Hebrews 11
New King James Version
By Faith We Understand
11 Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence (A)of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that (B)the [c]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Faith at the Dawn of History(C)
4 By faith (D)Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still (E)speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, (F)“and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7 By faith (G)Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, (H)prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of (I)the righteousness which is according to faith.
Faithful Abraham(J)
8 By faith (K)Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, (L)dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (M)the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for (N)the city which has foundations, (O)whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith (P)Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and (Q)she[d] bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him (R)faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as (S)dead, were born as many as the (T)stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
The Heavenly Hope
13 These all died in faith, (U)not having received the (V)promises, but (W)having seen them afar off [e]were assured of them, embraced them and (X)confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things (Y)declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind (Z)that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed (AA)to be called their God, for He has (AB)prepared a city for them.
The Faith of the Patriarchs(AC)
17 By faith Abraham, (AD)when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 [f]of whom it was said, (AE)“In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God (AF)was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
20 By faith (AG)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, (AH)blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
22 By faith (AI)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
The Faith of Moses(AJ)
23 By faith (AK)Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s (AL)command.
24 By faith (AM)Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the [g]passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming (AN)the [h]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures [i]in Egypt; for he looked to the (AO)reward.
27 By faith (AP)he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith (AQ)he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29 By faith (AR)they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
By Faith They Overcame
30 By faith (AS)the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith (AT)the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who [j]did not believe, when (AU)she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of (AV)Gideon and (AW)Barak and (AX)Samson and (AY)Jephthah, also of (AZ)David and (BA)Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, (BB)stopped the mouths of lions, 34 (BC)quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 (BD)Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were (BE)tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and (BF)of chains and imprisonment. 37 (BG)They were stoned, they were sawn in two, [k]were tempted, were slain with the sword. (BH)They wandered about (BI)in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, (BJ)in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, (BK)having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be (BL)made perfect apart from us.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:1 realization
- Hebrews 11:1 Or confidence
- Hebrews 11:3 Or ages, Gr. aiones, aeons
- Hebrews 11:11 NU omits she bore a child
- Hebrews 11:13 NU, M omit were assured of them
- Hebrews 11:18 to
- Hebrews 11:25 temporary
- Hebrews 11:26 reviling because of
- Hebrews 11:26 NU, M of
- Hebrews 11:31 were disobedient
- Hebrews 11:37 NU omits were tempted
Hebrews 11
Good News Translation
Faith
11 To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. 2 (A)It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval.
3 (B)It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God's word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.
4 (C)It was faith that made Abel offer to God a better sacrifice than Cain's. Through his faith he won God's approval as a righteous man, because God himself approved of his gifts. By means of his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 (D)It was faith that kept Enoch from dying. Instead, he was taken up to God, and nobody could find him, because God had taken him up. The scripture says that before Enoch was taken up, he had pleased God. 6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.
7 (E)It was faith that made Noah hear God's warnings about things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved. As a result, the world was condemned, and Noah received from God the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 (F)It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going. 9 (G)By faith he lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. 10 For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations.
11 (H)It was faith that made Abraham able to become a father, even though he was too old and Sarah herself could not have children. He[a] trusted God to keep his promise. 12 (I)Though Abraham was practically dead, from this one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore.
13 (J)It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth. 14 Those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 They did not keep thinking about the country they had left; if they had, they would have had the chance to return. 16 Instead, it was a better country they longed for, the heavenly country. And so God is not ashamed for them to call him their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
17 (K)It was faith that made Abraham offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God put Abraham to the test. Abraham was the one to whom God had made the promise, yet he was ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice. 18 (L)God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised.” 19 Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death—and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.
20 (M)It was faith that made Isaac promise blessings for the future to Jacob and Esau.
21 (N)It was faith that made Jacob bless each of the sons of Joseph just before he died. He leaned on the top of his walking stick and worshiped God.
22 (O)It was faith that made Joseph, when he was about to die, speak of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, and leave instructions about what should be done with his body.
23 (P)It was faith that made the parents of Moses hide him for three months after he was born. They saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's order.
24 (Q)It was faith that made Moses, when he had grown up, refuse to be called the son of the king's daughter. 25 He preferred to suffer with God's people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while. 26 He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward.
27 It was faith that made Moses leave Egypt without being afraid of the king's anger. As though he saw the invisible God, he refused to turn back. 28 (R)It was faith that made him establish the Passover and order the blood to be sprinkled on the doors, so that the Angel of Death would not kill the first-born sons of the Israelites.
29 (S)It was faith that made the Israelites able to cross the Red Sea as if on dry land; when the Egyptians tried to do it, the water swallowed them up.
30 (T)It was faith that made the walls of Jericho fall down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. 31 (U)It was faith that kept the prostitute Rahab from being killed with those who disobeyed God, for she gave the Israelite spies a friendly welcome.
32 (V)Should I go on? There isn't enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 (W)Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 (X)put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners. 35 (Y)Through faith women received their dead relatives raised back to life.
Others, refusing to accept freedom, died under torture in order to be raised to a better life. 36 (Z)Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison. 37 (AA)They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. They went around clothed in skins of sheep or goats—poor, persecuted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.
39 What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet they did not receive what God had promised, 40 because God had decided on an even better plan for us. His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 11:11 It was faith … children. He; some manuscripts have It was faith that made Sarah herself able to conceive, even though she was too old to have children. She.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
