Hebrews 11

¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

²For by this the ancients received their commendation.

³By faith we understand that the ages were ordered by the word of God, so that what is seen did not come into being from things that are visible.

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

⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so as not to see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him up; for before his taking up he was attested to have pleased God;

⁶But without faith it is impossible to please; for it is necessary for the one drawing near to God to believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder to those who earnestly seek him out.

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

⁸By faith Abraham, when called, obeyed by going out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going.

⁹By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the co-heirs of the same promise;

¹⁰For he was awaiting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹By faith also Sarah herself, though barren, received power for the conception of seed, and past the proper time of age gave birth, since she considered him who had promised to be faithful.

¹²Therefore also from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as the stars of heaven in multitude and as the sand along the seashore, which is innumerable.

¹³In faith all these died, not having received the promises but having seen them from afar and having been persuaded and having welcomed them and having confessed that they are strangers and sojourners on the earth.

¹⁴For those who say such things make manifest that they are seeking a homeland.

¹⁵And if indeed they had been mindful of that land from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return;

¹⁶But now they are aspiring 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 for them a city.

¹⁷By faith Abraham offered up Isaac when he was tested, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only son,

¹⁸of whom it was said, 'In Isaac shall your offspring be named.'

¹⁹having reckoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a figure.

²⁰By faith Isaac also blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

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

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

²³By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,

²⁵having chosen rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin;

²⁶having considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking away to the reward.

²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing the Invisible One.

²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them.

²⁹By faith they crossed the Red Sea as through dry land, which when the Egyptians attempted they were swallowed up.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after they had been encircled for seven days.

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

³²And what more shall I say? For time will fail me in telling about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David and also Samuel and the prophets,

³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

³⁵Women received their dead back through resurrection; but others were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;

³⁶And others received the experience of mockings and scourgings, and moreover of chains and imprisonment;

³⁷They were stoned, they were sawed apart, they were tempted, they died by slaughter of the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, being oppressed, being mistreated,

³⁸of whom the world was not worthy — wandering in deserts and on mountains and in caves and in the holes of the earth.

³⁹And all these, having been attested through faith, did not receive the promise,

⁴⁰God having foreseen something better concerning us, so that they should not be made perfect apart from us.