith Enoch was taken from this life,
so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had
taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased
God.
- And without faith it is impossible to please
God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that
he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
- By faith Noah, when warned about things
not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he
condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
- By faith Abraham, when called to go to a
place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though
he did not know where he was going.
- By faith he made his home in the promised
land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac
and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
- For he was looking forward to the city with
foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
- By faith Abraham, even though he was past
age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because
he considered him faithful who had made the promise.
- And so from this one man, and he as good
as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless
as the sand on the seashore.
- All these people were still living by faith
when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them
and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens
and strangers on earth.
- People who say such things show that they
are looking for a country of their own.
- If they had been thinking of the country
they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
- Instead, they were longing for a better
country -- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their
God, for he has prepared a city for them.
- By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered
Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice
his one and only son,
- even though God had said to him, "It
is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
- Abraham reasoned that God could raise the
dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
- By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in
regard to their future.
- By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed
each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
- By faith Joseph, when his end was near,
spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions
about his bones.
- By faith Moses' parents hid him for three
months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they
were not afraid of the king's edict.
- By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused
to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
- He chose to be mistreated along with the
people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
- He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ
as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead
to his reward.
- By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the
king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
- By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling
of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn
of Israel.
- By faith the people passed through the Red
Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
- By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after
the people had marched around them for seven days.
- By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she
welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
- And what more shall I say? I do not have
time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the
prophets,
- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered
justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
- quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped
the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became
powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
- Women received back their dead, raised to
life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they
might gain a better resurrection.
- Some faced jeers and flogging, while still
others were chained and put in prison.
- They were stoned; they were sawed in two;
they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, persecuted and mistreated --
- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered
in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
- These were all commended for their faith,
yet none of them received what had been promised.
- God had planned something better for us
so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
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