Romans 9
1 I seie treuthe in Crist Jhesu, Y lye not, for my conscience berith witnessyng to me in the Hooli Goost,
I am in Christ, and what I say is true. I'm not lying! My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm
2 for greet heuynesse is to me, and contynuel sorewe to my herte.
how terribly sad I am, how I have never-ending pain in my heart,
3 For Y my silf desiride to be departid fro Crist for my britheren, that ben my cosyns aftir the fleisch, that ben men of Israel;
for my own people, my brothers and sisters. I would rather be cursed myself, separated from Christ, if that would help them.
4 whos is adopcioun of sones, and glorie, and testament, and yyuyng of the lawe, and seruyce, and biheestis;
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 whos ben the fadris, and of which is Crist after the fleisch, that is God aboue alle thingis, blessid in to worldis. (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 Amen. But not that the word of God hath falle doun. For not alle that ben of Israel, these ben Israelitis.
It's not that God's promise has failed. For not every Israelite is a true Israelite,
7 Nethir thei that ben seed of Abraham, `alle ben sonys; but in Ysaac the seed schal be clepid to thee;
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 to seie, not thei that ben sones of the fleisch, ben sones of God, but thei that ben sones of biheeste ben demed in the seed.
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 whi this is the word of biheest, Aftir this tyme Y schal come, and a sone schal be to Sare.
This is what the promise was: “I will return next year and Sarah will have a son.”
10 And not oneli sche, but also Rebecca hadde twey sones of o liggyng bi of Ysaac, oure fadir.
In addition Rebecca's twin sons had the same father, our forefather Isaac.
11 And whanne thei weren not yit borun, nether hadden don ony thing of good ether of yuel, that the purpos of God schulde dwelle bi eleccioun,
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 not of werkis, but of God clepynge, it was seid to hym,
she was told, “The older brother will serve the younger one.”
13 that the more schulde serue the lesse, as it is writun, Y louede Jacob, but Y hatide Esau.
As Scripture says, “I chose Jacob, but rejected Esau.”
14 What therfor schulen we seie? Whether wickidnesse be anentis God?
So what should we conclude? That God was unjust? Certainly not!
15 God forbede. For he seith to Moyses, Y schal haue merci on whom Y haue merci; and Y schal yyue merci on whom Y schal haue merci.
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 Therfor it is not nether of man willynge, nethir rennynge, but of God hauynge mercy.
So it does not depend on what we want, or our own efforts, but the merciful nature of God.
17 And the scripture seith to Farao, For to this thing Y haue stirid thee, that Y schewe in thee my vertu, and that my name be teld in al erthe.
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 Therfor of whom God wole, he hath merci; and whom he wole, he endurith.
So God is merciful to those he wishes to be, and hardens the attitude of those he wants to.
19 Thanne seist thou to me, What is souyt yit? for who withstondith his wille?
Now you'll argue with me and ask, “So why does he still blame us then? Who can resist the will of God?”
20 O! man, who art thou, that answerist to God? Whether a maad thing seith to hym that made it, What hast thou maad me so?
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 Whether a potter of cley hath not power to make of the same gobet o vessel in to honour, an othere in to dispit?
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 That if God willynge to schewe his wraththe, and to make his power knowun, hath suffrid in greet pacience vessels of wraththe able in to deth,
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 to schewe the riytchessis of his glorie in to vessels of merci, whiche he made redi in to glorie.
so that he might reveal the greatness of his glory through these “pots of mercy” which he has prepared in advance for glory.
24 Whiche also he clepide not oneli of Jewis, but also of hethene men, as he seith in Osee,
This is who we are—people he has called, not just from among the Jews, but from among the foreigners too...
25 Y schal clepe not my puple my puple, and not my loued my louyd, and not getynge mercy getynge merci;
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 schal be in the place, where it is seid to hem, Not ye my puple, there thei schulen be clepid the sones of `God lyuynge.
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 Isaye crieth for Israel, If the noumbre of Israel schal be as grauel of the see, the relifs schulen be maad saaf.
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 Forsothe a word makynge an ende, and abreggynge in equyte, for the Lord schal make a word breggid on al the erthe.
For the Lord is going to quickly and completely finish his work of judgment on the earth.”
29 And as Ysaye bifor seide, But God of oostis hadde left to vs seed, we hadden be maad as Sodom, and we hadden be lijk as Gommor.
As Isaiah previously said, “If the Lord Almighty had not left us some descendants, we would have become just like Sodom and Gomorrah.”
30 Therfor what schulen we seie? That hethene men that sueden not riytwisnesse, han gete riytwisnesse, yhe, the riytwisnesse that is of feith.
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 But Israel suynge the lawe of riytwisnesse, cam not parfitli in to the lawe of riytwisnesse.
But the people of Israel, who looked to the law to make them right with God, never succeeded.
32 Whi? For not of feith, but as of werkys. And thei spurneden ayens the stoon of offencioun,
Why not? Because they relied on what they did rather than trusting in God. They tripped on the stumbling-block,
33 as it is writun, Lo! Y putte a stoon of offensioun in Syon, and a stoon of sclaundre; and ech that schal bileue `in it, schal not be confoundid.
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.”
