Romans 9
1 I am telling you the truth as a Christian man--it is no falsehood, for my conscience enlightened, as it is, by the Holy Spirit adds its testimony to mine--
I tell the truth in Messiah. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 when I declare that I have deep grief and unceasing anguish of heart.
that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could pray to be accursed from Christ on behalf of my brethren, my human kinsfolk--for such the Israelites are.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Messiah for my brothers' sake, my physical relatives according to the flesh,
4 To them belongs recognition as God's sons, and they have His glorious Presence and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the Temple service, and the ancient Promises.
who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises;
5 To them the Patriarchs belong, and from them in respect of His human lineage came the Christ, who is exalted above all, God blessed throughout the Ages. Amen. (aiōn g165)
of whom are the patriarchs, and from whom is the Messiah, as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
6 Not however that God's word has failed; for all who have sprung from Israel do not count as Israel,
But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel.
7 nor because they are Abraham's true children. But the promise was "Through Isaac shall your posterity be reckoned."
Neither, because they are Abraham's descendants, are they all children. But, "In Isaac will your descendants be called."
8 In other words, it is not the children by natural descent who count as God's children, but the children made such by the promise are regarded as Abraham's posterity.
That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.
9 For the words are the language of promise and run thus, "About this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son."
For this is what the promise said, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son."
10 Nor is that all: later on there was Rebecca too. She was soon to bear two children to her husband, our forefather Isaac--
And not only that, but Rebekah also had conceived by one, our father Isaac.
11 and even then, though they were not then born and had not done anything either good or evil, yet in order that God's electing purpose might not be frustrated, based, as it was, not on their actions but on the will of Him who called them, she was told,
For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,
12 "The elder of them will be bondservant to the younger."
it was said to her, "The elder will serve the younger."
13 This agrees with the other Scripture which says, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
Even as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
14 What then are we to infer? That there is injustice in God?
What should we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Absolutely not.
15 No, indeed; the solution is found in His words to Moses, "Wherever I show mercy it shall be nothing but mercy, and wherever I show compassion it shall be simply compassion."
For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16 And from this we learn that everything is dependent not on man's will or endeavour, but upon God who has mercy. For the Scripture said to Pharaoh,
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.
17 "It is for this very purpose that I have lifted you so high--that I may make manifest in you My power, and that My name may be proclaimed far and wide in all the earth."
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows mercy, and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart.
So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.
19 "Why then does God still find fault?" you will ask; "for who is resisting His will?"
You will say then to me, "Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?"
20 Nay, but who are you, a mere man, that you should cavil against GOD? Shall the thing moulded say to him who moulded it, "Why have you made me thus?"
But who indeed are you, a human being, to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"
21 Or has not the potter rightful power over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for more honourable and another for less honourable uses?
Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?
22 And what if God, while choosing to make manifest the terrors of His anger and to show what is possible with Him, has yet borne with long-forbearing patience with the subjects of His anger who stand ready for destruction,
What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction,
23 in order to make known His infinite goodness towards the subjects of His mercy whom He has prepared beforehand for glory,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even towards us whom He has called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?
us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the non-Jews?
25 So also in Hosea He says, "I will call that nation My People which was not My People, and I will call her beloved who was not beloved.
As he says also in Hosea, "I will call them which were not my people 'my people,' and her who was not loved, 'loved.'"
26 And in the place where it was said to them, 'No people of Mine are you,' there shall they be called sons of the everliving God."
"It will be that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' There they will be called 'children of the living God.'"
27 And Isaiah cries aloud concerning Israel, "Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sands of the sea, only a remnant of them shall be saved;
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be kept safe.
28 for the Lord will hold a reckoning upon the earth, making it efficacious and brief."
For he will fulfill the word and decisively in righteousness, because the Lord will carry out the word decisively on the earth."
29 Even as Isaiah says in an earlier place, "Were it not that the Lord, the God of Hosts, had left us some few descendants, we should have become like Sodom, and have come to resemble Gomorrah."
As Isaiah has said before, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah."
30 To what conclusion does this bring us? Why, that the Gentiles, who were not in pursuit of righteousness, have overtaken it--a righteousness, however, which arises from faith;
What should we say then? That the non-Jews, who did not follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;
31 while the descendants of Israel, who were in pursuit of a Law that could give righteousness, have not arrived at one.
but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
32 And why? Because they were pursuing a righteousness which should arise not from faith, but from what they regarded as merit. They stuck their foot against the stone which lay in their way;
Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;
33 in agreement with the statement of Scripture, "See, I am placing on Mount Zion a stone for people to stumble at, and a rock for them to trip over, and yet he whose faith rests upon it shall never have reason to feel ashamed."
even as it is written, "Look, I am laying in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock to trip over; and the one who believes in him will not be put to shame."
