By Faith We Understand

11 Now faith is the 1substance of things hoped for, the 2evidence aof things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

3 By faith we understand that bthe 3worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Faith at the Dawn of History

4 By faith cAbel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still dspeaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, e“and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

7 By faith fNoah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, gprepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of hthe righteousness which is according to faith.

Faithful Abraham

8 By faith iAbraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, jdwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, kthe heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for lthe city which has foundations, mwhose builder and maker is God.

11 By faith nSarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and oshe 4bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him pfaithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as qdead, were born as many as the rstars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

The Heavenly Hope

13 These all died in faith, snot having received the tpromises, but uhaving seen them afar off 5were assured of them, embraced them and vconfessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things wdeclare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind xthat country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed yto be called their God, for He has zprepared a city for them.

The Faith of the Patriarchs

17 By faith Abraham, awhen he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 6of whom it was said, b“In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God cwas able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

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

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, eblessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith fJoseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses

23 By faith gMoses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s hcommand.

24 By faith iMoses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the 7passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming jthe 8reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures 9in Egypt; for he looked to the kreward.

27 By faith lhe forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith mhe kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith nthey passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

By Faith They Overcame

30 By faith othe walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith pthe harlot Rahab did not perish with those who 1did not believe, when qshe had received the spies with peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of rGideon and sBarak and tSamson and uJephthah, also of vDavid and wSamuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, xstopped the mouths of lions, 34 yquenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 zWomen received their dead raised to life again.

Others were atortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and bof chains and imprisonment. 37 cThey were stoned, they were sawn in two, 2were tempted, were slain with the sword. dThey wandered about ein sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, fin dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, ghaving obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be hmade perfect apart from us.

The Race of Faith

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, alet us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and blet us run cwith endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the 1author and 2finisher of our faith, dwho for the joy that was set before Him eendured the cross, despising the shame, and fhas sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Discipline of God

3 gFor consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, hlest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 iYou have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

j“My son, do not despise the 3chastening of the Lord,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For kwhom the Lord loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 lIf 4you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what mson is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, nof which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to othe Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, pthat we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no 5chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields qthe peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

12 Therefore rstrengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 sPursue peace with all people, and holiness, twithout which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone ufall short of the grace of God; lest any vroot of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any wfornicator or 6profane person like Esau, xwho for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was yrejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The Glorious Company

18 For you have not come 7to zthe mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and 8darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it abegged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: b“And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned 9or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, c“I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the 1general assembly and church of dthe firstborn ewho are registered in heaven, to God fthe Judge of all, to the spirits of just men gmade perfect, 24 to Jesus hthe Mediator of the new covenant, and to ithe blood of sprinkling that speaks better things jthan that of Abel.

Hear the Heavenly Voice

25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For kif they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, l“Yet once more I 2shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the mremoval of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we 3may nserve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For oour God is a consuming fire.