Romans 9
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying with me in the Holy Spirit—
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing distress in my heart.
That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I keep wishing that I myself could be accursed away from the Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my physical relatives,
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 the Israelites. To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.
Who are Israelites; to whom [pertaineth] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises;
5 The patriarchs are theirs, and from them came the Christ (the physical part), who is over all, God forever blessed. Amen. (aiōn g165)
Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
6 However, it is not as though the Word of God has failed! For not all who have descended from Israel are ‘Israel’.
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither are they all ‘children’ because they are Abraham's descendants; but, “in Isaac will your seed be called.”
Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, it is not the physical children who are God's ‘children’, but the children of the promise are regarded as ‘seed’.
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
9 For this is the word of promise: “At this season I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”
For this [is] the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
10 Not only that, but also when Rebecca had conceived twins by our forefather Isaac
And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac;
11 (though they had not yet been born, not having done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),
(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; )
12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 So what shall we say, there is no injustice with God, is there? Of course not!
What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion.”
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then, it is not of him who wills nor of him who strives, but of God who shows mercy.
So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 So then, He has mercy on whom He wishes, and He hardens whom He wishes.
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has ever resisted His will?”
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Really now, just who are you, O man, to talk back to God? What is formed will not say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Or has the potter no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, wishing to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
[What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 just in order to make known the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24 even us whom He called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As He also says in Hosea: “I will call the ‘not my people’, ‘my people’, and the ‘not loved’ (f), ‘loved’.”
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 “And it will be in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called sons of the living God.”
And it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved;
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
28 because He is finishing and cutting short an accounting in righteousness; yes, the Lord will impose a condensed accounting upon the earth.”
For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
29 And as Isaiah had said previously: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30 So what shall we say? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained to righteousness, namely the righteousness that comes from faith;
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31 while Israel, pursuing a standard of righteousness, did not attain to that standard.
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why not? Because it was not from faith, but as from works of the law. They stumbled over the ‘stumbling stone’;
Wherefore? Because [they sought it] not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33 as it is written: “Look! I am placing in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and no one who believes on Him will be put to shame.”
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
