Hebrews 11

Modern

Literal

Faith and Assurance

¹Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

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

²This is why the ancients were commended.

²For in this the ancients were well-attested.

³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

³By faith we understand the ages to have been completed thoroughly by the word of God, in order for that being seen not to have come into being out of the things being visible.

The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah

⁴By 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.

⁴By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts; and through it, having died, he still speaks.

⁵By faith Enoch was taken up^a so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^b For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

⁵By faith Enoch was translated not to see death, “and he was not found, because God translated him.” For before the translation, he had been testified to have pleased God.

⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

⁶And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for it is necessary for the one coming to God to believe that He is and that He becomes a rewarder to those seeking Him out.

⁷By 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.

⁷By faith Noah, having been divinely warned concerning the things not yet being seen, having been moved with fear, prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righeousness according to faith.

The Faith of Abraham and Sarah

⁸By 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.

⁸By faith Abraham, being called to go out into a place that he was about to receive for an inheritance, obeyed and went out, not knowing where he is going.

⁹By 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.

⁹By faith he sojourned in the land of the promise as in a foreign country, having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the co-heirs of the same promise.

¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹⁰For he was awaiting the city having foundations, of which the architect and builder is God.

¹¹By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.

¹¹By faith also Sarah, herself barren, received power for the conception of seed even beyond the opportune age, since she esteemed faithful the One having promised.

¹²And 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.

¹²Therefore also were born from one man, and these of one having become as dead, as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand by the shore of the sea, countless.

¹³All 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.

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

¹⁴Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own.

¹⁴For those saying such things make manifest that they are seeking out a homeland.

¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.

¹⁵And indeed if they had been remembering that from which they came out, they would have had opportunity to return.

¹⁶Instead, 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.

¹⁶But now they stretch forward to a better one, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for He prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By 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,^a

¹⁷By faith Abraham, being tested. has offered up Isaac. Even the one having received the promises was offering up his only begotten,

¹⁸even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”^a

¹⁸as to whom it was said, “In Isaac a seed will be called to you,”

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

¹⁹having reasoned that God was able even to raise him out from the dead, from where he received him back also in a simile.

The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.

²⁰By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the things about to be.

²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

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

²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.

²²By faith Joseph, finishing life, made mention concerning the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave commands concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses

²³By 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.

²³By faith Moses, having been born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw the child was beautiful, and they did not fear the edict of the king.

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

²⁴By faith Moses, having become grown, refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh,

²⁵He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin.

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

²⁶He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.

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

²⁷By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.

²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not having feared the anger of the king; for as seeing the Invisible One, he persevered.

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

²⁸By faith he has kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one destroying the firstborn should not touch them.

²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow,^a they were drowned.

²⁹By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land, which the Egyptians, having made an attempt, were swallowed up.

The Faith of Many

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, having been encircled for seven days.

³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient.

³¹By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those having disobeyed, having welcomed the spies with peace.

³²And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

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

³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,

³³who by faith conquered kingdoms, worked justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

³⁴quenched 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.

³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the mouths of the sword, were made powerful out of weakness, became strong in war, and put to flight foreign armies.

³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection.

³⁵Women received their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not having accepted release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection.

³⁶Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.

³⁶And others received the trial of mockings and of scourgings, and even of chains and of imprisonment.

³⁷They were stoned, they were sawed in two,^a they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.

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

³⁸The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.

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

³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.

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

⁴⁰God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.

⁴⁰God having planned something better for us, so that not apart from us, they should be perfected.