9
Solicitude for Israel
1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,
5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “ᴛʜʀoᴜɢʜ Isᴀᴀc ʏoᴜʀ ᴅᴇscᴇɴᴅᴀɴᴛs wɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ.”
8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
9 For this is the word of promise: “Aᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ I wɪʟʟ coᴍᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ Sᴀʀᴀʜ sʜᴀʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ ᴀ soɴ.”
10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
12 it was said to her, “Tʜᴇ oʟᴅᴇʀ wɪʟʟ sᴇʀvᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʏoᴜɴɢᴇʀ.”
13 Just as it is written, “Jᴀcoʙ I ʟovᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ Esᴀᴜ I ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ.”
14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
15 For He says to Moses, “I wɪʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ ᴍᴇʀcʏ oɴ wʜoᴍ I ʜᴀvᴇ ᴍᴇʀcʏ, ᴀɴᴅ I wɪʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ coᴍᴘᴀssɪoɴ oɴ wʜoᴍ I ʜᴀvᴇ coᴍᴘᴀssɪoɴ.”
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “Foʀ ᴛʜɪs vᴇʀʏ ᴘᴜʀᴘosᴇ I ʀᴀɪsᴇᴅ ʏoᴜ ᴜᴘ, ᴛo ᴅᴇᴍoɴsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇ Mʏ ᴘowᴇʀ ɪɴ ʏoᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ Mʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴘʀocʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀoᴜɢʜoᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ wʜoʟᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ.”
18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”
20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
25 As He says also in Hosea,
“I wɪʟʟ cᴀʟʟ ᴛʜosᴇ wʜo wᴇʀᴇ ɴoᴛ Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ, ‘Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ,’
Aɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ wʜo wᴀs ɴoᴛ ʙᴇʟovᴇᴅ, ‘ʙᴇʟovᴇᴅ.’ ”
26 “Aɴᴅ ɪᴛ sʜᴀʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀcᴇ wʜᴇʀᴇ ɪᴛ wᴀs sᴀɪᴅ ᴛo ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ‘ʏoᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴoᴛ Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ,’
Tʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ sʜᴀʟʟ ʙᴇ cᴀʟʟᴇᴅ soɴs oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪvɪɴɢ Goᴅ.”
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Tʜoᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ soɴs oꜰ Isʀᴀᴇʟ ʙᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀɴᴅ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ, ɪᴛ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴍɴᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ wɪʟʟ ʙᴇ sᴀvᴇᴅ;
28 ꜰoʀ ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ wɪʟʟ ᴇxᴇcᴜᴛᴇ Hɪs woʀᴅ oɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ, ᴛʜoʀoᴜɢʜʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ qᴜɪcᴋʟʏ.”
29 And just as Isaiah foretold,
“Uɴʟᴇss ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ oꜰ Sᴀʙᴀoᴛʜ ʜᴀᴅ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴛo ᴜs ᴀ ᴘosᴛᴇʀɪᴛʏ,
Wᴇ woᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀvᴇ ʙᴇcoᴍᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ Soᴅoᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ woᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀvᴇ ʀᴇsᴇᴍʙʟᴇᴅ Goᴍoʀʀᴀʜ.”
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;
31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33 just as it is written,
“Bᴇʜoʟᴅ, I ʟᴀʏ ɪɴ Zɪoɴ ᴀ sᴛoɴᴇ oꜰ sᴛᴜᴍʙʟɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʀocᴋ oꜰ oꜰꜰᴇɴsᴇ,
Aɴᴅ ʜᴇ wʜo ʙᴇʟɪᴇvᴇs ɪɴ Hɪᴍ wɪʟʟ ɴoᴛ ʙᴇ ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘoɪɴᴛᴇᴅ.”