Romans 9
1 Truth, say I, in Christ, I utter no falsehood, —my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, —
I speak truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, that
2 That I have great grief and incessant travail in my heart;
I have great grief and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could have wished to be accursed, even I myself, from the Christ, in behalf of my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh; —
For I could wish to be myself accursed and cast out from Christ in behalf of my brethren, my kinsmen as to the flesh;
4 Who, indeed, are Israelites, whose are the sonship, and the glory, and the covenants, and the legislation, and the divine service, and the promises,
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;
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom is the Christ—according to the flesh—he who is over all, God, blessed unto the ages. Amen. (aiōn g165)
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)
6 It is not, however, as though the word of God had failed; for, not all they who are of Israel, the same are Israel.
Not as though the word of God hath failed; for not all they that are of Israel are Israel;
7 Neither, because they are seed of Abraham, are all children, —but, In Isaac, shall there be called unto thee a seed.
nor because they are descendants of Abraham are they all children; but, “Thy offspring shall be reckoned from Isaac.”
8 That is—not the children of the flesh, the same are children of God; but, the children of the promise, are reckoned as a seed.
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.
9 For, of promise, is this word—According to this season, will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
For the word of promise is this: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”
10 And, not only so, but, when, Rebekah also, was with child, of one—Isaac our father, —
And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived by one man, our father Isaac,
11 They, in fact, not being yet born, nor having practised anything good or bad, —in order that the purpose of God by way of election might stand, —not by works but by him that was calling,
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,
12 It was said unto her—The elder, shall serve the younger;
it was said to her, “The elder shall serve the younger:”
13 Even as it is written—Jacob, have I loved, but, Esau, have I hated.
as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What, then, shall we say? Is there injustice with God? Far be it!
What then shall we say? Is there injustice with God? Far be it!
15 For, unto Moses, he saith—I will have mercy upon whomsoever I can have mercy, and I will have compassion upon whomsoever I can have compassion.
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.”
16 Hence, then, it is nor of him that wisheth nor of him that runneth, but of the mercy-shewing God.
So then it dependeth not on him that willeth, nor on him that runneth, but on God who showeth mercy.
17 For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh—Unto this end, have I raised thee up, that I may thus shew in thee my power, and that I may declare my name in all the earth.
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.”
18 Hence, then, —on whom he pleaseth, he hath mercy, and, whom he pleaseth, he doth harden.
So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and hardeneth whom he will.
19 Thou wilt say to me, then—Why longer findeth he fault? For, his purpose, who hath withstood?
Hence thou wilt say to me, Why then doth he still find fault? for who resisteth his will?
20 O man! Who, nevertheless, art, thou, that art answering again unto God? Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it—Why didst thou make me thus?
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?
21 Or hath not the potter a right over the clay—out of the same lump, to make some, indeed, into a vessel for honour, and some for dishonour?
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?
22 And, if God—wishing to shew his anger and to make known his power—bare, in much patience, with vessels of anger already fitted for destruction,
What if God endured with much patience vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, purposing to manifest his wrath and to make known his power;
23 In order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy which he prepared beforehand for glory, —
purposing also to make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared for glory,
24 Whom he also called, even us, not only from among Jews, but also from among the nations, [what then?]
whom he also called, even us, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the gentiles?
25 As also in Hosea he saith—I will call the not-my-people, My people, and the not-beloved, beloved,
as he also saith in Hosea, “I will call that my people, which was not my people; and her beloved, that was not beloved.
26 And it shall be—in the place where it was said [to them]—not my people are, ye! there, shall they be called—Sons of a Living God.
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.”
27 Isaiah, moreover, exclaimeth over Israel—Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant, shall be saved;
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.
28 For, a complete and concise account, will the Lord make upon the earth.
For he is accomplishing his word and speedily fulfilling it in righteousness; for a speedily fulfilled word will the Lord execute upon the earth.”
29 And, even as Isaiah hath before said, —If, the Lord of hosts, had not left us a seed, as Sodom, had we become, and, as Gomorrha, had we been made like.
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.”
30 What, then, shall we say? That, they of the nations, who were not in pursuit of righteousness, have laid hold of righteousness, —a righteousness, however, which is by faith;
What then shall we say? That the gentiles, who did not strive after righteousness, obtained righteousness, but a righteousness which is of faith;
31 Whereas, Israel, though in pursuit of a law of righteousness, unto a law, have not attained.
while Israel, which strove after a law of righteousness, did not attain to a law of righteousness.
32 Wherefore? Because, not by faith but as by works, [have they sought it]: they have stumbled at the stone of stumbling,
Why? Because they did not strive for it by faith, but as being by works. For they stumbled against the stone of stumbling;
33 Even as it is written—Lo! I lay in Zion, a stone to strike against and a rock to stumble over, and, he that resteth faith thereupon, shall not be put to shame.
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.”
