Faith and Assurance

1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not being seen. 2For in this the ancients were commended.

3By faith we understand the universe to have been formed by the word of God, so that the things being seen have not been made from the things being visible.

The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah

4By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts; and through it, having died, he still speaks.

5By faith Enoch was translated not to see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him up.a For before the translation, he was commended to have pleased God. 6And without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For it behooves the one drawing near to God to believe that He exists and that He becomes a rewarder to those earnestly seeking Him out.

7By faith Noah, having been divinely instructed concerning the things not yet seen, having been moved with fear, prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.

The Faith of Abraham and Sarah
(Genesis 15:1-7; Romans 4:1-12; Galatians 3:1-9; James 2:14-26)

8By faith Abraham, being called to go out into a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, obeyed and went out, not knowing where he is going. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of the promise, as in a foreign country, having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the joint-heirs of the same promise. 10For he was awaiting the city having foundations, of which the architect and builder is God.

11By faith also Sarah, herself barren, received power for the conception of seed, even beyond the opportune age, since she considered the One having promised faithful. 12Therefore also were born from one man, and he having been as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in multitude, and countless as the sand by the shore of the sea.

13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar, and having embraced them, and having confessed that they are strangers and sojourners on the earth. 14For those saying such things make manifest that they are seeking their own country. 15And indeed if they had been remembering that from where they came out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But now they stretch forward to a better one, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, being tested, has offered up Isaac. Even the one having received the promises was offering up his only begotten son, 18as to whom it was said, “In Isaac your offspring will be reckoned,”b 19having reasoned that God was able even to raise him out from the dead, from where he received him also in a simile.

The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

20By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the things coming.

21By faith Jacob, dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped on the top of his staff.

22By faith Joseph, dying, made mention concerning the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses

23By faith Moses, having been born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw the little child was beautiful, and they did not fear the edict of the king.

24By faith Moses, having become grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25having chosen to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of sin, 26having esteemed the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking toward the reward.

27By faith he left Egypt, not having feared the anger of the king; for he persevered, as seeing the Invisible One. 28By faith he has kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one destroying the firstborn would not touch them.

29By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land, which the Egyptians, an attempt having made, were swallowed up.

The Faith of Many

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, having been encircled for seven days.

31By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those having disobeyed, having received the spies with peace.

32And what more shall I say? For the time will fail me, telling of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, also David, and Samuel, and the prophets, 33who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises; shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the power of fire, escaped the mouths of the sword; acquired strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put to flight foreign armies.

35Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not having accepted release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36And others received the trial of mockings and of scourgings, and in addition, of chains and imprisonment.

37They were stoned, they were sawed in two,c they were killed by slaughter of the sword; they wandered in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, being oppressed, being mistreated; 38of whom the world was not worthy; wandering in deserts, and mountains, and caves, and holes of the earth.

39And these all, having been commended through the faith, did not receive the promise, 40God having planned something better for us, so that not apart from us, they should be made perfect.