The People of Faith^[a]

Chapter 11

What Faith Is. ¹ Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction about things that cannot be seen.^{[b] 2} Indeed, it was because of it that our ancestors were commended.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen came into being from the invisible.

The Faith of the Early Patriarchs.^{[c] 4} By faith Abel^[d] offered to God a better sacrifice than that of Cain. Because of this he was attested as righteous, God himself bearing witness to his gifts. Although he is dead, he continues to speak through it.

⁵ By faith Enoch^[e] was taken up so that he did not see death. He was found no more, because God had taken him, and before he was taken up he was attested to have pleased God. ⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

⁷ By faith Noah,^[f] having been warned by God about things not yet seen, took heed and built an ark to save his household. Through his faith he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that derives from faith.

The Faith of Abraham and His Descendants. ⁸ By faith Abraham^[g] obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. He went forth without knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to a city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹ By faith Abraham also received the power of procreation, even though he was well past the age—and Sarah herself was barren^[h]—because he believed that the one who had made the promise would be faithful in fulfilling it. ¹² Therefore, from one man, himself as good as dead, came forth descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand on the seashore.

¹³ All these died in faith without having received what had been promised, but from a distance they saw far ahead how those promises would be fulfilled and welcomed them, and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and foreigners on the earth. ¹⁴ People who speak in this way make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had the opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But in fact they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom he had been told, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” ¹⁹ For he reasoned that God was able even to raise someone from the dead, and in a sense he was given back Isaac from the dead.^{[i] 20} By faith Isaac^[j] gave his blessings to Jacob and Esau for the future.

²¹ By faith Jacob,^[k] as he was dying, blessed each one of the sons of Joseph and bowed in worship, leaning on his staff.

²² By faith Joseph,^[l] near the end of his life, mentioned the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

²³ By faith Moses^[m] was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they did not fear the king’s edict.

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He preferred to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered that abuse suffered for the sake of the Messiah was a more precious gift than all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the final reward.

²⁷ By faith Moses departed from Egypt, unafraid of the wrath of the king; he persevered as if he could see the one who is invisible.

²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood so that the Destroyer would not harm the firstborn of Israel.

²⁹ The Faith of the Israelites and Rahab. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as though it were dry land. However, when the Egyptians attempted to do so, they were drowned.

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho^[n] fell when the people had marched around them for seven days.

³¹ By faith Rahab^[o] the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, for she had received the spies in peace.

³² The Faith of the Judges and Prophets. What more shall I say? Time is too short for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the Prophets,^{[p] 33} who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and obtained the promises. They closed the mouths of lions,^{[q] 34} quenched raging fires,^[r] and escaped the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned into strength as they became mighty in battle and put foreign armies to flight.

³⁵ Women received their dead^[s] back through resurrection. Others who were tortured refused to accept release in order to obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others were mocked and scourged, even to the point of enduring chains and imprisonment.

³⁷ They were stoned,^[t] or sawed in two, or put to death by the sword. They went about in skins of sheep or goats—destitute, persecuted, and tormented. ³⁸ The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in desert areas and on mountains, and they lived in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ Yet all these, even though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised. ⁴⁰ For God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to achieve perfection except with us.^[u]

Chapter 5

¹ This is the book of genealogy for Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God; ² male and female he created them. He blessed them and named them “human.”

³ Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when he had a son in his likeness, who was named Seth. ⁴ After he had Seth, Adam lived another eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ⁵ Adam lived for nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died.

⁶ Seth was one hundred and five years old when he had Enosh. ⁷ After he had Enosh, he lived another eight hundred and seven years and had other sons and daughters. ⁸ Seth lived for nine hundred and twelve years, and then he died.

⁹ Enosh was ninety years old when he had Kenan. ¹⁰ After he had Kenan, Enosh lived another eight hundred and fifteen years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Enosh lived for nine hundred and five years, and then he died.

¹² Kenan was seventy years old when he had Mahalalel. ¹³ After he had Mahalalel, he lived another eight hundred and forty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Kenan lived for nine hundred and ten years, and then he died.

¹⁵ Mahalalel was sixty-five years old when he had Jared. ¹⁶ After he had Jared, he lived another eight hundred and thirty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Mahalalel lived for eight hundred and ninety-five years, and then he died.

¹⁸ Jared was one hundred and sixty-two years old when he had Enoch. ¹⁹ After he had Enoch, he lived another eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Jared lived for nine hundred and sixty-two years, and then he died.

²¹ Enoch was sixty-five years old when he had Methuselah. ²² Enoch walked with God.^[a] After he had Methuselah, he lived another three hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Enoch lived for three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ Enoch then walked with God and was no more for he was with God.

²⁵ Methuselah was one hundred and eighty-seven years old when he had Lamech. ²⁶ After he had Lamech, he lived another seven hundred and eighty-two years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Methuselah lived for nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and then he died.

²⁸ Lamech was one hundred eighty-two years old when he had a son. ²⁹ He named him Noah, saying, “This one shall be a consolation for the work and labor that we must endure because the Lord has cursed the soil.” ³⁰ After he had Noah, Lamech lived another five hundred ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Lamech lived for seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and then he died. ³² Noah was five hundred years old when he had Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Chapter 21

The Promised Son.^{[a] 1} The Lord visited Sarah, as he had said he would. The Lord fulfilled what he had promised to Sarah. ² Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the very time that the Lord had established. ³ Abraham named the son whom Sarah bore Isaac. ⁴ Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him to do. ⁵ Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.

⁶ Sarah said, “God has given me a reason to laugh out loud. All will smile because of me.” ⁷ She then said, “Who would have ever said to Abraham, ‘Sarah will nurse sons’? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Ishmael Is Sent Away.^{[b] 8} Isaac grew and was weaned. On the day that he was weaned, Abraham threw a great banquet. ⁹ But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, the one whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with^[c] her son Isaac. ¹⁰ She said to Abraham, “Send this slave and her son away, for the son of this slave must not be an heir together with my son Isaac.”

¹¹ This greatly distressed Abraham for he was concerned for his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, “Do not let this matter with your son and the slave woman distress you. Listen to what Sarah tells you. Listen to her voice, for it is through Isaac that descendants will bear your name. ¹³ But I will also make the son of the slave woman become a great nation, for he is your son.”

¹⁴ Abraham arose early in the morning and gave Hagar bread and a skin of water, placing them on her back. He entrusted the child to her and sent her away. They left and wandered in the desert of Beer-sheba.

¹⁵ When they used up all the water in the skin, she placed the child under a bush ¹⁶ and went and sat down opposite him, about the distance of a bowshot. She said, “I do not want to see the child die.” She sat opposite him and began to sob.

¹⁷ But God heard the voice of the child, and the angel of God called upon Hagar from the heavens and said, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear because God has heard the voice of the child from where he lies. ¹⁸ Get up, take the child, and hold him by the hand because I will make a great nation of him.”

¹⁹ God opened her eyes, and she was able to see a spring of water. She went over to it and filled the skin and gave the child some water to drink.

²⁰ God was with the child, and he grew and lived in the desert and became an archer. ²¹ He lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother found him a wife in the land of Egypt.

The People of Faith^[a]

Chapter 11

What Faith Is. ¹ Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction about things that cannot be seen.^{[b] 2} Indeed, it was because of it that our ancestors were commended.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen came into being from the invisible.

The Faith of the Early Patriarchs.^{[c] 4} By faith Abel^[d] offered to God a better sacrifice than that of Cain. Because of this he was attested as righteous, God himself bearing witness to his gifts. Although he is dead, he continues to speak through it.

⁵ By faith Enoch^[e] was taken up so that he did not see death. He was found no more, because God had taken him, and before he was taken up he was attested to have pleased God. ⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

⁷ By faith Noah,^[f] having been warned by God about things not yet seen, took heed and built an ark to save his household. Through his faith he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that derives from faith.

The Faith of Abraham and His Descendants. ⁸ By faith Abraham^[g] obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. He went forth without knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to a city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹ By faith Abraham also received the power of procreation, even though he was well past the age—and Sarah herself was barren^[h]—because he believed that the one who had made the promise would be faithful in fulfilling it. ¹² Therefore, from one man, himself as good as dead, came forth descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand on the seashore.

¹³ All these died in faith without having received what had been promised, but from a distance they saw far ahead how those promises would be fulfilled and welcomed them, and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and foreigners on the earth. ¹⁴ People who speak in this way make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had the opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But in fact they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom he had been told, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” ¹⁹ For he reasoned that God was able even to raise someone from the dead, and in a sense he was given back Isaac from the dead.^{[i] 20} By faith Isaac^[j] gave his blessings to Jacob and Esau for the future.

²¹ By faith Jacob,^[k] as he was dying, blessed each one of the sons of Joseph and bowed in worship, leaning on his staff.

²² By faith Joseph,^[l] near the end of his life, mentioned the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

²³ By faith Moses^[m] was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they did not fear the king’s edict.

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He preferred to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He considered that abuse suffered for the sake of the Messiah was a more precious gift than all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the final reward.

²⁷ By faith Moses departed from Egypt, unafraid of the wrath of the king; he persevered as if he could see the one who is invisible.

²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood so that the Destroyer would not harm the firstborn of Israel.

²⁹ The Faith of the Israelites and Rahab. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as though it were dry land. However, when the Egyptians attempted to do so, they were drowned.

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho^[n] fell when the people had marched around them for seven days.

³¹ By faith Rahab^[o] the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, for she had received the spies in peace.

³² The Faith of the Judges and Prophets. What more shall I say? Time is too short for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the Prophets,^{[p] 33} who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and obtained the promises. They closed the mouths of lions,^{[q] 34} quenched raging fires,^[r] and escaped the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned into strength as they became mighty in battle and put foreign armies to flight.

³⁵ Women received their dead^[s] back through resurrection. Others who were tortured refused to accept release in order to obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others were mocked and scourged, even to the point of enduring chains and imprisonment.

³⁷ They were stoned,^[t] or sawed in two, or put to death by the sword. They went about in skins of sheep or goats—destitute, persecuted, and tormented. ³⁸ The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in desert areas and on mountains, and they lived in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ Yet all these, even though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised. ⁴⁰ For God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to achieve perfection except with us.^[u]