Hebrews 11

Faith and Assurance

1 Now faith is [the] assurance of what [we] hope for [and the] certainty of what we do not see. 2 This is why the ancients were commended. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

"The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah"

4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain [did] . By [faith] he was commended as righteous [when] God gave approval to his gifts. And by [faith] he still speaks, [even though] he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up [so that] he did not see death. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. ▼

▼Genesis 5:24

For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith [it is] impossible to please [God] , because anyone who approaches [Him] must believe that He exists and [that] He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By [faith] he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness [that] comes by faith.

The Faith of Abraham and Sarah

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as [his] inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the promised land as {a stranger} in a foreign [country] . He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who [were] heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God. 11 By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the opportune age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these [people] died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw [them] and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of [the country] they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better [country] , a heavenly [one] . Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac [ on the altar ] . He who had received the promises was ready to offer [his] one and only son, 18 even though [God] had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” ▼

▼Genesis 21:12

19 [Abraham] reasoned that God could raise [the] dead, [and] in a sense, he did receive [Isaac] back from [death] .

"The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph"

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped [as he leaned] on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.

The Faith of Moses

23 By faith [Moses’] parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw [that he was] a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called [the] son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience [the] fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26 He valued disgrace for Christ {above} the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to [his] reward. 27 By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw [Him who is] invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer [of] the firstborn would not touch [Israel’s own] [ firstborn ] . 29 By faith [the people] passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; [but when] the Egyptians tried to follow, ▼

▼Literal made an attempt

they were drowned.

The Faith of Many

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after [the people] had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, [and] obtained what was promised; [who] shut [the] mouths of lions, 34 quenched [the] raging fire, [and] escaped [the] edge of [the] sword; [who] gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, [and] put foreign armies [to flight] . 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured [and] refused [their] release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 [Still] others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, ▼

▼NE, WH, BYZ, and TR include they were put to the test,

they were put to death by [the] sword. They went around in sheepskins [and] goatskins, destitute, oppressed, [and] mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of [them] . They wandered in deserts and mountains, and [ hid in ] caves and holes in the ground. 39 These {were} all commended for [their] faith, [yet] they did not receive what [was] promised. 40 God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.