1 Men tro er full visshet om det som håpes, overbevisning om ting som ikke sees.
2 For på grunn av den fikk de gamle godt vidnesbyrd.
3 Ved tro skjønner vi at verden er kommet i stand ved Guds ord, så det som sees, ikke blev til av det synlige.
4 Ved tro bar Abel frem for Gud et bedre offer enn Kain; ved den fikk han det vidnesbyrd at han var rettferdig, idet Gud vidnet om hans gaver, og ved den taler han ennu efter sin død.
5 Ved tro blev Enok bortrykket, så han ikke skulde se døden, og han blev ikke funnet, fordi Gud hadde bortrykket ham. For før han blev bortrykket, fikk han det vidnesbyrd at han tektes Gud;
6 men uten tro er det umulig å tekkes Gud; for den som treder frem for Gud, må tro at han er til, og at han lønner dem som søker ham.
7 Ved tro bygget Noah, varslet av Gud om det som ennu ikke var sett, i hellig frykt en ark til frelse for sitt hus; ved den fordømte han verden og blev arving til rettferdigheten av tro.
8 Ved tro var Abraham lydig da han blev kalt, så han drog ut til det sted han skulde få til arv, og han drog ut uten å vite hvorhen han skulde komme;
9 ved tro opholdt han sig som utlending i det lovede land som i et fremmed land, idet han bodde i telt sammen med Isak og Jakob, medarvingene til det samme løfte;
10 for han ventet på den stad som har de faste grunnvoller, og som Gud er byggmester og skaper til.
11 Ved tro fikk også Sara kraft til å grunnlegge en ætt, og det til tross for sin alder, da hun aktet ham trofast som gav løftet;
12 derfor blev det også av en, og det en utlevd, avlet så mange som himmelens stjerner og som sanden ved havets strand, som ingen kan telle.
13 I tro døde alle disse uten at de hadde opnådd det som var lovt; men de så det langt borte og hilste det og bekjente at de var fremmede og utlendinger på jorden.
14 For de som sier slikt, gir derved til kjenne at de søker et fedreland;
15 og dersom de hadde tenkt på det som de var kommet fra, da hadde de jo hatt tid til å vende tilbake;
16 men nu stunder de efter et bedre, det er et himmelsk; derfor skammer Gud sig ikke ved dem, ved å kalles deres Gud; for han har gjort en stad ferdig til dem.
17 Ved tro ofret Abraham Isak dengang han blev fristet; ja, sin enbårne ofret han som hadde fått løftene,
18 han som det blev sagt til: I Isak skal det nevnes dig en ætt;
19 for han tenkte at Gud er mektig endog til å opvekke fra de døde, og derfra fikk han ham og likesom tilbake.
20 Ved tro velsignet Isak Jakob og Esau, med syn på det som skulde komme.
21 Ved tro velsignet Jakob døende hver og en av Josefs sønner og tilbad, bøiet over knappen på sin stav.
22 Ved tro talte Josef på sitt siste om Israels barns utgang og gav påbud om sine ben.
23 Ved tro blev Moses efter sin fødsel skjult i tre måneder av sine foreldre, fordi de så at gutten var fager, og de fryktet ikke for kongens bud.
24 Ved tro nektet Moses, da han var blitt stor, å kalles Faraos datters sønn,
25 idet han heller valgte å lide ondt sammen med Guds folk enn å ha en kortvarig nydelse av synden,
26 og aktet Kristi vanære for en større rikdom enn Egyptens skatter; for han så frem til lønnen.
27 Ved tro forlot han Egypten, uten å frykte for kongens vrede; for han holdt ut, som om han så den usynlige.
28 Ved tro holdt han påsken med blodsprengningen, forat ikke ødeleggeren skulde røre deres førstefødte.
29 Ved tro gikk de gjennem det Røde Hav som over tørt land; men da egypterne prøvde på det, druknet de.
30 Ved tro falt Jerikos murer, da de hadde gått omkring dem i syv dager.
31 Ved tro undgikk skjøgen Rahab å gå til grunne med de vantro, da hun hadde tatt imot speiderne med fred.
32 Og hvorfor taler jeg lenger? Tiden vilde bli mig for kort om jeg skulde fortelle om Gideon og Barak og Samson og Jefta, om David og Samuel og profetene,
33 som ved tro seiret over kongeriker, håndhevde rettferdighet, fikk løfter opfylt, stoppet gapet på løver,
34 slukket ilds kraft, slapp fra sverds egg, fikk styrke igjen efter sykdom, blev veldige i krig, fikk fienders hærer til å vike;
35 kvinner fikk sine døde igjen ved opstandelse; andre blev utspent til pinsel og vilde ikke ta imot utløsning, forat de kunde få del i en bedre opstandelse;
36 andre fikk lide spott og hudstrykning, ja bånd og fengsel;
37 de blev stenet, gjennemsaget, fristet; de døde for sverd; de flakket omkring i fåreskinn, i gjeteskinn, de led mangel, trengsel, hård medferd
38 - verden var dem ikke verd - de vanket om i utørkener og fjell og huler og jordkløfter.
39 Og enda alle disse fikk vidnesbyrd for sin tro, opnådde de ikke det som var lovt,
40 fordi Gud forut hadde utsett noget bedre for oss, så de ikke skulde nå fullendelsen uten oss.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the sign that the things not seen are true.
2 For by it our fathers had God's approval.
3 By faith it is clear to us that the order of events was fixed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made from things which only seem to be.
4 By faith Abel made a better offering to God than Cain, and he had witness through it of his righteousness, God giving his approval of his offering: and his voice still comes to us through it though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven so that he did not see death; he was seen no longer, for God took him away: for before he was taken, witness had been given that he was well-pleasing to God:
6 And without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to him, for it is necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search for him.
7 By faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith.
8 By faith Abraham did as God said when he was ordered to go out into a place which was to be given to him as a heritage, and went out without knowledge of where he was going.
9 By faith he was a wanderer in the land of the agreement, as in a strange land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had a part with him in the same heritage:
10 For he was looking for the strong town, whose builder and maker is God.
11 And by faith Sarah herself had power to give birth, when she was very old, because she had faith in him who gave his word;
12 So that from one man, who was near to death, came children in number as the stars in heaven, or as the sand by the seaside, which may not be numbered.
13 All these came to their end in faith, not having had the heritage; but having seen it with delight far away, they gave witness that they were wanderers and not of the earth.
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are searching for a country for themselves.
15 And truly if they had kept in mind the country from which they went out, they would have had chances of turning back.
16 But now their desire is for a better country, that is to say, for one in heaven; and so it is no shame to God to be named their God; for he has made ready a town for them.
17 By faith Abraham made an offering of Isaac, when he was tested: and he with whom the agreement had been made gave up as an offering the only son of his body,
18 Of whom it had been said, From Isaac will your seed take their name:
19 Judging that God was able to give life even to the dead; and because of this he did get him back as if from death.
20 By faith Isaac, blessing Jacob and Esau, gave news of things to come.
21 By faith Jacob gave a blessing to the two sons of Joseph, when he was near to death; and gave God worship, supported by his stick.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, said that the children of Israel would go out of Egypt; and gave orders about his bones.
23 By faith Moses was kept secretly by his father and mother for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a fair child; and they had no fear of the king's orders.
24 By faith Moses, when he became a man, had no desire to be named the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Feeling that it was better to undergo pain with the people of God, than for a short time to have a taste of the pleasures of sin;
26 Judging a part in the shame of Christ to be better than all the wealth of Egypt; for he was looking forward to his reward.
27 By faith he went out of Egypt, not being turned from his purpose by fear of the wrath of the king; for he kept on his way, as seeing him who is unseen.
28 By faith he kept the Passover, and put the sign of the blood on the houses, so that the angel of destruction might not put their oldest sons to death.
29 By faith they went through the Red Sea as if it had been dry land, though the Egyptians were overcome by the water when they made an attempt to do the same.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho came down, after they had been circled for seven days.
31 By faith Rahab, the loose woman, was not put to death with those who had gone against God's orders, because she had taken into her house in peace those sent to see the land.
32 What more am I to say? For there would not be time to give the stories of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 Who through faith overcame kingdoms, did righteousness, got their reward, kept the mouths of lions shut,
34 Put out the power of fire, got safely away from the edge of the sword, were made strong when they had been feeble, became full of power in war, and put to flight the armies of the nations.
35 Women had their dead given back to them living; others let themselves be cruelly attacked, having no desire to go free, so that they might have a better life to come;
36 And others were tested by being laughed at or by blows, and even with chains and prisons:
37 They were stoned, they were cut up with knives, they were tested, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and in goatskins; being poor and in pain and cruelly attacked,
38 Wandering in waste places and in mountains and in holes in the rocks; for whom the world was not good enough.
39 And not one of these got the good things of the agreement, though they all had a good record through faith,
40 Because God had kept some better thing for us, so that it was not possible for them to become complete without us.