Romans 9
1 I speak truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, that
I am in Christ, and what I say is true. I'm not lying! My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm
2 I have great grief and unceasing anguish in my heart.
how terribly sad I am, how I have never-ending pain in my heart,
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 my own people, my brothers and sisters. I would rather be cursed myself, separated from Christ, if that would help them.
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;
They are my fellow-Israelites, God's chosen people. God revealed to them his glory and made agreements with them, giving them the law, true worship, and his promises.
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)
They are our forefathers—ancestors of Christ, humanly-speaking, the one who rules over everything, the eternally-blessed God. Amen. (aiōn g165)
6 Not as though the word of God hath failed; for not all they that are of Israel are Israel;
It's not that God's promise has failed. For not every Israelite is a true Israelite,
7 nor because they are descendants of Abraham are they all children; but, “Thy offspring shall be reckoned from Isaac.”
and all those who are descended from Abraham are not his true children. For Scripture says, “Your descendants will be counted through Isaac,”
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.
so it's not Abraham's actual children who are counted as God's children, but only those children of God's promise who are considered his true descendants.
9 For the word of promise is this: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”
This is what the promise was: “I will return next year and Sarah will have a son.”
10 And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived by one man, our father Isaac,
In addition Rebecca's twin sons had the same father, our forefather 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,
But even before the children were born, and before they'd done anything right or wrong, (so that God's purpose could continue, proving God's calling of people is not based on human performance),
12 it was said to her, “The elder shall serve the younger:”
she was told, “The older brother will serve the younger one.”
13 as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
As Scripture says, “I chose Jacob, but rejected Esau.”
14 What then shall we say? Is there injustice with God? Far be it!
So what should we conclude? That God was unjust? Certainly not!
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.”
As he said to Moses, “I will be merciful to whoever I should show mercy, and I will have compassion on whoever I should show compassion.”
16 So then it dependeth not on him that willeth, nor on him that runneth, but on God who showeth mercy.
So it does not depend on what we want, or our own efforts, but the merciful nature 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.”
Scripture records God saying to Pharaoh: “I put you here for a reason—so that through you I could demonstrate my power, and so that my name could be made known throughout the earth.”
18 So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and hardeneth whom he will.
So God is merciful to those he wishes to be, and hardens the attitude of those he wants to.
19 Hence thou wilt say to me, Why then doth he still find fault? for who resisteth his will?
Now you'll argue with me and ask, “So why does he still blame us then? Who can resist the will of God?”
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?
That's no way to speak, for who are you—a mere mortal—to contradict God? Can something that is created say to its creator, “Why did you make me like this?”
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?
Doesn't a potter have the right to use the same batch of clay to make both a decorative bowl and an everyday pot?
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;
It's as if God, wanting to demonstrate his opposition to sin and to reveal his power, bears patiently with these “pots destined for destruction,”
23 purposing also to make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared for glory,
so that he might reveal the greatness of his glory through these “pots of mercy” which he has prepared in advance for glory.
24 whom he also called, even us, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the gentiles?
This is who we are—people he has called, not just from among the Jews, but from among the foreigners too...
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 God said in the book of Hosea, “Those who are not my people I will call my people, and those who are not loved I will call the ones I love,”
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, “It will happen that at the place where they were told, ‘You're not my people,’ there they will be called the children 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.
Isaiah cries out regarding Israel: “Even if the children of Israel have become as numerous as the sands of the sea, only a small number will be saved.
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 is going to quickly and completely finish his work of judgment on the earth.”
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.”
As Isaiah previously said, “If the Lord Almighty had not left us some descendants, we would have become just 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 shall we conclude, then? That even though the foreigners were not even looking to do right, they did grasp what is right, and through their trust in God did what was morally right.
31 while Israel, which strove after a law of righteousness, did not attain to a law of righteousness.
But the people of Israel, who looked to the law to make them right with God, never succeeded.
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 not? Because they relied on what they did rather than trusting in God. They tripped on the stumbling-block,
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.”
just as Scripture predicted: “Look, I'm placing in Zion a stumbling-block, a rock that will offend people. But those who trust in him won't be disappointed.”
