Examples of Faith in Action

11 Now faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the proof of things not seen. ² For by this the people of old were approved. ³ By faith we understand the worlds were created by the word of God, in order that what is seen did not come into existence from what is visible.

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, by which he was approved that he was righteous, because^[a] God approved him for his gifts, and through it^[b] he still speaks, although he^[c] is dead. ⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved as having been pleasing^[d] to God. ⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him. ⁷ By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he^[e] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith also, with Sarah^[f],^[g] he received the ability to procreate^[h] even past the normal age^[i], because he regarded the one who had promised to be faithful. ¹² And therefore these were fathered from one man, and he being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea.

¹³ These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming them, and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things make clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ And if they remember^[j] that land from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, ¹⁸ with reference to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants will be named,”^{[k] 19} having reasoned that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol. ²⁰ By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things that were going to happen. ²¹ By faith Jacob, as he^[l] was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. ²² By faith Joseph, as he^[m] was dying, mentioned about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his bones.

²³ By faith Moses, when he^[n] was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child was handsome, and they were not afraid of the edict of the king. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he^[o] was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God rather than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin, ²⁶ considering reproach endured for the sake of Christ^[p] greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king, for he persevered as if he^[q] saw the invisible one. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, in order that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. ²⁹ By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; the Egyptians, when they made the attempt^[r], were drowned. ³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they^[s] had been marched around for seven days. ³¹ By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she^[t] welcomed the spies in peace.

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶ And others experienced mocking and flogging^[u], and in addition bonds and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground. ³⁹ And although they^[v] all were approved^[w] through their faith, they did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ because^[x] God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

Adam’s Descendants to Noah

5 This is the record of the generations^[a] of Adam. When^[b] God created Adam,^[c] he made him in the likeness of God. ² Male and female he created them. And he blessed them. And he called their name “Humankind” when^[d] they were created. ³ And when Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he fathered a child in his likeness, according to his image. And he called his name Seth. ⁴ And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters. ⁵ And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

⁶ When^[e] Seth had lived one hundred and five years, he fathered Enosh. ⁷ And after Seth had fathered Enosh he lived eight hundred and seven years, and fathered sons and daughters. ⁸ And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

⁹ When^[f] Enosh lived ninety years, he fathered Kenan. ¹⁰ And after Enosh fathered Kenan he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and fathered sons and daughters. ¹¹ And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¹² When^[g] Kenan had lived seventy years, he fathered Mahalalel. ¹³ And after Kenan had fathered Mahalalel, he lived eight hundred and forty years, and fathered sons and daughters. ¹⁴ And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ When^[h] Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Jared. ¹⁶ And after Mahalalel had fathered Jared, he lived eight hundred and thirty years, and fathered sons and daughters. ¹⁷ And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ When^[i] Jared had lived one hundred and sixty-two years, he fathered Enoch. ¹⁹ And after Jared had fathered Enoch, he lived eight hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. ²⁰ And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ When^[j] Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Methuselah. ²² And Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. ²³ And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ And Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him.

²⁵ When^[k] Methuselah had lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, he fathered Lamech. ²⁶ And after Methuselah had fathered Lamech, he lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and fathered sons and daughters. ²⁷ And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ When^[l] Lamech had lived one hundred and eighty-two years, he fathered a son. ²⁹ And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one shall relieve us^[m] from our work, and from the hard labor of our hands, from the ground which Yahweh had cursed. ³⁰ And after Lamech had fathered Noah he lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and he fathered sons and daughters. ³¹ All the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² When^[n] Noah was five hundred years old,^[o] Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The Birth of Isaac

21 And Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said. And Yahweh did to Sarah as he had promised. ² And she conceived, and Sarah bore to Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. ³ And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. ⁴ And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵ And Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him. ⁶ And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me.” ⁷ And she said, “Who would announce to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son to Abraham in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael

⁸ And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. ⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰ Then she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac.” ¹¹ And the matter displeased Abraham very much^[a] on account of his son. ¹² Then God said to Abraham, “Do not be displeased^[b] on account of the boy and on account of the slave woman. Listen to everything that Sarah said to you,^[c] for through Isaac your offspring will be named. ¹³ And I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation, for he is your offspring.” ¹⁴ Then Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. And he sent her away with the child, and she went, wandering about in the wilderness, in Beersheba. ¹⁵ And when the water was finished from the skin, she put the child under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ And she went and she sat a good distance away,^[d] for she said, “Let me not see the child’s death.” So she sat away from him and lifted up her voice and wept. ¹⁷ And God heard the cry^[e] of the boy and the angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What is the matter^[f] Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the cry^[g] of the boy from where he is.^{[h] 18} Get up, take up the boy and take him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” ¹⁹ And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave a drink to the boy. ²⁰ And God was with the boy, and he grew and lived in the wilderness. And he became an expert with a bow.^{[i] 21} And he lived in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Examples of Faith in Action

11 Now faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the proof of things not seen. ² For by this the people of old were approved. ³ By faith we understand the worlds were created by the word of God, in order that what is seen did not come into existence from what is visible.

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, by which he was approved that he was righteous, because^[a] God approved him for his gifts, and through it^[b] he still speaks, although he^[c] is dead. ⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved as having been pleasing^[d] to God. ⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him. ⁷ By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he^[e] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith also, with Sarah^[f],^[g] he received the ability to procreate^[h] even past the normal age^[i], because he regarded the one who had promised to be faithful. ¹² And therefore these were fathered from one man, and he being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea.

¹³ These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming them, and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things make clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ And if they remember^[j] that land from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, ¹⁸ with reference to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants will be named,”^{[k] 19} having reasoned that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol. ²⁰ By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things that were going to happen. ²¹ By faith Jacob, as he^[l] was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. ²² By faith Joseph, as he^[m] was dying, mentioned about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his bones.

²³ By faith Moses, when he^[n] was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child was handsome, and they were not afraid of the edict of the king. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he^[o] was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God rather than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin, ²⁶ considering reproach endured for the sake of Christ^[p] greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king, for he persevered as if he^[q] saw the invisible one. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, in order that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. ²⁹ By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; the Egyptians, when they made the attempt^[r], were drowned. ³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they^[s] had been marched around for seven days. ³¹ By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she^[t] welcomed the spies in peace.

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶ And others experienced mocking and flogging^[u], and in addition bonds and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground. ³⁹ And although they^[v] all were approved^[w] through their faith, they did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ because^[x] God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.