A Proposition and a Promise

By Faith

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

⁴By faith hAbel offered to God ia more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And jthrough his faith, though he died, he kstill speaks. ⁵By faith lEnoch 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. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God mmust believe that he exists and mthat he rewards those who seek him. ⁷By faith nNoah, being warned by God concerning oevents 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 pthe righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸By faith qAbraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place rthat he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in sthe land of promise, as in a foreign land, tliving in tents uwith Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to vthe city that has wfoundations, xwhose designer and builder is God. ¹¹By faith ySarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered zhim faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one man, and ahim as good as dead, were born descendants bas many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

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

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

²³By faith qMoses, 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 rthe king's edict. ²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown up, srefused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, ²⁵tchoosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy uthe fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶vHe considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to wthe reward. ²⁷By faith he xleft Egypt, ynot being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured zas seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith ahe kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

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

³²And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of fGideon, gBarak, hSamson, iJephthah, of jDavid and kSamuel and the prophets— ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, lstopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴mquenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, nbecame mighty in war, nput foreign armies to flight. ³⁵oWomen received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even pchains and imprisonment. ³⁷qThey were stoned, they were sawn in two,1 rthey were killed with the sword. sThey went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy—twandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

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

The Compassion of the Lord

¹d“Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

ecome, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

²fWhy do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

³Incline your ear, and come to me;

ghear, that your soul may live;

hand I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

imy steadfast, sure love for jDavid.

⁴kBehold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

la leader and commander for the peoples.

⁵kBehold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

and ma nation that did not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

nfor he has glorified you.

⁶o“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

⁷let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

⁹pFor as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰q“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

rgiving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹²t“For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

uthe mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

¹³vInstead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”