Faith in Action

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for^(A) and assurance about what we do not see.^{(B) 2} This is what the ancients were commended for.^(C)

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,^(D) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,^(A) obeyed and went,^(B) even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land^(C) like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents,^(D) as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.^{(E) 10} For he was looking forward to the city^(F) with foundations,^(G) whose architect and builder is God.^{(H) 11} And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,^(I) was enabled to bear children^(J) because she^[a] considered him faithful^(K) who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,^(L) came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.^(M)

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.^{(A) 25} He chose to be mistreated^(B) along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace^(C) for the sake of Christ^(D) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.^{(E) 27} By faith he left Egypt,^(F) not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer^(G) of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.^(H)

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.^(I)

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.^(J)

³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[a](K)

³⁹ These were all commended^(A) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,^{(B) 40} since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us^(C) would they be made perfect.^(D)