Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴ It was by faith that Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain. That earned him the testimony that he was in the right, since God himself bore witness in relation to his gifts. Through faith, he still speaks, even though he’s dead. ⁵ It was by faith that Enoch was taken up so that he wouldn’t see death; nobody could find him, because God took him up. Before he was taken up, you see, it had been said of him that “he had pleased God.” ⁶ And without faith it’s impossible to please God; for those who come to worship God must believe that he really does exist, and that he rewards those who seek him.

Faith and the future: Noah, Abraham, Sarah

⁷ It was by faith that Noah, who had been warned by God about things that were not yet seen, took the warning seriously and built an ark to save his household. He thus put the rest of the world in the wrong, and became heir to the righteous standing which accords with faith.