Romans 9
1 I speak truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, that
I say what is true in Christ, and not what is false, my mind giving witness with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 I have great grief and unceasing anguish in my heart.
That I am full of sorrow and pain without end.
3 For I could wish to be myself accursed and cast out from Christ in behalf of my brethren, my kinsmen as to the flesh;
For I have a desire to take on myself the curse for my brothers, my family in the flesh:
4 who are Israelites; whom God adopted as sons, whose was the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of the sanctuary, and the promises;
Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God:
5 whose are the fathers, and from whom, as to the flesh, was the Christ. He who is over all, God, be blessed for ever! Amen. (aiōn g165)
Whose are the fathers, and of whom came Christ in the flesh, who is over all, God, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it. (aiōn g165)
6 Not as though the word of God hath failed; for not all they that are of Israel are Israel;
But it is not as if the word of God was without effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel:
7 nor because they are descendants of Abraham are they all children; but, “Thy offspring shall be reckoned from Isaac.”
And they are not all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac will your seed be named.
8 That is, not the children by natural descent are children of God, but the children to whom the promise is made are accounted as the offspring.
That is, it is not the children of the flesh, but the children of God's undertaking, who are named as the seed.
9 For the word of promise is this: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”
For this is the word of God's undertaking, At this time will I come, and Sarah will have a son.
10 And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived by one man, our father Isaac,
And not only so, but Rebecca being about to have a child by our father Isaac —
11 before the children were born, or had done any thing good or evil, to the end that God's purpose according to election might stand, not depending on works, but on the will of him that calleth,
Before the children had come into existence, or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose and his selection might be effected, not by works, but by him whose purpose it is,
12 it was said to her, “The elder shall serve the younger:”
It was said to her, The older will be the servant of the younger.
13 as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Even as it is said, I had love for Jacob, but for Esau I had hate.
14 What then shall we say? Is there injustice with God? Far be it!
What may we say then? is God not upright? let it not be said.
15 For he saith to Moses, “On whom I have mercy, on him will I have mercy; and on whom I have compassion, on him will I have compassion.”
For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and pity on whom I will have pity.
16 So then it dependeth not on him that willeth, nor on him that runneth, but on God who showeth mercy.
So then, it is not by the desire or by the attempt of man, but by the mercy of God.
17 For the Scripture saith to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show forth my power in thee, and that my name might be made known in all the earth.”
For the holy Writings say to Pharaoh, For this same purpose did I put you on high, so that I might make my power seen in you, and that there might be knowledge of my name through all the earth.
18 So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and hardeneth whom he will.
So then, at his pleasure he has mercy on a man, and at his pleasure he makes the heart hard.
19 Hence thou wilt say to me, Why then doth he still find fault? for who resisteth his will?
But you will say to me, Why does he still make us responsible? who is able to go against his purpose?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that makest answer to God? Shall the thing that is wrought say to the workman, Why hast thou made me thus?
But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, Why did you make me so?
21 Hath not the potter a right out of the same lump of clay to make one vessel for an honorable use, and another for a dishonorable?
Or has not the potter the right to make out of one part of his earth a vessel for honour, and out of another a vessel for shame?
22 What if God endured with much patience vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, purposing to manifest his wrath and to make known his power;
What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction:
23 purposing also to make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared for glory,
And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
24 whom he also called, even us, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the gentiles?
Even us, who were marked out by him, not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles?
25 as he also saith in Hosea, “I will call that my people, which was not my people; and her beloved, that was not beloved.
As he says in Hosea, They will be named my people who were not my people, and she will be loved who was not loved.
26 And it shall be, that in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called sons of the living God.”
And in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they will be named the sons of the living God.
27 But Isaiah crieth out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
And Isaiah says about Israel, Even if the number of the children of Israel is as the sand of the sea, only a small part will get salvation:
28 For he is accomplishing his word and speedily fulfilling it in righteousness; for a speedily fulfilled word will the Lord execute upon the earth.”
For the Lord will give effect to his word on the earth, putting an end to it and cutting it short.
29 And as Isaiah hath said before, “Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we should have become as Sodom, and been made like Gomorrah.”
And, as Isaiah had said before, If the Lord of armies had not given us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
30 What then shall we say? That the gentiles, who did not strive after righteousness, obtained righteousness, but a righteousness which is of faith;
What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:
31 while Israel, which strove after a law of righteousness, did not attain to a law of righteousness.
But Israel, going after a law of righteousness, did not get it.
32 Why? Because they did not strive for it by faith, but as being by works. For they stumbled against the stone of stumbling;
Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;
33 as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and rock of offence; and he that believeth in him shall not be put to shame.”
As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.
