Romans 9
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying with me in the Holy Spirit—
Truth I say in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing testimony with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing distress in my heart.
that I have great grief and unceasing pain 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 was wishing, I myself, to be accursed from the Christ—for my brothers, my relatives, 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, whose [is] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the service, 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 [is] the Christ, according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed for all ages. 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’.
And it is not possible that the word of God has failed; for not all who [are] of Israel are these of Israel;
7 Neither are they all ‘children’ because they are Abraham's descendants; but, “in Isaac will your seed be called.”
nor because they are seed of Abraham [are] all children, but, “in Isaac will a seed be called to you”;
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, the children of the flesh—these [are] not children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for seed;
9 For this is the word of promise: “At this season I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”
for the word of promise [is] this: “According to this time I will come, and there will be to Sarah a son.”
10 Not only that, but also when Rebecca had conceived twins by our forefather Isaac
And not only [so], but also Rebecca, having conceived by one—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 they being not yet born, neither having done anything good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to [divine] selection, might remain; not of works, but of Him who is calling),
12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”
it was said to her, “The greater will serve the less”;
13 As it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
according as it has been written: “Jacob I loved, and Esau I hated.”
14 So what shall we say, there is no injustice with God, is there? Of course not!
What, then, will we say? Unrighteousness [is] with God? Let it not be!
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 to Moses He says, “I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I 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—not of him who is willing, nor of him who is running, but of God who is doing kindness;
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 Writing says to Pharaoh, “For this very thing I raised you up, that I might show in you My power, and that My Name might be declared in all the land”;
18 So then, He has mercy on whom He wishes, and He hardens whom He wishes.
so then, to whom He wills, He does kindness, and to whom He wills, He hardens.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has ever resisted His will?”
You will say, then, to me, “Why does He yet find fault? For who has resisted His counsel?”
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?
No, but, O man, who are you that are answering again to God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed [it], Why did you make 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?
Does the potter not have authority over the clay, out of the same lump to make one vessel to honor and one to dishonor?
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,
And if God, willing to show the wrath and to make known His power, endured, in much long suffering, vessels of wrath fitted for 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 vessels of kindness, that He before prepared for glory, whom also He called—us—
24 even us whom He called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
not only out of Jews, but also out of nations,
25 As He also says in Hosea: “I will call the ‘not my people’, ‘my people’, and the ‘not loved’ (f), ‘loved’.”
as also in Hosea He says, “I will call what [is] not My people—My people; and her not beloved—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 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.”
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;
And Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will 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 a matter He is finishing, and is cutting short in righteousness, because a matter cut short will the LORD do on the land.”
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 according as Isaiah says before, “Except the LORD of Hosts left to us a seed, we had become as Sodom, and we had been made like Gomorrah.”
30 So what shall we say? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained to righteousness, namely the righteousness that comes from faith;
What, then, will we say? That nations who are not pursuing righteousness attained to righteousness, and righteousness that [is] of faith,
31 while Israel, pursuing a standard of righteousness, did not attain to that standard.
and Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at a 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’;
why? Because—not by faith, but as by works of law; for they stumbled at the stone of stumbling,
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.”
according as it has been written: “Behold, I place in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and everyone who is believing thereon will not be ashamed.”
