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.

Romans 9

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

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

³For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

⁴Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

⁵Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

⁶Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

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

⁸That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

⁹For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

¹⁰And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

¹¹(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

¹²It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

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

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

¹⁵For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

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

¹⁷For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

¹⁸Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

¹⁹Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

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

²¹Hath 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 longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

²³And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

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

²⁵As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

²⁶And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

²⁷Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

²⁸For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

²⁹And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

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

³¹But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

³²Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

³³As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.