² Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

³⁹ All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.

⁴ It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.