Rom 4, Heb 11 | ESV | STEP | What then shall we say was gained by Abraham , our forefather according to the flesh ?

1 What then shall we say was gained by ^{▼▼Some manuscripts say about} Abraham, ^bour forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but ^cnot before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? ^d“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now ^eto the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but ^fbelieves in ^{▼▼Or but trusts; compare verse 24} him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 ^h“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not ⁱcount his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for ^jthe circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? ^kFor we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 ^lHe received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was ^mto make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

13 For ⁿthe promise to Abraham and his offspring ^othat he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 ^pFor if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For ^qthe law brings wrath, but ^rwhere there is no law ^sthere is no transgression.

16 That is why it depends on faith, ^tin order that the promise may rest on grace and ^ube guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, ^vwho is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, ^w“I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, ^xwho gives life to the dead and calls into existence ^ythe things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ^z“So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was ^aaas good as dead ( ^absince he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered ^acthe barrenness ^{▼▼Greek deadness} of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that ^aeGod was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But ^afthe words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us ^agwho believe in ^ahhim who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 ^aiwho was delivered up for our trespasses and raised ^ajfor our justification.

Hebrews 11

By Faith

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ^akthings not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by ^althe word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of ^amthings that are visible.

4 By faith ^anAbel offered to God ^aoa more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^apthrough his faith, though he died, he ^aqstill speaks. 5 By faith ^arEnoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God ^asmust believe that he exists and ^atthat he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith ^auNoah, being warned by God concerning ^avevents as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of ^awthe righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith ^axAbraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place ^aythat he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in ^azthe land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^baliving in tents ^bbwith Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to ^bcthe city that has ^bdfoundations, ^bewhose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith ^bfSarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered ^bghim faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and ^bhhim as good as dead, were born descendants ^bias many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, ^bjnot having received the things promised, but ^bkhaving seen them and greeted them from afar, and ^blhaving acknowledged that they were ^bmstrangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, ^bnthey would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed ^boto be called their God, for ^bphe has prepared for them a city.

17 By faith ^bqAbraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, ^br“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 ^bsHe considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith ^btIsaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith ^buJacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ^bvbowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith ^bwJoseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

23 By faith ^bxMoses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of ^bythe king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, ^bzrefused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 ^cachoosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy ^cbthe fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 ^ccHe considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to ^cdthe reward. 27 By faith he ^celeft Egypt, ^cfnot being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured ^cgas seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith ^chhe kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

29 By faith ^cithe people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith ^cjthe walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith ^ckRahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she ^clhad given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of ^cmGideon, ^cnBarak, ^coSamson, ^cpJephthah, of ^cqDavid and ^crSamuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, ^csstopped the mouths of lions, 34 ^ctquenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, ^cubecame mighty in war, ^cvput foreign armies to flight. 35 ^cwWomen received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even ^cxchains and imprisonment. 37 ^cyThey were stoned, they were sawn in two, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add they were tempted} ^dathey were killed with the sword. ^dbThey went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy— ^dcwandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, ^ddthough commended through their faith, ^dedid not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, ^dfthat apart from us they should not be made perfect.