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.

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended^(E) as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.^(F) And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.^(G)

⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen,^(A) in holy fear built an ark^(B) to save his family.^(C) By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.^(D)

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.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.^(A) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^[a](B)

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.^(A)

²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,^(B) and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.^(C)

²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born,^(D) because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.^(E)

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,^(A) Barak,^(B) Samson^(C) and Jephthah,^(D) about David^(E) and Samuel^(F) and the prophets,

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)