Romans 9
1 I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing me testimony in the Holy Spirit,
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--
2 That I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart;
when I declare that I have deep grief and unceasing anguish of heart.
3 for I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh;
For I could pray to be accursed from Christ on behalf of my brethren, my human kinsfolk--for such the Israelites are.
4 who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises;
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.
5 to whom belong the fathers, and of whom is the Christ, as it respects the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
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)
6 It is not possible that the word of God has failed; for they are not all Israel who are of Israel.
Not however that God's word has failed; for all who have sprung from Israel do not count as Israel,
7 Nor, because they are the posterity of Abraham, are they all children: but in Isaac shall your posterity be called.
nor because they are Abraham's true children. But the promise was "Through Isaac shall your posterity be reckoned."
8 That is, the children of the flesh are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the posterity.
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.
9 For the word of the promise is this: At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
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."
10 Not only so, but when Rebecca had conceived by one, even our father Isaac,
Nor is that all: later on there was Rebecca too. She was soon to bear two children to her husband, our forefather Isaac--
11 (the children, indeed, having not yet been born, and having done neither good nor evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls, )
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,
12 it was said to her: The elder shall serve the younger;
"The elder of them will be bondservant to the younger."
13 as it is written: Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
This agrees with the other Scripture which says, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
14 What, then, shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with. God? It can not be.
What then are we to infer? That there is injustice in God?
15 For he says to Moses: I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy; and I will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.
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."
16 Therefore, it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.
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,
17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: For this very purpose have I raised you up, that I may show in you my power, and that my name may be published in all the earth.
"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."
18 Therefore, he has mercy on whom he wills to have mercy: and whom he wills to harden, he hardens.
This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows mercy, and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart.
19 You will then say to me, Why does he yet find fault? For who has resisted his will?
"Why then does God still find fault?" you will ask; "for who is resisting His will?"
20 No, but rather, O man, who are you that dispute with God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed, it, Why have you made me thus?
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?"
21 Has not the potter power over the clay, to make from the same mass one vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?
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?
22 What, then, if God, intending to show his wrath, and to make his power known, yet, in much long-suffering bore with the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction:
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,
23 and, that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he before prepared for glory, showed mercy to us,
in order to make known His infinite goodness towards the subjects of His mercy whom He has prepared beforehand for glory,
24 whom he has called, not only from among the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?
even towards us whom He has called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?
25 As he says also in Hosea: I will call that my people which is not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.
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.
26 And it shall come to pass, that, in the place where it was said to them: You are not my people, there shall they be called the sons of the living God.
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."
27 But Isaiah cries concerning Israel: Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
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;
28 for his word he fulfills, and he decrees in righteousness; for his word that is decreed, will the Lord execute upon the land.
for the Lord will hold a reckoning upon the earth, making it efficacious and brief."
29 And as Isaiah said before: Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a posterity, we should have been like Sodom, and been made like Gomorrah.
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."
30 What, then, shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not seek after justification, have obtained justification, even the justification which is by faith:
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;
31 but Israel, who sought after a law of justification, has not attained to a law of justification.
while the descendants of Israel, who were in pursuit of a Law that could give righteousness, have not arrived at one.
32 And why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as if by works of law: for they stumbled against that stone of stumbling,
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;
33 as it is written: Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense: and whoever believes on him, shall not be ashamed.
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."
