Hebrews 11:17-40

Holman Christian Standard Bible

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.^(A) He received the promises and he was offering his unique son, ¹⁸ the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced^[a] through Isaac.^{(B)[b] 19} He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead,^(C) and as an illustration,^[c] he received him back.

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau^(D) concerning things to come. ²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.^{(E)[d] 22} By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.^(F)

²³ By faith, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.^{(G) 24} By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter ²⁵ and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin.^{(H) 26} For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.^(I)

²⁷ By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible.^{(J) 28} By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. ²⁹ By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.^(K)

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled by the Israelites for seven days. ³¹ By faith Rahab the prostitute received the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.^(L)

³² And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,^(M) David, Samuel, and the prophets,^{(N) 33} who by faith conquered kingdoms,^(O) administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,^{(P) 34} quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.^{(Q) 35} Women received their dead—they were raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, ³⁶ and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment.^{(R) 37} They were stoned,^[e](S) they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins,^(T) destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. ³⁸ The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹ All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.^(U)