Romans 9
1 [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].
αληθειαν λεγω εν χριστω ου ψευδομαι συμμαρτυρουσης μοι της συνειδησεως μου εν πνευματι αγιω
2 [I tell you that] I grieve very greatly and deeply [DOU] [about my fellow Israelites].
οτι λυπη μοι εστιν μεγαλη και αδιαλειπτος οδυνη τη καρδια μου
3 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].
ηυχομην γαρ αναθεμα ειναι αυτος εγω απο του χριστου υπερ των αδελφων μου των συγγενων μου κατα σαρκα
4 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].
οιτινες εισιν ισραηλιται ων η υιοθεσια και η δοξα και αι διαθηκαι και η νομοθεσια και η λατρεια και αι επαγγελιαι
5 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)
ων οι πατερες και εξ ων ο χριστος το κατα σαρκα ο ων επι παντων θεος ευλογητος εις τους αιωνας αμην (aiōn g165)
6 [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.
ουχ οιον δε οτι εκπεπτωκεν ο λογος του θεου ου γαρ παντες οι εξ ισραηλ ουτοι ισραηλ
7 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.”
ουδ οτι εισιν σπερμα αβρααμ παντες τεκνα αλλ εν ισαακ κληθησεται σοι σπερμα
8 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.
τουτ εστιν ου τα τεκνα της σαρκος ταυτα τεκνα του θεου αλλα τα τεκνα της επαγγελιας λογιζεται εις σπερμα
9 [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]).
επαγγελιας γαρ ο λογος ουτος κατα τον καιρον τουτον ελευσομαι και εσται τη σαρρα υιος
10 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.
ου μονον δε αλλα και ρεβεκκα εξ ενος κοιτην εχουσα ισαακ του πατρος ημων
11 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.
μηπω γαρ γεννηθεντων μηδε πραξαντων τι αγαθον η φαυλον ινα η κατ εκλογην προθεσις του θεου μενη
ουκ εξ εργων αλλ εκ του καλουντος ερρεθη αυτη οτι ο μειζων δουλευσει τω ελασσονι
13 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].”
{VAR1: καθαπερ } {VAR2: καθως } γεγραπται τον ιακωβ ηγαπησα τον δε ησαυ εμισησα
14 [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]!”
τι ουν ερουμεν μη αδικια παρα τω θεω μη γενοιτο
15 God told Moses, “I will pity and help anyone whom I choose [DOU]!”
τω μωυσει γαρ λεγει ελεησω ον αν ελεω και οικτιρησω ον αν οικτιρω
16 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].
αρα ουν ου του θελοντος ουδε του τρεχοντος αλλα του ελεωντος θεου
17 [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].”
λεγει γαρ η γραφη τω φαραω οτι εις αυτο τουτο εξηγειρα σε οπως ενδειξωμαι εν σοι την δυναμιν μου και οπως διαγγελη το ονομα μου εν παση τη γη
18 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].
αρα ουν ον θελει ελεει ον δε θελει σκληρυνει
19 [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]”
ερεις μοι ουν τι {VAR2: [ουν] } ετι μεμφεται τω γαρ βουληματι αυτου τις ανθεστηκεν
20 [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]
ω ανθρωπε μενουνγε συ τις ει ο ανταποκρινομενος τω θεω μη ερει το πλασμα τω πλασαντι τι με εποιησας ουτως
21 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].
η ουκ εχει εξουσιαν ο κεραμευς του πηλου εκ του αυτου φυραματος ποιησαι ο μεν εις τιμην σκευος ο δε εις ατιμιαν
22 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).
ει δε θελων ο θεος ενδειξασθαι την οργην και γνωρισαι το δυνατον αυτου ηνεγκεν εν πολλη μακροθυμια σκευη οργης κατηρτισμενα εις απωλειαν
23 [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].
{VAR2: και } ινα γνωριση τον πλουτον της δοξης αυτου επι σκευη ελεους α προητοιμασεν εις δοξαν
24 That means us whom he chose—not only [us] Jews but also non-Jews.
ους και εκαλεσεν ημας ου μονον εξ ιουδαιων αλλα και εξ εθνων
25 [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.
ως και εν τω ωσηε λεγει καλεσω τον ου λαον μου λαον μου και την ουκ ηγαπημενην ηγαπημενην
26 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.
και εσται εν τω τοπω ου ερρεθη {VAR1: [αυτοις] } {VAR2: αυτοις } ου λαος μου υμεις εκει κληθησονται υιοι θεου ζωντος
27 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},
ησαιας δε κραζει υπερ του ισραηλ εαν η ο αριθμος των υιων ισραηλ ως η αμμος της θαλασσης το υπολειμμα σωθησεται
28 because the Lord will punish completely and speedily the [people who live on] this earth, as he said that he would do.
λογον γαρ συντελων και συντεμνων ποιησει κυριος επι της γης
29 [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.
και καθως προειρηκεν ησαιας ει μη κυριος σαβαωθ εγκατελιπεν ημιν σπερμα ως σοδομα αν εγενηθημεν και ως γομορρα αν ωμοιωθημεν
30 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].
τι ουν ερουμεν οτι εθνη τα μη διωκοντα δικαιοσυνην κατελαβεν δικαιοσυνην δικαιοσυνην δε την εκ πιστεως
31 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].
ισραηλ δε διωκων νομον δικαιοσυνης εις νομον ουκ εφθασεν
32 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.
δια τι οτι ουκ εκ πιστεως αλλ ως εξ εργων προσεκοψαν τω λιθω του προσκομματος
33 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.
καθως γεγραπται ιδου τιθημι εν σιων λιθον προσκομματος και πετραν σκανδαλου και ο πιστευων επ αυτω ου καταισχυνθησεται
