Romans 9

¹I am speaking the truth in Christ; I am not lying. My conscience offers testimony to me in the Holy Spirit,

²because the sadness within me is great, and there is a continuous sorrow in my heart.

³For I was desiring that I myself might be anathemized from Christ, for the sake of my brothers, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh.

⁴These are the Israelites, to whom belongs adoption as sons, and the glory and the testament, and the giving and following of the law, and the promises.

⁵Theirs are the fathers, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all things, blessed God, for all eternity. Amen.

⁶But it is not that the Word of God has perished. For not all those who are Israelites are of Israel.

⁷And not all sons are the offspring of Abraham: “For your offspring will be invoked in Isaac.”

⁸In other words, those who are the sons of God are not those who are sons of the flesh, but those who are sons of the Promise; these are considered to be the offspring.

⁹For the word of promise is this: “I will return at the proper time. And there shall be a son for Sarah.”

¹⁰And she was not alone. For Rebecca also, having conceived by Isaac our father, from one act,

¹¹when the children had not yet been born, and had not yet done anything good or bad (such that the purpose of God might be based on their choice),

¹²and not because of deeds, but because of a calling, it was said to her: “The elder shall serve the younger.”

¹³So also it was written: “I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.”

¹⁴What should we say next? Is there unfairness with God? Let it not be so!

¹⁵For to Moses he says: “I will pity whomever I pity. And I will offer mercy to whomever I will pity.”

¹⁶Therefore, it is not based on those who choose, nor on those who excel, but on God who takes pity.

¹⁷For Scripture says to the Pharaoh: “I have raised you up for this purpose, so that I may reveal my power by you, and so that my name may be announced to all the earth.”

¹⁸Therefore, he takes pity on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

¹⁹And so, you would say to me: “Then why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”

²⁰O man, who are you to question God? How can the thing that has been formed say to the One who formed him: “Why have you made me this way?”

²¹And does not the potter have the authority over the clay to make, from the same material, indeed, one vessel unto honor, yet truly another unto disgrace?

²²What if God, wanting to reveal his wrath and to make his power known, endured, with much patience, vessels deserving wrath, fit to be destroyed,

²³so that he might reveal the wealth of his glory, within these vessels of mercy, which he has prepared unto glory?

²⁴And so it is with those of us whom he has also called, not only from among the Jews, but even from among the Gentiles,

²⁵just as he says in Hosea: “I will call those who were not my people, ‘my people,’ and she who was not beloved, ‘beloved,’ and she who had not obtained mercy, ‘one who has obtained mercy.’

²⁶And this shall be: in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they shall be called the sons of the living God.”

²⁷And Isaiah cried out on behalf of Israel: “When the number of the sons of Israel is like the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

²⁸For he shall complete his word, while abbreviating it out of equity. For the Lord shall accomplish a brief word upon the earth.”

²⁹And it is just as Isaiah predicted: “Unless the Lord of hosts had bequeathed offspring, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made similar to Gomorrah.”

³⁰What should we say next? That the Gentiles who did not follow justice have attained justice, even the justice that is of faith.

³¹Yet truly, Israel, though following the law of justice, has not arrived at the law of justice.

³²Why is this? Because they did not seek it from faith, but as if it were from works. For they stumbled over a stumbling block,

³³just as it was written: “Behold, I am placing a stumbling block in Zion, and a rock of scandal. But whoever believes in him shall not be confounded.”

Romans 9

¹I speak the truth in Christ: I lie not, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost:

²That I have great sadness and continual sorrow in my heart.

³For I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren: who are my kinsmen according to the flesh:

⁴Who are Israelites: to whom belongeth the adoption as of children and the glory and the testament and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises:

⁵Whose are the fathers and of whom is Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.

⁶Not as though the word of God hath miscarried. For all are not Israelites that are of Israel.

⁷Neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

⁸That is to say, not they that are the children of the flesh are the children of God: but they that are the children of the promise are accounted for the seed.

⁹For this is the word of promise: According to this time will I come. And Sara shall have a son.

¹⁰And not only she. But when Rebecca also had conceived at once of Isaac our father.

¹¹For when the children were not yet born, nor had done any good or evil (that the purpose of God according to election might stand):

¹²Not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said to her: The elder shall serve the younger.

¹³As it is written: Jacob I have loved: but Esau I have hated.

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? God forbid!

¹⁵For he saith to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy.

¹⁶So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

¹⁷For the scripture saith to Pharao: To this purpose have I raised thee, that I may shew my power in thee and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

¹⁸Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will. And whom he will, he hardeneth.

¹⁹Thou wilt say therefore to me: Why doth he then find fault? For who resisteth his will?

²⁰O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it: Why hast thou made me thus?

²¹Or hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?

²²What if God, willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction,

²³That he might shew the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he hath prepared unto glory?

²⁴Even us, whom also he hath called, not only of the Jews but also of the Gentiles.

²⁵As in Osee he saith: I will call that which was not my people, my people; and her that was not beloved, beloved; and her that had not obtained mercy; one that hath obtained mercy.

²⁶And it shalt be in the place where it was said unto them: you are not my people; there they shall be called the sons of the living God.

²⁷And Isaias cried out concerning Israel: If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

²⁸For he shall finish his word and cut it short in justice: because a short word shall the Lord make upon the earth.

²⁹And Isaias foretold: Unless the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed, we had been made as Sodom and we had been like unto Gomorrha.

³⁰What then shall we say? That the Gentiles who followed not after justice have attained to justice, even the justice that is of faith.

³¹But Israel, by following after the law of justice, is not come unto the law of justice.

³²Why so? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were of works. For they stumbled at the stumblingstone.

³³As it is written: Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone and a rock of scandal. And whosoever believeth in him shall not be confounded.