Romans 9
1 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--
Truth I say in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing testimony with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 when I declare that I have deep grief and unceasing anguish of heart.
that I have great grief and unceasing pain in my heart —
3 For I could pray to be accursed from Christ on behalf of my brethren, my human kinsfolk--for such the Israelites are.
for I was wishing, I myself, to be anathema from the Christ — for my brethren, my kindred, according to the flesh,
4 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.
who are Israelites, whose [is] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the service, and the promises,
5 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)
whose [are] the fathers, and of whom [is] the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed to the ages. Amen. (aiōn g165)
6 Not however that God's word has failed; for all who have sprung from Israel do not count as Israel,
And it is not possible that the word of God hath failed; for not all who [are] of Israel are these Israel;
7 nor because they are Abraham's true children. But the promise was "Through Isaac shall your posterity be reckoned."
nor because they are seed of Abraham [are] all children, but — 'in Isaac shall a seed be called to thee;'
8 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.
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 the words are the language of promise and run thus, "About this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son."
for the word of promise [is] this; 'According to this time I will come, and there shall be to Sarah a son.'
10 Nor is that all: later on there was Rebecca too. She was soon to bear two children to her husband, our forefather Isaac--
And not only [so], but also Rebecca, having conceived by one — Isaac our father —
11 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,
(for they being not yet born, neither having done anything good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to choice, might remain; not of works, but of Him who is calling, ) it was said to her —
12 "The elder of them will be bondservant to the younger."
'The greater shall serve the less;'
13 This agrees with the other Scripture which says, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
according as it hath been written, 'Jacob I did love, and Esau I did hate.'
14 What then are we to infer? That there is injustice in God?
What, then, shall we say? unrighteousness [is] with God? let it not be!
15 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."
for to Moses He saith, 'I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion;'
16 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,
so, then — not of him who is willing, nor of him who is running, but of God who is doing kindness:
17 "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."
for the Writing saith to Pharaoh — 'For this very thing I did raise thee up, that I might shew in thee My power, and that My name might be declared in all the land;'
18 This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows mercy, and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart.
so, then, to whom He willeth, He doth kindness, and to whom He willeth, He doth harden.
19 "Why then does God still find fault?" you will ask; "for who is resisting His will?"
Thou wilt say, then, to me, 'Why yet doth He find fault? for His counsel who hath resisted?'
20 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?"
nay, but, O man, who art thou that art answering again to God? shall the thing formed say to Him who did form [it], Why me didst thou make thus?
21 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?
hath not the potter authority over the clay, out of the same lump to make the one vessel to honour, and the one to dishonour?
22 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,
And if God, willing to shew the wrath and to make known His power, did endure, in much long suffering, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,
23 in order to make known His infinite goodness towards the subjects of His mercy whom He has 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 did call — us —
24 even towards us whom He has called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?
not only out of Jews, but also out of nations,
25 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.
as also in Hosea He saith, 'I will call what [is] not My people — My people; and her not beloved — Beloved,
26 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."
and it shall be — in the place where it was said to them, Ye [are] not My people; there they shall be called sons of the living God.'
27 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;
And Isaiah doth cry concerning Israel, 'If the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved;
28 for the Lord will hold a reckoning upon the earth, making it efficacious and brief."
for a matter He is finishing, and is cutting short in righteousness, because a matter cut short will the Lord do upon the land.
29 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."
and according as Isaiah saith before, 'Except the Lord of Sabaoth did leave to us a seed, as Sodom we had become, and as Gomorrah we had been made like.'
30 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;
What, then, shall we say? that nations who are not pursuing righteousness did attain to righteousness, and righteousness that [is] of faith,
31 while the descendants of Israel, who were in pursuit of a Law that could give righteousness, have not arrived at one.
and Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, at a law of righteousness did not arrive;
32 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;
wherefore? because — not by faith, but as by works of law; for they did stumble at the stone of stumbling,
33 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."
according as it hath been written, 'Lo, I place in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; and every one who is believing thereon shall not be ashamed.'
