9:1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
9:2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
9:3 For I could ①wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
▷ ①Lit pray
9:4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises;
9:5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the ①Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed ②forever. Amen.
▷ ①I.e., Messiah ②Lit unto the ages
9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
9:7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s ①descendants, but: “ ②THROUGH ISAAC YOUR ③DESCENDANTS SHALL BE NAMED.”
▷ ①Lit seed ②Lit in ③Lit seed
9:8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh ①who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as ②descendants.
▷ ①Lit these ②Lit seed
9:9 For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH WILL HAVE A SON.”
9:10 And not only that, but there was also Rebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
9:11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would ①stand, not ②because of works but ③because of Him who calls,
▷ ①Lit remain ②Lit from ③Lit from
9:12 it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.”
9:13 Just as it is written: “JACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE HATED.”
9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? ①Far from it!
▷ ①Lit May it never happen!
9:15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL SHOW COMPASSION TO WHOMEVER I SHOW COMPASSION.”
9:16 So then, it does not depend on the person who ①wants it nor the one who ②runs, but on God who has mercy.
▷ ①Or wills nor ②I.e., to win mercy or favor
9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY REASON I RAISED YOU UP, IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED ①THROUGHOUT THE EARTH.”
▷ ①Lit in all
9:18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
9:20 On the contrary, who are you, ①you foolish person, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
▷ ①Lit O
9:21 Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object ①for honorable use, and another ②for common use?
▷ ①Lit for honor ②Lit for dishonor
9:22 ①What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction?
▷ ①Lit But
9:23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon objects of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
9:24 namely us, whom He also called, not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles,
9:25 as He also says in Hosea:
“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’ ”
9:26 “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
9:27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL MAY BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, ONLY the remnant will be saved;
9:28 FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, ①THOROUGHLY AND ②QUICKLY.”
▷ ①Lit finishing it ②Lit cutting it short
9:29 And just as Isaiah foretold:
“IF THE LORD ①OF ARMIES HAD NOT LEFT US ②DESCENDANTS,
WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE ③BEEN LIKE GOMORRAH.”
▷ ①Gr sabaoth, for Heb tsebaoth (armies) ②Lit seed ③Lit been made like
9:30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is ①by faith;
▷ ①Lit out of
9:31 however, Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
9:32 Why? Because they did not pursue it ①by faith, but as though they could ②by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
▷ ①Lit out of ②Lit out of
9:33 just as it is written:
“BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE ①PUT TO SHAME.”
▷ ①Or disappointed