God’s Covenant with Abram

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ^c“Fear not, Abram, I am ^dyour shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue¹ childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and ^ea member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; ^fyour very own son² shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and ^gnumber the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, ^h“So shall your offspring be.” 6 And ⁱhe believed the Lord, and ^jhe counted it to him as righteousness.

By Faith

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ^ethings not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by ^fthe word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of ^gthings that are visible.

4 By faith ^hAbel offered to God ⁱa more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^jthrough his faith, though he died, he ^kstill speaks. 5 By faith ^lEnoch 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 commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God ^mmust believe that he exists and ^mthat he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith ⁿNoah, being warned by God concerning ^oevents as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of ^pthe righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith ^qAbraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place ^rthat he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in ^sthe land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^tliving in tents ^uwith Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to ^vthe city that has ^wfoundations, ^xwhose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith ^ySarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered ^zhim faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and ^ahim as good as dead, were born descendants ^bas many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, ^cnot having received the things promised, but ^dhaving seen them and greeted them from afar, and ^ehaving acknowledged that they were ^fstrangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, ^gthey would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed ^hto be called their God, for ⁱhe has prepared for them a city.

Do Not Be Anxious

22 And he said to his disciples, ^f“Therefore I tell you, ^gdo not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 ^hConsider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ⁱOf how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^jspan of life?¹ 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,² yet I tell you, ^keven Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^lO you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^mbe worried. 30 For ⁿall the nations of the world seek after these things, and ⁿyour Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, ^oseek ^phis³ kingdom, ^qand these things will be added to you.

32 ^r“Fear not, little ^sflock, for ^tit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you ^uthe kingdom. 33 ^vSell your possessions, and ^wgive to the needy. ^xProvide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with ^ya treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 ^zFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

35 ^a“Stay dressed for action⁴ and ^bkeep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are ^cwaiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^dknocks. 37 ^eBlessed are those servants⁵ whom the master finds ^eawake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^fhe will dress himself for service and ^ghave them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 ^hBut know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ⁱthe thief was coming, he⁶ would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ^jready, for ^kthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”