Rom 9 | NASB2020 | STEP | I am telling the truth in Christ , I am not lying ; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit ,

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, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For ^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, 4 who 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; 5 whose 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; 7 nor are they all children ^vbecause they are Abraham’s ^{▼▼Lit seed
,} ^xdescendants, but: “ ^{▼▼Lit in
,} ^zthrough Isaac your ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants shall be named.” 8 That 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. 9 For 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; 11 for 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, 12 it was said to her, “ ^anThe older will serve the younger.” 13 Just 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! 15 For He says to Moses, “ ^atI will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” 16 So 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. 17 For 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.” 18 So 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?” 20 On 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? 21 Or 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? 23 And He did so to make known ^bnthe riches of His glory upon ^boobjects of mercy, which He ^bpprepared beforehand for glory, 24 namely us, whom He also ^bqcalled, ^brnot only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, 25 as 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.” 29 And 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; 31 however, Israel, ^clpursuing a law of righteousness, did not ^cmarrive at that law. 32 Why? 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, 33 just 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.”