The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household^(A) to the land^(B) I will show you.^(C)

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.^(A)

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham^(A) rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it^(B) and was glad.”

¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy^(A) of the Lord and please him^(B) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,^{(C) 11} being strengthened with all power^(D) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,^{(E) 12} and giving joyful thanks to the Father,^(F) who has qualified you^[a] to share in the inheritance^(G) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.^(H)

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.^(A) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[a](B) 19} Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,^(C) and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice,^(A) though now for a little while^(B) you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.^{(C) 7} These have come so that the proven genuineness^(D) of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire^(E)—may result in praise, glory and honor^(F) when Jesus Christ is revealed.^(G)