Romans 9
Deep Concern for Israel
1 aI am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3For bI could ▼▼Lit pray
wish that I myself were daccursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen eaccording to the flesh, 4who are fIsraelites, to whom belongs gthe adoption as sons and daughters, hthe glory, ithe covenants, jthe giving of the Law, kthe temple service, and lthe promises; 5whose are mthe fathers, and nfrom whom is the ▼▼I.e., Messiah
Christ according to the flesh, pwho is over all, qGod rblessed ▼▼Lit unto the ages
forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though tthe word of God has failed. uFor they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7nor are they all children vbecause they are Abraham’s ▼▼Lit seed
xdescendants, but: “ ▼▼Lit in
zthrough Isaac your ▼▼Lit seed
descendants shall be named.” 8That is, it is not the children of the flesh ▼▼Lit these
who are acchildren of God, but the adchildren of the promise are regarded as ▼▼Lit seed
afdescendants. 9For this is the word of promise: “ agAt this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” 10 ahAnd not only that, but there was also aiRebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that ajGod’s purpose according to His choice would ▼▼Lit remain
stand, not ▼▼Lit from
because of works but ▼▼Lit from
because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, “ anThe older will serve the younger.” 13Just as it is written: “ aoJacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” 14 apWhat shall we say then? aqThere is no injustice with God, is there? ▼▼Lit May it never happen!
asFar from it! 15For He says to Moses, “ atI will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” 16So then, it does not depend on the person who ▼▼Or wills nor
wants it nor the one who ▼▼I.e., to win mercy or favor
awruns, but on axGod who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “ ayFor this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed ▼▼Lit in all
throughout the earth.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He bahardens whom He desires. 19 bbYou will say to me then, “ bcWhy does He still find fault? For bdwho has resisted His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, ▼▼Lit O
bfyou foolish person, who bganswers back to God? bhThe thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object ▼▼Lit for honor
for honorable use, and another ▼▼Lit for dishonor
for common use? 22 ▼▼Lit But
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great blpatience objects of wrath bmprepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known bnthe riches of His glory upon boobjects of mercy, which He bpprepared beforehand for glory, 24namely us, whom He also bqcalled, brnot only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, 25as He also says in Hosea: “ bsI will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26 “ btAnd 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 buthe living God.” 27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “ bvThough the number of the sons of Israel may be bwlike the sand of the sea, only bxthe remnant will be saved; 28 byfor the Lord will execute His word on the earth, ▼
▼Lit finishing it
thoroughly and ▼▼Lit cutting it short
quickly.” 29And just as Isaiah foretold: “ cbIf ccthe Lord ▼
▼Gr sabaoth, for Heb tsebaoth (armies)
of armies had not left us ▼▼Lit seed
cfdescendants, cgWe would have become like Sodom, and would have ▼
▼Lit been made like
been like Gomorrah.” 30 ciWhat shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but cjthe righteousness that is ▼▼Lit out of
by faith; 31however, Israel, clpursuing a law of righteousness, did not cmarrive at that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it ▼▼Lit out of
by faith, but as though they could ▼▼Lit out of
by works. They stumbled over cpthe stumbling stone, 33just as it is written: “ cqBehold, I am laying in Zion cra stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
csAnd the one who believes in Him ctwill not be ▼
▼Or disappointed
put to shame.”
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