Hebrews:11:2-
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For by it the men of old received divine approval .
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By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God ,
so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear .
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By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain ,
through which he received approval as righteous ,
God bearing witness by accepting his gifts ;
he died ,
but through his faith he is still speaking .
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By faith Enoch 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 attested as having pleased God .
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And without faith it is impossible to please him .
For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him .
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By faith Noah ,
being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen ,
took heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household ;
by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith .
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By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance ;
and he went out ,
not knowing where he was to go .
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By faith he sojourned in the land of promise ,
as in a foreign land ,
living in tents with Isaac and Jacob ,
heirs with him of the same promise .
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For he looked forward to the city which has foundations ,
whose builder and maker is God .
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By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive ,
even when she was past the age ,
since she considered him faithful who had promised .
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Therefore from one man ,
and him as good as dead ,
were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore .
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These all died in faith ,
not having received what was promised ,
but having seen it and greeted it from afar ,
and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth .
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For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland .
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If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out ,
they would have had opportunity to return .
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But as it is ,
they desire a better country ,
that is ,
a heavenly one .
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God ,
for he has prepared for them a city .
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By faith Abraham ,
when he was tested ,
offered up Isaac ,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son ,
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of whom it was said , "
Through Isaac shall your descendants be named ."
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He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead ;
hence ,
figuratively speaking ,
he did receive him back .
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By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau .
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By faith Jacob ,
when dying ,
blessed each of the sons of Joseph ,
bowing in worship over the head of his staff .
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By faith Joseph ,
at the end of his life ,
made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his burial .
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By faith Moses ,
when he was born ,
was hid for three months by his parents ,
because they saw that the child was beautiful ;
and they were not afraid of the king '
s edict .
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By faith Moses ,
when he was grown up ,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh '
s daughter ,
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choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin .
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He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt ,
for he looked to the reward .
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By faith he left Egypt ,
not being afraid of the anger of the king ;
for he endured as seeing him who is invisible .
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By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood ,
so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them .
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By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land ;
but the Egyptians ,
when they attempted to do the same ,
were drowned .
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By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days .
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By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient ,
because she had given friendly welcome to the spies .
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And what more shall I say ?
For time would fail me to tell of Gideon ,
Barak ,
Samson ,
Jephthah ,
of David and Samuel and the prophets --
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who through faith conquered kingdoms ,
enforced justice ,
received promises ,
stopped the mouths of lions ,
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quenched raging fire ,
escaped the edge of the sword ,
won strength out of weakness ,
became mighty in war ,
put foreign armies to flight .
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Women received their dead by resurrection .
Some were tortured ,
refusing to accept release ,
that they might rise again to a better life .
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Others suffered mocking and scourging ,
and even chains and imprisonment .
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They were stoned ,
they were sawn in two ,
they were killed with the sword ;
they went about in skins of sheep and goats ,
destitute ,
afflicted ,
ill-treated --
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of whom the world was not worthy --
wandering over deserts and mountains ,
and in dens and caves of the earth .
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And all these ,
though well attested by their faith ,
did not receive what was promised ,
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since God had foreseen something better for us ,
that apart from us they should not be made perfect .
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