1 Ora a fé é a substância das coisas esperadas, a prova das coisas não vistas.
2 Pois foi por ela que os antigos obtiveram bom testemunho.
3 É pela fé que entendemos que os mundos foram formados pela palavra de Deus, de modo que o visível não se tem feito das coisas que aparecem.
4 Pela fé ofereceu Abel a Deus mais excelente sacrifício que Caim, pelo qual alcançou testemunho de que era justo, dando Deus testemunho quanto a seus dons; e por ela, estando ele morto, ainda fala.
5 Pela fé foi trasladado Enoque para não ver a morte, e não foi achado, porque Deus o havia trasladado. Pois antes da sua trasladação teve o testemunho de haver agradado a Deus.
6 Sem fé é impossível agradar a Deus; pois é necessário que o que se chega a Deus, creia que há Deus e que se mostra remunerador dos que o buscam.
7 Pela fé Noé, divinamente avisado a respeito das coisas que ainda não se viam, sendo temente a Deus, construiu uma arca para o salvamento da sua casa, pela qual condenou ao mundo e tornou-se herdeiro da justiça que é segundo a fé.
8 Pela fé Abraão, quando chamado, obedeceu para sair em demanda de um lugar que havia de receber como herança, e saiu não sabendo para onde ia.
9 Pela fé peregrinou na terra da promessa como em terra alheia, habitando em tendas com Isaque e Jacó, herdeiros com ele da mesma promessa;
10 porque aguardava a cidade que tem os fundamentos, cujo arquiteto e edificador é Deus.
11 Pela fé até a própria Sara recebeu o poder de conceber um filho ainda fora do tempo da idade, visto que ela teve por fiel aquele que lho havia prometido.
12 Por isso também de um, e este já amortecido, saiu uma posteridade tão numerosa como as estrelas do céu e inumerável como a areia que está à borda do mar.
13 Na fé morreram todos estes, sem terem alcançado as promessas, mas tendo-as visto e saudado de longe, e confessado que eram estrangeiros e peregrinos sobre a terra.
14 Pois os que dizem tais coisas declaram que buscam uma pátria sua.
15 Se, na verdade, se tivessem recordado daquela donde saíram, teriam tido oportunidade de voltar.
16 Mas agora aspiram uma pátria melhor, isto é, a celestial. Por isso Deus não se envergonha deles, de se chamar Deus deles; pois lhes preparou uma cidade.
17 Pela fé Abraão, sendo provado, ofereceu Isaque, sim aquele que tinha recebido com alegria as promessas, ia oferecendo seu filho unigênito,
18 a quem se havia dito: Em Isaque será chamada a tua descendência,
19 julgando que Deus o podia ressuscitar até dentre os mortos; donde também em figura o recobrou.
20 Pela fé Isaque abençoou a Jacó e a Esaú mesmo acerca das coisas futuras.
21 Pela fé Jacó, quando estava para morrer, abençoou a cada um dos filhos de José e adorou inclinado sobre a extremidade do seu bordão.
22 Pela fé José, estando próximo o seu fim, fez menção da saída dos filhos de Israel e deu ordem a respeito de seus ossos.
23 Pela fé Moisés, depois de nascido, foi ocultado três meses por seus pais, porque viram que era menino formoso, e não temeram o edito do rei.
24 Pela fé Moisés, quando homem, recusou ser chamado filho da filha de faraó,
25 escolhendo antes ser maltratado com o povo de Deus do que ter o gozo do pecado por algum tempo;
26 tendo por maiores riquezas o opróbrio de Cristo do que os tesouros do Egito; pois olhava para a recompensa.
27 Pela fé deixou ele o Egito, não temendo a ira do rei; porque ficou firme como quem vê aquele que é invisível.
28 Pela fé celebrou a Páscoa e a aspersão do sangue, para que o destruidor dos primogênitos não os tocasse.
29 Pela fé atravessaram os israelitas o Mar Vermelho como por terra seca; e tentando isto os egípcios, foram afogados.
30 Pela fé caíram os muros de Jericó, depois de rodeados por sete dias.
31 Pela fé não foi destruída a meretriz Raabe com os desobedientes, tendo recebido aos espias com paz.
32 E que mais direi ainda? porque o tempo me faltará, se eu falar de Gideão, de Baraque, de Sansão, de Jefté, de Davi, de Samuel e dos profetas,
33 que pela fé venceram reinos, praticaram a justiça, alcançaram as promessas, taparam as bocas dos leões,
34 extinguiram a violência do fogo, evitaram o fio da espada, de fracos tornaram-se fortes, fizeram-se poderosos na guerra, puseram em fugida os exércitos de estrangeiros.
35 As mulheres receberam pela ressurreição os seus mortos; uns foram torturados, não aceitando o seu livramento para alcançarem melhor ressurreição;
36 e outros experimentaram escárnios, açoites e ainda grilhões e prisão;
37 eles foram apedrejados, provados, serrados pelo meio, mortos ao fio da espada; eles andaram errantes, vestidos de peles de ovelhas e de cabras, necessitados, aflitos, maltratados,
38 uns homens (de quem o mundo não era digno) errantes nos desertos, nos montes, nas covas e nas cavernas da terra.
39 Todos estes, tendo alcançado bom testemunho pela sua fé, contudo não alcançaram a promessa,
40 tendo Deus provido alguma coisa melhor no tocante a nós, para que eles, sem nós, não fossem aperfeiçoados.
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.