Rom 9, Rom 15 | ESV | STEP | I am speaking the truth in Christ —I am not lying ; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit

1 ^aI am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For ^bI could wish that I myself were ^caccursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters} my kinsmen ^eaccording to the flesh. 4 They are ^fIsraelites, and to them belong ^gthe adoption, ^hthe glory, ⁱthe covenants, ^jthe giving of the law, ^kthe worship, and ^lthe promises. 5 To them belong ^mthe patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, ⁿwho is God over all, ^oblessed forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham ^pbecause they are his offspring, but ^q“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but ^rthe children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: ^s“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but ^talso when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of ^uhim who calls— 12 she was told, ^v“The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, ^w“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? ^xIs there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, ^y“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, ^{▼▼Greek not of him who wills or runs} but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ^aa“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^abwho can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, ^acto answer back to God? ^adWill what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 ^aeHas the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^afone vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience ^agvessels of wrath ^ahprepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known ^aithe riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he ^ajhas prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he ^akhas called, ^alnot from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

^am“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 ^an“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ^ao‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ^ap“Though the number of the sons of Israel ^{▼▼Or children of Israel} be as the sand of the sea, ^aronly a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,

^as, ^at“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
^auwe would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What shall we say, then? ^avThat Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, ^awa righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel ^axwho pursued a law that would lead to righteousness ^{▼▼Greek a law of righteousness} ^azdid not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the ^bastumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

^bb“Behold, I am laying in Zion ^bca stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
^bdand whoever believes in him will not be ^beput to shame.”

Romans 15

The Example of Christ

1 ^bfWe who are strong ^bghave an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 ^bhLet each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For ^biChrist did not please himself, but as it is written, ^bj“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For ^bkwhatever was written in former days was written for our ^blinstruction, that through endurance and through ^bmthe encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you ^bnto live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify ^bothe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

8 For I tell you that Christ ^bpbecame a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order ^bqto confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order ^brthat the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

^bs“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,

^bt“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,

^bu“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,

^bv, ^bw“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
^bxin him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all ^byjoy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

14 ^bzI myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters; also verse 30} that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with ^cball knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, ^ccbecause of the grace given me by God 16 to be ^cda minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles ^cein the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that ^cfthe offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have ^cgreason to be proud of ^chmy work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except ^ciwhat Christ has accomplished through me ^cjto bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 ^ckby the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that ^clfrom Jerusalem and all the way around ^cmto Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, ^cnlest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written,

^co“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

22 This is the reason why ^cpI have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and ^cqsince I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go ^crto Spain, and ^csto be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, ^ctI am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For ^cuMacedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed ^cvthey owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, ^{▼▼Greek sealed to them this fruit} I will leave ^cxfor Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert of the gospel} of Christ.

30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by ^czthe love of the Spirit, ^dato strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 ^dbthat I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that ^dcmy service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and ^ddbe refreshed in your company. 33 May ^dethe God of peace be with you all. Amen.