Hebrews 11

Wycliffe Bible

11 But faith is the substance of things that be to be hoped, and an argument of things not appearing. [Forsooth faith is the substance of things to be hoped, an argument, or certainty, of things not appearing.]

² And in this faith old men have gotten witnessing.

³ By faith we understand that the worlds were made by God's word [By faith we understand the worlds to be shaped, or made, by God's word], that visible things were made of invisible things.

⁴ By faith Abel offered a much more sacrifice than Cain to God, by which he got witnessing to be just, for God bare witnessing to his gifts^[a]; and by that faith he dead speaketh yet.

⁵ By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death; and he was not found, for the Lord translated him. For before [the] translation he had witnessing that he pleased God.

⁶ And it is impossible to please God without faith. For it behooveth that a man coming to God, believe that he is, and that he is [a] rewarder of men that seek him.

⁷ By faith Noah dreaded, through answer taken of these things that yet were not seen, and shaped a ship into the health of his house [By faith Noah, an answer taken of these things that yet were not seen, dreading shaped an ark, or ship, into the health of his house]; by which he condemned the world, and is ordained heir of rightwiseness, which is by faith.

⁸ By faith he that is called Abraham, obeyed to go out into a place, which he should take into heritage; and he went out, not witting whither he should go.

⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in an alien land, dwelling in little houses with Isaac and Jacob, even-heirs of the same promise.

¹⁰ For he abode a city having foundaments, whose craftsman and maker is God.

¹¹ By faith also that Sara barren, took virtue in conceiving of seed, yea, against the time of age; for she believed him true, that had promised.

¹² For which thing of one, and yet nigh dead, there were born as stars of heaven in multitude, and as gravel that is at the seaside out of number. [For which thing, and of one, and him nigh dead, men be born as stars of heaven in multitude, and as gravel, or sand, that is at the seaside unnumerable.]

¹³ By faith all these be dead, when the promises were not taken, but they beheld them afar [but they beholding them afar], and greeting them well, and acknowledged that they were pilgrims, and harboured men on the earth.

¹⁴ And they that say these things, signify that they seek a country.

¹⁵ If they had had mind of that [And forsooth if they had mind of that], of which they went out, [soothly] they had time of turning again;

¹⁶ but now they desire a better, that is to say, heavenly. Therefore God is not confounded to be called the God of them [Therefore God is not confounded, or shamed, to be called the God of them]; for he made ready to them a city.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham offered Isaac, when he was tempted; and he offered the one begotten [son], which had taken the promises [which had taken repromissions];

¹⁸ to whom it was said, For in Isaac the seed shall be called to thee.

¹⁹ For he deemed, that God is mighty to raise him, yea, from death^[b]; wherefore he took him also into a parable.

²⁰ By faith also of things to coming [By faith and of things to come], Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.

²¹ By faith Jacob dying blessed all the sons of Joseph, and honoured the highness of his staff [and honoured the highness of his rod].

²² By faith Joseph dying had mind of the passing forth of the children of Israel, and commanded of his bones.

²³ By faith Moses born, was hid three months of his father and mother, for that they saw the young child fair [for that they saw the young child fair, or seemly]; and they dreaded not the commandment of the king.

²⁴ By faith Moses was made great, and denied that he was the son of Pharaoh's daughter, [By faith Moses made great, denied him to be the son of Pharaoh's daughter,]

²⁵ and chose more to be tormented with the people of God [choosing rather for to be tormented with the people of God], than to have mirth of temporal sin;

²⁶ deeming the reproof of Christ more riches than the treasures of [the] Egyptians; for he beheld into the rewarding.

²⁷ By faith he forsook Egypt, and dreaded not the hardness of the king; for he abode, as seeing him that was invisible. [By faith he forsook Egypt, not dreading the hardness of the king; forsooth he as seeing sustained the invisible.]

²⁸ By faith he hallowed pask, and the shedding out of blood, that he that destroyed the first things of Egyptians, should not touch them. [By faith he hallowed pask, and shedding of blood, lest he that destroyed the first things of the Egyptians, should touch them.]

²⁹ By faith they passed the red sea, as by dry land, which thing Egyptians assaying were devoured [in waters].

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho felled down [fell down], by compassing of seven days.

³¹ By faith Rahab the whore received the spies with peace, and perished not with unbelieveful men.^[c]

³² And what yet shall I say? For time shall fail to me [Soothly time shall fail me] telling of Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, and Samuel, and of other prophets;

³³ which by faith overcame realms, wrought rightwiseness, got repromissions; they stopped the mouths of lions,

³⁴ they quenched the fierceness of fire, they drove away the edge of sword, they recovered of sickness, they were made strong in battle, they turned the hosts of aliens.

³⁵ Women received their dead children from death to life; but others were held forth, not taking redemption [Women received their dead of again-rising; forsooth others were holden forth, or dead, not taking redemption], that they should find a better again-rising.

³⁶ And others assayed scornings and beatings, moreover and bonds and prisons.

³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawed, they were tempted, they were dead in slaying of sword. They went about in badger skins [They went about in brock skins], and in skins of goats, needy, anguished, tormented;

³⁸ to which the world was not worthy. They wandered in wildernesses [They erring in wildernesses], and in mountains and dens, and [in] caves of the earth.

³⁹ And all these, approved by witnessing of faith [proved by witnessing of faith], took not repromission;

⁴⁰ for God provided some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect without us.