Rom 9-11 | 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 10

1 Brothers, ^{▼▼Or Brothers and sisters} my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that ^bgthey have a zeal for God, ^bhbut not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of ^bithe righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For ^bjChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. ^{▼▼Or end of the law, that everyone who believes may be justified}

The Message of Salvation to All

5 For ^blMoses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^bmthe person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But ^bnthe righteousness based on faith says, ^bo“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the ^bpabyss?’” (that is, ^bqto bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? ^br“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if ^bsyou confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^btbelieve in your heart ^buthat God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, ^bv“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 ^bwFor there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^bxfor the same Lord is Lord of all, ^bybestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For ^bz“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^caof whom they have never heard? ^{▼▼Or him whom they have never heard} And how are they to hear ^ccwithout someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^cd“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But ^cethey have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^cf“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So ^cgfaith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

^ch“Their voice has gone out ^cito all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

^cj“I will ^ckmake you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a ^clfoolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

^cm“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, ^cn“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Romans 11

The Remnant of Israel

1 I ask, then, ^cohas God rejected his people? By no means! For ^cpI myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, ^{▼▼Or one of the offspring of Abraham} a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 ^crGod has not rejected his people whom he ^csforeknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 ^ct“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? ^cu“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is ^cva remnant, chosen by grace. 6 ^cwBut if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? ^cxIsrael failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^cywere hardened, 8 as it is written,

^cz“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
^daeyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,

^db“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”

Gentiles Grafted In

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^dcsalvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion ^{▼▼Greek their fullness} mean!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^deI am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^dfthus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means ^dgthe reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 ^dhIf the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 But if ^disome of the branches were broken off, and you, ^djalthough a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root ^{▼▼Greek root of richness; some manuscripts richness} of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^dlstand fast through faith. So ^dmdo not become proud, but ^dnfear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, ^doprovided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^dpyou too will be cut off. 23 And ^dqeven they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel’s Salvation

25 ^drLest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters} ^dta partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^duuntil the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

^dv“The Deliverer will come ^dwfrom Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my ^dxcovenant with them
^dywhen I take away their sins.”
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^dzbeloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and ^eathe calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as ^ebyou were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit now} receive mercy. 32 For God ^edhas consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and ^eewisdom and knowledge of God! ^efHow unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For ^egwho has known the mind of the Lord,
or ^ehwho has been his counselor?”
35 “Or ^eiwho has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For ^ejfrom him and through him and to him are all things. ^ekTo him be glory forever. Amen.