Hebrews 11
Legacy Standard Bible
By Faith
11 Now faith is the [a](A)assurance of things [b](B)hoped for, the [c]conviction of (C)things not seen. 2 For by it the [d](D)men of old [e](E)gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the [f](F)worlds were prepared (G)by the word of God, so that what is seen (H)was not made out of things which are visible. 4 By faith (I)Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he (J)was approved as being righteous—God approving [g]his (K)gifts—and through [h]faith, though (L)he is dead, he still speaks. 5 By faith (M)Enoch was taken up so that he would not (N)see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for prior to being taken up, he was approved as being pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who (O)draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 7 By faith (P)Noah, being (Q)warned about (R)things not yet seen, [i](S)in reverence (T)prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of (U)the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith (V)Abraham, when he was called, obeyed [j]by going out to a place which he was to (W)receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he sojourned in (X)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, (Y)dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (Z)fellow heirs of the same promise, 10 for he was looking for (AA)the city which has (AB)foundations, (AC)whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even (AD)Sarah herself [k]received [l]ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she regarded Him (AE)faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore there were born even of one man, and (AF)him as good as dead [m]at that, as many (AG)as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
13 (AH)All these died in faith, (AI)without receiving the promises, but (AJ)having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and (AK)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been remembering that country from which they went out, (AL)they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now, they aspire to a better country, that is, a (AM)heavenly one. Therefore (AN)God is not [n]ashamed to be (AO)called their God, for (AP)He prepared a city for them.
17 By faith (AQ)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had (AR)received the promises was offering up his only son, 18 to whom it was said, “(AS)In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 19 [o]He considered that (AT)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which, [p](AU)figuratively speaking, he also received him back. 20 By faith (AV)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith (AW)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and (AX)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith (AY)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave commands concerning his bones.
23 By faith (AZ)Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the (BA)king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, (BB)when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to (BC)be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 (BD)regarding the reproach of [q]Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the (BE)reward. 27 By faith he (BF)left Egypt, not (BG)fearing the rage of the king; for he endured, as (BH)seeing Him who is unseen. 28 By faith he [r](BI)kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that (BJ)he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they (BK)passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land, and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were [s]drowned.
30 By faith (BL)the walls of Jericho fell down (BM)after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith (BN)Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after welcoming the spies [t]in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I recount (BO)Gideon, (BP)Barak, (BQ)Samson, (BR)Jephthah, as well as (BS)David and (BT)Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith (BU)conquered kingdoms, (BV)performed righteousness, (BW)obtained promises, (BX)shut the mouths of lions, 34 (BY)quenched the power of fire, (BZ)escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, (CA)became mighty in war, (CB)put foreign armies to flight. 35 (CC)Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their [u]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others [v]experienced mockings and floggings, yes, also (CD)chains and imprisonment. 37 They were (CE)stoned, they were (CF)sawn in two, [w]they were tempted, they were (CG)put to death with the sword. They went about (CH)in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, (CI)mistreated 38 (of whom the world was not worthy), (CJ)wandering in desolate places and mountains and caves and holes [x]in the ground.
39 And all these, having [y](CK)gained approval through their faith, (CL)did not receive [z]what was promised, 40 because God had [aa]provided (CM)something better for us, so that (CN)apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:1 Or substance
- Hebrews 11:1 Or expected
- Hebrews 11:1 Or evidence
- Hebrews 11:2 Lit elders
- Hebrews 11:2 Lit obtained a good testimony
- Hebrews 11:3 Lit ages
- Hebrews 11:4 By receiving his gifts
- Hebrews 11:4 Lit it
- Hebrews 11:7 Lit having become reverent
- Hebrews 11:8 Lit to go out
- Hebrews 11:11 Some mss add being barren
- Hebrews 11:11 Lit power for the laying down of seed
- Hebrews 11:12 Lit in these things
- Hebrews 11:16 Lit ashamed of them, to be
- Hebrews 11:19 Lit Considering
- Hebrews 11:19 Lit in a parable
- Hebrews 11:26 Messiah
- Hebrews 11:28 Lit has kept
- Hebrews 11:29 Lit swallowed up
- Hebrews 11:31 Lit with
- Hebrews 11:35 Lit redemption
- Hebrews 11:36 Lit received the trial of
- Hebrews 11:37 One early ms omits they were tempted
- Hebrews 11:38 Lit of
- Hebrews 11:39 Lit obtained a testimony
- Hebrews 11:39 Lit the promise
- Hebrews 11:40 Or foreseen
Hebrews 11
Common English Bible
Description of faith
11 Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. 2 The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith.
Acts of faith by God’s people
3 By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible.
4 By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain, which showed that he was righteous, since God gave approval to him for his gift. Though he died, he’s still speaking through faith.
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn’t see death, and he wasn’t found because God took him up.[a] He was given approval for having pleased God before he was taken up. 6 It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him.
7 By faith Noah responded with godly fear when he was warned about events he hadn’t seen yet. He built an ark to deliver his household. With his faith, he criticized the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes from faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived in the land he had been promised as a stranger. He lived in tents along with Isaac and Jacob, who were coheirs of the same promise. 10 He was looking forward to a city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith even Sarah received the ability to have a child, though she herself was barren and past the age for having children, because she believed that the one who promised was faithful. 12 So descendants were born from one man (and he was as good as dead). They were as many as the number of the stars in the sky and as countless as the grains of sand on the seashore. 13 All these people died in faith without receiving the promises, but they saw the promises from a distance and welcomed them. They confessed that they were strangers and immigrants on earth. 14 People who say this kind of thing make it clear that they are looking for a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking about the country that they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return to it. 16 But at this point in time, they are longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God isn’t ashamed to be called their God—he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham offered Isaac when he was tested. The one who received the promises was offering his only son. 18 He had been told concerning him, Your legitimate descendants will come from Isaac.[b] 19 He figured that God could even raise him from the dead. So in a way he did receive him back from the dead.
20 By faith Isaac also blessed Jacob and Esau concerning their future.
21 By faith Jacob blessed each of Joseph’s sons as he was dying and bowed in worship over the head of his staff.[c]
22 By faith Joseph recalled the exodus of the Israelites at the end of his life, and gave instructions about burying his bones.
23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months when he was born, because they saw that the child was beautiful and they weren’t afraid of the king’s orders.
24 By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter when he was grown up. 25 He chose to be mistreated with God’s people instead of having the temporary pleasures of sin. 26 He thought that the abuses he suffered for Christ were more valuable than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking forward to the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt without being afraid of the king’s anger. He kept on going as if he could see what is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, in order that the destroyer could not touch their firstborn children.
29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if they were on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned.
30 By faith Jericho’s walls fell after the people marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute wasn’t killed with the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace.
32 What more can I say? I would run out of time if I told you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, brought about justice, realized promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 put out raging fires, escaped from the edge of the sword, found strength in weakness, were mighty in war, and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured and refused to be released so they could gain a better resurrection.
36 But others experienced public shame by being taunted and whipped; they were even put in chains and in prison. 37 They were stoned to death, they were cut in two, and they died by being murdered with swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats, needy, oppressed, and mistreated. 38 The world didn’t deserve them. They wandered around in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground.
39 All these people didn’t receive what was promised, though they were given approval for their faith. 40 God provided something better for us so they wouldn’t be made perfect without us.
Footnotes
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Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible