Romani 9
1 Dico la verità in Cristo, non mentisco, e la mia coscienza me ne dà testimonianza nello Spirito Santo:
[Now I would like to discuss the fact that most of my fellow Israelites have rejected Christ]. Because of my relationship with Christ, I say completely truthfully [what I will now tell you]. I am not lying [DOU]! My conscience confirms what I [say] because the Holy Spirit [controls it].
2 ho nel cuore un grande dolore e una sofferenza continua.
[I tell you that] I grieve very greatly and deeply [DOU] [about my fellow Israelites].
3 Vorrei infatti essere io stesso anàtema, separato da Cristo a vantaggio dei miei fratelli, miei consanguinei secondo la carne.
I personally would be willing to let [God] curse me [and, as a result, be separated] from Christ, [if that would] help my fellow Israelites, my natural kinsmen, [to believe in Christ].
4 Essi sono Israeliti e possiedono l'adozione a figli, la gloria, le alleanze, la legislazione, il culto, le promesse,
We [Jews] are [Israelites, God’s chosen] descendants of [Jacob]. [God has always considered] us as his children [MET]. It was to our ancestors [that he used to appear] gloriously [while they were in the desert]. It was with them that [God made] covenants [several times]. It was to them [that God] gave the laws [at Sinai Mountain]. They were the ones [to whom God showed how they should] worship him. They were the ones [to whom God] promised many things, [especially that the Messiah would come from their race].
5 i patriarchi; da essi proviene Cristo secondo la carne, egli che è sopra ogni cosa, Dio benedetto nei secoli. Amen. (aiōn g165)
It was our ancestors, [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom God chose to found our nation]. And, [most importantly], it was from us Israelites that the Messiah received his human nature. [Nevertheless, most of my fellow Israelites have rejected Christ], who is the one who controls all things! He is God, the one who is worthy that we praise him forever! This is true! (OR, Amen!) (aiōn g165)
6 Tuttavia la parola di Dio non è venuta meno. Infatti non tutti i discendenti di Israele sono Israele,
[God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that their descendants would all inherit his blessings]. But [although most of my fellow Israelites have rejected Christ], that does not [prove] that God has failed [to do] the things that he promised, because it is not all who are descended from Jacob and who [call themselves the people of] Israel whom [God considers] to be truly his people.
7 né per il fatto di essere discendenza di Abramo sono tutti suoi figli. No, ma: in Isacco ti sarà data una discendenza,
And it is also not all of Abraham’s natural descendants that [God considers] to be his people. Instead, [God considers only some of them to be Abraham’s children]. [This agrees with what God told Abraham]: “It is Isaac, [not any of your(sg) other sons], whom [I] will consider [to be the true father of] your descendants.”
8 cioè: non sono considerati figli di Dio i figli della carne, ma come discendenza sono considerati solo i figli della promessa.
That means that it is not all the natural-born descendants [of Abraham] whom God [considers as] his children. Instead, it is those who [believed what God] promised whom [he] considers to be his children.
9 Queste infatti sono le parole della promessa: Io verrò in questo tempo e Sara avrà un figlio.
[You know that what God] promised [to Abraham] was this: “About this time [next year] Sarah [your wife] will bear a son [as a result of my enabling] [MTY] [her to do so].” [So Abraham knew that it was not through Ishmael, the son that he already had, that God would fulfill what he had promised him] (OR, [that his true descendants would come]).
10 E non è tutto; c'è anche Rebecca che ebbe figli da un solo uomo, Isacco nostro padre:
And not only then did God show [that he did not determine who would be his true children according to who their ancestors were. He showed it again] when Rebecca conceived [twins] by our ancestor Isaac.
11 quando essi ancora non eran nati e nulla avevano fatto di bene o di male - perché rimanesse fermo il disegno divino fondato sull'elezione non in base alle opere, ma alla volontà di colui che chiama -
Before [the twins, Jacob and Esau], were born, when neither one had yet done anything good or bad, [God] said to Rebecca [about the twins she was to bear], “The older one shall later serve the younger one, [contrary to normal custom].” [God said this] in order that [we] might [clearly] understand that what he purposed [for people] was according to what he himself determined. That is, people’s [eternal destiny] does not depend on what they do. Instead, their destiny depends on [God], the one who chooses them.
12 le fu dichiarato: Il maggiore sarà sottomesso al minore,
13 Ho amato Giacobbe e ho odiato Esaù. come sta scritto:
And [this teaching is] ([supported/shown to be true]) [by] what is written [in the Scriptures] {what [a prophet] recorded} [that God said]: “I favored Jacob, [the younger son]. I did not favor [HYP] Esau, [the older son].”
14 Che diremo dunque? C'è forse ingiustizia da parte di Dio? No certamente!
[Someone] might say, “(Is God unjust [by choosing the ones he wants to choose?/I think] that God is unjust [by choosing the ones he wants to choose!])” [RHQ] [I would reply], “[He is] certainly not [unjust]!”
15 Userò misericordia con chi vorrò, e avrò pietà di chi vorrò averla. Egli infatti dice a Mosè:
God told Moses, “I will pity and help anyone whom I choose [DOU]!”
16 Quindi non dipende dalla volontà né dagli sforzi dell'uomo, ma da Dio che usa misericordia.
So [God chooses people], not because they want [God to choose them] or because they try hard [to do things so that he] will [accept them]. Instead he chooses people because he himself has mercy [on undeserving ones].
17 Dice infatti la Scrittura al faraone: Ti ho fatto sorgere per manifestare in te la mia potenza e perché il mio nome sia proclamato in tutta la terra.
[Moses] recorded [PRS] [that God had told] Pharaoh, “This is why I gave you [(sg)] authority [MTY]: It was in order that I might show [by how I oppose] you [how exceedingly] powerful I am, and in order that people everywhere [HYP] would hear about me [MTY].”
18 Dio quindi usa misericordia con chi vuole e indurisce chi vuole
So [we conclude that God] kindly helps the ones he wants to act kindly towards. But he makes stubborn the ones [such as Pharaoh] that he wants [to make stubborn].
19 Mi potrai però dire: «Ma allora perché ancora rimprovera? Chi può infatti resistere al suo volere?».
[One of] you may [object to this by] saying to me, “[Because God determines ahead of time everything that people do, that also implies that he wants us to do everything that we do]. (No one has resisted what God has willed!/Who has resisted what God has willed?) [RHQ] Therefore, (it would not be right that God would still condemn [a person for having sinned]!/why does God still condemn [a person for having sinned]?) [RHQ]”
20 O uomo, tu chi sei per disputare con Dio? Oserà forse dire il vaso plasmato a colui che lo plasmò: «Perché mi hai fatto così?».
[I would reply that since] you [(sg)] are [just a] human being, (you do not [have any right at all to] criticize God!/[who are you to] say that what God does is wrong?) [RHQ] [As a potter is the one who creates a clay pot, God is the one who created you]. (A clay pot [MET] certainly would not [have a right to criticize] the potter by asking [PRS], “Why did you [(sg)] make me this way?”/Would a clay pot [have a right to criticize] the potter by asking [PRS], “Why did you [(sg)] make me this way?”) [RHQ]
21 Forse il vasaio non è padrone dell'argilla, per fare con la medesima pasta un vaso per uso nobile e uno per uso volgare?
Instead, (the potter certainly has the right to [take] some clay and from one lump [of clay] make one pot that people will honor and [make another] one for ordinary purposes [MET]./does not a potter have the right to [take] some clay and from one lump [of clay] make one pot that people will honor and [make another] pot for ordinary purposes?) [MET, RHQ] [Similarly, God has the right to carry out what he purposes for people].
22 Se pertanto Dio, volendo manifestare la sua ira e far conoscere la sua potenza, ha sopportato con grande pazienza vasi di collera, gia pronti per la perdizione,
Although God desires to show that he is angry [about sin], and [although he desires to] make clear that he can powerfully [punish people who have sinned], he tolerated very patiently the people [MET] who caused him to be angry and who deserved to be destroyed (OR, who were made to be destroyed).
23 e questo per far conoscere la ricchezza della sua gloria verso vasi di misericordia, da lui predisposti alla gloria,
[God has been patient] in order that he might make clear how very wonderfully [he acts toward those] [MET] whom he intended to act mercifully towards and whom he prepared ahead of time in order that they might [live] gloriously [in heaven].
24 cioè verso di noi, che egli ha chiamati non solo tra i Giudei ma anche tra i pagani, che potremmo dire?
That means us whom he chose—not only [us] Jews but also non-Jews.
25 Chiamerò mio popolo quello che non era mio popolo e mia diletta quella che non era la diletta. Esattamente come dice Osea:
[These words that] Hosea wrote [MTY] that [God] said also (show that God has the right/[support God’s right]) [to choose from among both Jews and non-Jews] [MTY]: I will declare that many people who were not my people are now my people. I will declare that many people whom I did not love [HYP] before, I love now.
26 E avverrà che nel luogo stesso dove fu detto loro: «Voi non siete mio popolo», là saranno chiamati figli del Dio vivente.
And [another prophet wrote]: What will happen is that in the places where [God] told them before, “You are not my people,” in those same places [people] will declare truthfully that they are children of God, who is completely powerful.
27 Se anche il numero dei figli d'Israele fosse come la sabbia del mare, sarà salvato solo il resto; E quanto a Israele, Isaia esclama:
Isaiah also exclaimed concerning the Israelites: Even though the Israelites are [so many that no one can count them, like] sand [particles on the beach beside] the ocean, [only] a small part of them will be saved {[God] will save [only] a small part of them},
28 perché con pienezza e rapidità il Signore compirà la sua parola sopra la terra.
because the Lord will punish completely and speedily the [people who live on] this earth, as he said that he would do.
29 Se il Signore degli eserciti non ci avesse lasciato una discendenza, saremmo divenuti come Sòdoma e resi simili a Gomorra. E ancora secondo ciò che predisse Isaia:
[Also, we can understand from what the prophet] Isaiah said [that God would not save] anyone if he did not show mercy: If the Lord, who controls everything in heaven, had not mercifully allowed some of our descendants to survive, we would have become like the people of [the cities of] Sodom and Gomorrah, who were [SIM, DOU] completely destroyed.
30 Che diremo dunque? Che i pagani, che non ricercavano la giustizia, hanno raggiunto la giustizia: la giustizia però che deriva dalla fede;
We must conclude this: [RHQ] Although non-Jews did not search out [a way by which] God would erase the record of their sins, they actually found that way because they trusted [in what Christ did for them].
31 mentre Israele, che ricercava una legge che gli desse la giustizia, non è giunto alla pratica della legge.
But although [the people of] Israel sought a basis [by which God would] erase the record of their sins, they did not succeed in [fulfilling the true purpose of the] laws [that God gave to Moses].
32 E perché mai? Perché non la ricercava dalla fede, ma come se derivasse dalle opere. Hanno urtato così contro la pietra d'inciampo,
The reason [RHQ] [that they did not succeed] is that they did not trust that [God would provide a way to save them]. Instead, they were trying to do certain things [in order that God would accept them. Because they did not expect the Messiah to die, the Israelites] felt disgusted about [Jesus’ death, which is like] the stone [MET] on which people stumble.
33 Ecco che io pongo in Sion una pietra di scandalo e un sasso d'inciampo; ma chi crede in lui non sarà deluso. come sta scritto:
This is what [a prophet] predicted when he wrote these words that [God said about the Messiah]: Listen! I am placing in Israel [MTY] [one who is like] a stone [MET] on which people will stumble. What he does will offend people [DOU]. Nevertheless, those who believe in him will not be disappointed.
