| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. | 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. |
| 2Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. | 2For by it the people of old received God's commendation. |
| 3By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. | 3By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God's command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. |
| 4It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith. | 4By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith he still speaks, though he is dead. |
| 5It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. | 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. |
| 6And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. | 6Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. |
| 7It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. | 7By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. |
| 8It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. | 8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. |
| 9And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. | 9By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. |
| 10Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. | 10For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God. |
| 11It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. | 11By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, he received the ability to procreate, because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. |
| 12And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. | 12So in fact children were fathered by one man--and this one as good as dead--like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand on the seashore. |
| 13All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. | 13These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. |
| 14Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. | 14For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. |
| 15If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. | 15In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. |
| 16But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. | 16But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. |
| 17It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, | 17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. |
| 18even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” | 18God had told him, "Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name," |
| 19Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. | 19and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense he received him back from there. |
| 20It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. | 20By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. |
| 21It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. | 21By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. |
| 22It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left. | 22By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his burial. |
| 23It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. | 23By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict. |
| 24It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. | 24By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, |
| 25He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. | 25choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin's fleeting pleasure. |
| 26He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. | 26He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on the reward. |
| 27It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. | 27By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king's anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible. |
| 28It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons. | 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. |
| 29It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned. | 29By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. |
| 30It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. | 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for seven days. |
| 31It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. | 31By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace. |
| 32How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. | 32And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. |
| 33By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, | 33Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, |
| 34quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. | 34quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, |
| 35Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. | 35and women received back their dead raised to life. But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life. |
| 36Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. | 36And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. |
| 37Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. | 37They were stoned, sawed apart, murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated |
| 38They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. | 38(the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. |
| 39All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. | 39And these all were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. |
| 40For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. | 40For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. |
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