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.
1 Or, la foi est une ferme attente des choses qu'on espère, l'évidence de celles qu'on ne voit point.
2 Car par elle les anciens ont obtenu un bon témoignage.
3 Par la foi, nous savons que le monde a été fait par la Parole de Dieu; de sorte que les choses qui se voient, n'ont pas été faites de choses visibles.
4 Par la foi, Abel offrit à Dieu un plus excellent sacrifice que Caïn, à cause d'elle il fut déclaré juste, Dieu rendant témoignage à ses offrandes; et quoique mort, il parle encore par elle.
5 Par la foi, Hénoc fut transporté au ciel pour qu'il ne vît point la mort, et on ne le trouva plus, parce que Dieu l'avait saisis; car avant qu'il fût transposé, il avait obtenu le témoignage d'avoir été agréable à Dieu.
6 Or, il est impossible de lui être agréable sans la foi, car il faut que celui qui s'approche de Dieu, croie que Dieu existe, et qu'il est le rémunérateur de ceux qui le cherchent avec zèle.
7 Par la foi, Noé, divinement averti des choses qu'on ne voyait point encore, fut rempli de crainte, et construisit une arche, pour le salut de sa famille; par elle il condamna le monde, et devint héritier de la justice qui est selon la foi.
8 Par la foi, Abraham, étant appelé, obéit, pour aller au pays qu'il devait recevoir en héritage, et partit, ne sachant où il allait.
9 Par la foi, il demeura dans la terre qui lui avait été promise, comme dans une terre étrangère, habitant sous des tentes, avec Isaac et Jacob, les cohéritiers de la même promesse.
10 Car il attendait la Cité Céleste qui a des fondements assurés, dont Dieu est l'architecte et le fondateur.
11 Par la foi aussi, Sara reçut la force de concevoir et, malgré son âge, elle enfanta, parce qu'elle crut à la fidélité de celui qui avait fait la promesse.
12 C'est pourquoi d'un seul homme, et qui était déjà affaibli, il est né une multitude aussi nombreuse que les étoiles du ciel, et que le sable du bord de la mer, qui ne se peut compter.
13 Tous ceux-là sont morts dans la foi, sans avoir reçu les choses promises, mais les ayant vues de loin, crues, et embrassées, et ayant fait profession d'être étrangers et voyageurs sur la terre.
14 Car ceux qui parlent ainsi, montrent clairement qu'ils cherchent une patrie.
15 En effet, s'ils se fussent souvenus de celle d'où ils étaient sortis, ils auraient eu le temps d'y retourner;
16 Mais maintenant ils en désirent une meilleure, c'est-à-dire une céleste; c'est pourquoi Dieu ne dédaigne pas d'être appelé leur Dieu; car il leur a préparé une Cité éternelle.
17 Par la foi, Abraham offrit Isaac, lorsqu'il fut éprouvé, et lui qui avait reçu les promesses, offrit son seul fils engendré,
18 Dont il avait été dit: C'est en Isaac que ta postérité sera appelée;
19 Ayant pensé en lui-même, que Dieu pouvait même le ressusciter des morts; aussi le retrouva-t-il dans cette préfiguration de la résurrection.
20 Par la foi, Isaac bénit Jacob et Ésaü en vue des choses à venir.
21 Par la foi, Jacob mourant bénit chacun des fils de Joseph, et adora de l'extrémité de son bâton.
22 Par la foi, Joseph, sur sa fin, rappela la sortie des enfants d'Israël, et donna des ordres touchant ses os.
23 Par la foi, Moïse, étant né, fut caché pendant trois mois par ses parents, parce qu'ils virent que l'enfant était beau; et ils ne craignirent point l'édit du roi.
24 Par la foi, Moïse, devenu grand, refusa d'être appelé fils de la fille de Pharaon;
25 Choisissant d'être maltraité avec le peuple de Dieu, plutôt que d'avoir pour un temps la jouissance du péché;
26 Estimant les diffamations de Christ comme un trésor plus grand que les richesses de l'Égypte, parce qu'il avait en vue la récompense.
27 Par la foi, il quitta l'Égypte, sans craindre la colère du roi; car il demeura ferme, comme voyant celui qui est invisible.
28 Par la foi, il fit la Pâque, et l'aspersion du sang, afin que l'exterminateur des premiers-nés ne touchât point ceux des Israélites.
29 Par la foi, ils passèrent par la mer Rouge comme par un lieu sec; les Égyptiens ayant tenté le passage, furent immergés.
30 Par la foi, les murailles de Jéricho tombèrent, après qu'on en eut fait le tour pendant sept jours.
31 Par la foi, Rahab, la courtisane, ne périt point avec les rebelles, parce qu'elle avait reçu les espions en paix.
32 Et que dirai-je encore? Car le temps me manquerait, pour parler de Gédéon, de Barac, de Samson, de Jephté, de David, de Samuel, et des prophètes;
33 Qui, par la foi, vainquirent des royaumes, exercèrent la justice, obtinrent les biens promis, fermèrent la gueule des lions,
34 Éteignirent la force du feu, échappèrent au tranchant des épées, rendus puissant dans leurs faiblesses, furent vaillants à la guerre, mirent en fuite des armées étrangères.
35 Des femmes retrouvèrent leurs morts ressuscités; d'autres furent torturés, n'ayant point accepté de délivrance pour obtenir une résurrection préférable à leurs souffrances;
36 D'autres passèrent par l'épreuve des moqueries et du fouet; et même des liens et de la prison:
37 Ils furent lapidés, ils furent sciés, ils furent tentés, ils moururent par le tranchant de l'épée, ils errèrent çà et là, vêtus de peaux de brebis et de peaux de chèvres, dénués de tout, persécutés, maltraités;
38 Eux dont le monde n'était pas digne, errants dans les déserts et sur les montagnes, dans les cavernes et les antres de la terre.
39 Et tous ceux-là, ayant obtenu un bon témoignage par leur foi, n'ont point remporté les biens promis;
40 Dieu ayant pourvu à quelque chose de meilleur pour nous, afin qu'ils ne parviennent pas sans nous à la perfection.