Faith
1 To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. 2 It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval.
3 It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God's word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.
4 It was faith that made Abel offer to God a better sacrifice than Cain's. Through his faith he won God's approval as a righteous man, because God himself approved of his gifts. By means of his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 It was faith that kept Enoch from dying. Instead, he was taken up to God, and nobody could find him, because God had taken him up. The scripture says that before Enoch was taken up, he had pleased God. 6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.
7 It was faith that made Noah hear God's warnings about things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved. As a result, the world was condemned, and Noah received from God the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. 10 For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations.
11 It was faith that made Abraham able to become a father, even though he was too old and Sarah herself could not have children. He trusted God to keep his promise. 12 Though Abraham was practically dead, from this one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore.
13 It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth. 14 Those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 They did not keep thinking about the country they had left; if they had, they would have had the chance to return. 16 Instead, it was a better country they longed for, the heavenly country. And so God is not ashamed for them to call him their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
17 It was faith that made Abraham offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God put Abraham to the test. Abraham was the one to whom God had made the promise, yet he was ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice. 18 God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised.” 19 Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death—and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.
20 It was faith that made Isaac promise blessings for the future to Jacob and Esau.
21 It was faith that made Jacob bless each of the sons of Joseph just before he died. He leaned on the top of his walking stick and worshiped God.
22 It was faith that made Joseph, when he was about to die, speak of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, and leave instructions about what should be done with his body.
23 It was faith that made the parents of Moses hide him for three months after he was born. They saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's order.
24 It was faith that made Moses, when he had grown up, refuse to be called the son of the king's daughter. 25 He preferred to suffer with God's people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while. 26 He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward.
27 It was faith that made Moses leave Egypt without being afraid of the king's anger. As though he saw the invisible God, he refused to turn back. 28 It was faith that made him establish the Passover and order the blood to be sprinkled on the doors, so that the Angel of Death would not kill the first-born sons of the Israelites.
29 It was faith that made the Israelites able to cross the Red Sea as if on dry land; when the Egyptians tried to do it, the water swallowed them up.
30 It was faith that made the walls of Jericho fall down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. 31 It was faith that kept the prostitute Rahab from being killed with those who disobeyed God, for she gave the Israelite spies a friendly welcome.
32 Should I go on? There isn't enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners. 35 Through faith women received their dead relatives raised back to life.
Others, refusing to accept freedom, died under torture in order to be raised to a better life. 36 Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. They went around clothed in skins of sheep or goats—poor, persecuted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.
39 What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet they did not receive what God had promised, 40 because God had decided on an even better plan for us. His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.
La fe
1 Ahora bien, tener fe es estar seguro de lo que se espera; es estar convencido de lo que no se ve.
2 Gracias a ella, nuestros antepasados fueron reconocidos y aprobados.
3 Por la fe entendemos que Dios creó el universo por medio de su palabra, de modo que lo que ahora vemos fue hecho de lo que no se veía.
4 Por la fe, Abel ofreció a Dios un sacrificio más aceptable que el de Caín, y por eso fue reconocido como un hombre justo, y Dios aceptó con agrado sus ofrendas. Y aunque Abel está muerto, todavía habla por medio de su fe.
5 Por la fe, Enoc traspuso sin morir el umbral de la muerte, y nunca más se supo de él, porque Dios le hizo cruzar ese umbral; pero antes de cruzarlo, todos reconocieron que él era del agrado de Dios.
6 Sin fe es imposible agradar a Dios, porque es necesario que el que se acerca a Dios crea que él existe, y que sabe recompensar a quienes lo buscan.
7 Por la fe, con mucho temor Noé construyó el arca para salvar a su familia, cuando Dios le advirtió acerca de cosas que aún no se veían. Fue su fe la que condenó al mundo, y por ella fue hecho heredero de la justicia que viene por medio de la fe.
8 Por la fe, Abrahán obedeció cuando fue llamado, y salió sin saber a dónde iba, y se dirigió al lugar que iba a recibir como herencia.
9 Por la fe, habitó en la tierra prometida como un extraño en tierra extraña, y vivió en tiendas con Isaac y Jacob, quienes eran coherederos de la misma promesa;
10 porque esperaba llegar a la ciudad que tiene fundamentos, cuyo arquitecto y constructor es Dios.
11 Por la fe, Sara misma recibió fuerzas para concebir, aunque era estéril, y dio a luz, aun cuando por su edad se le había pasado el tiempo, porque creyó que era fiel quien le había hecho la promesa.
12 Por eso también, de un solo hombre, que ya estaba casi muerto, llegó a tener una multitud de descendientes, tan numerosos como las estrellas del cielo y tan incontables como la arena que está a la orilla del mar.
13 Por la fe, todos ellos murieron sin haber recibido lo que se les había prometido, y solo llegaron a ver esto a lo lejos; pero lo creyeron y lo saludaron, pues reconocieron que eran extranjeros y peregrinos en esta tierra.
14 Porque los que dicen esto, claramente dan a entender que buscan una patria;
15 pues si hubieran estado pensando en la patria de donde salieron, tiempo tenían para volver.
16 Pero ellos anhelaban una patria mejor, es decir, la patria celestial. Por eso Dios no se avergüenza de llamarse su Dios; al contrario, les ha preparado una ciudad.
17 Por la fe, cuando Abrahán fue puesto a prueba, ofreció a Isaac; y el que había recibido las promesas ofrecía a su único hijo,
18 a pesar de que Dios le había dicho: «Por medio de Isaac te vendrá descendencia».
19 Y es que Abrahán sabía que Dios tiene poder incluso para levantar a los muertos; y en sentido figurado, de entre los muertos lo volvió a recibir.
20 Por la fe, Isaac bendijo a Jacob y a Esaú acerca de las cosas venideras.
21 Por la fe, cuando Jacob murió, bendijo a cada uno de los hijos de José, y adoró apoyado en la punta de su bastón.
22 Por la fe, cuando José murió, anunció la salida de los hijos de Israel y dio instrucciones en cuanto a qué hacer con sus restos mortales.
23 Por la fe, cuando Moisés nació, sus padres lo escondieron durante tres meses, pues al ver que era un niño muy hermoso no tuvieron miedo del decreto del rey.
24 Por la fe, cuando Moisés ya era adulto, rehusó llamarse hijo de la hija del faraón,
25 y prefirió ser maltratado junto con el pueblo de Dios, antes que gozar de los deleites temporales del pecado,
26 pues consideró que sufrir el oprobio de Cristo era una riqueza mayor que los tesoros de los egipcios. Y es que su mirada estaba fija en la recompensa.
27 Por la fe salió de Egipto, sin temor a la ira del rey, y se mantuvo firme, como si estuviera viendo al Invisible.
28 Por la fe, celebró la pascua y el rociamiento de la sangre, para que el que destruía a los primogénitos no llegara a tocarlos.
29 Por la fe, pasaron por el Mar Rojo como si pisaran tierra seca; y cuando los egipcios intentaron hacer lo mismo, murieron ahogados.
30 Por la fe, cayeron las murallas de Jericó después de rodearlas siete días.
31 Por la fe, la ramera Rajab no murió junto con los desobedientes, pues había recibido en paz a los espías.
32 ¿Y qué más puedo decir? Tiempo me faltaría para hablar de Gedeón, de Barac, de Sansón, de Jefté, de David, así como de Samuel y de los profetas,
33 que por la fe conquistaron reinos, impartieron justicia, alcanzaron promesas, taparon bocas de leones,
34 apagaron fuegos impetuosos, escaparon del filo de la espada, sacaron fuerzas de flaqueza, llegaron a ser poderosos en batallas y pusieron en fuga a ejércitos extranjeros.
35 Hubo mujeres que por medio de la resurrección recuperaron a sus muertos. Pero otros fueron atormentados, y no aceptaron ser liberados porque esperaban obtener una mejor resurrección.
36 Otros sufrieron burlas y azotes, y hasta cadenas y cárceles.
37 Fueron apedreados, aserrados, puestos a prueba, muertos a filo de espada; anduvieron de un lado a otro cubiertos de pieles de oveja y de cabra, pobres, angustiados y maltratados.
38 Estos hombres, de los que el mundo no era digno, anduvieron errantes por los desiertos, por los montes, por las cuevas y por las cavernas de la tierra.
39 Y aunque por medio de la fe todos ellos fueron reconocidos y aprobados, no recibieron lo prometido.
40 Todo esto sucedió para que ellos no fueran perfeccionados aparte de nosotros, pues Dios había preparado algo mejor para nosotros.