New American Standard Bible ROMANS 9

Solicitude for Israel

1 AI 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 AI could 1wish that I myself were Baccursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen Caccording to the flesh, 4 who are AIsraelites, to whom belongs Bthe adoption as sons, and Cthe glory and Dthe covenants and Ethe giving of the Law and Fthe temple service and Gthe promises, 5 whose are Athe fathers, and Bfrom whom is 1the Christ according to the flesh, Cwho is over all, DGod Eblessed 2forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though Athe word of God has failed. BFor they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children Abecause they are Abraham’s 1descendants, but: “2 Bᴛʜʀoᴜɢʜ Isᴀᴀc ʏoᴜʀ 1ᴅᴇscᴇɴᴅᴀɴᴛs wɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are Achildren of God, but the Bchildren of the promise are regarded as 1descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “AAᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ I wɪʟʟ coᴍᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ Sᴀʀᴀʜ sʜᴀʟʟ ʜᴀvᴇ ᴀ soɴ.” 10 AAnd not only this, but there was BRebekah 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 AGod’s purpose according to His choice would 1stand, not 2because of works but 2because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “ATʜᴇ oʟᴅᴇʀ wɪʟʟ sᴇʀvᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʏoᴜɴɢᴇʀ.” 13 Just as it is written, “AJᴀcoʙ I ʟovᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ Esᴀᴜ I ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ.”

14 AWhat shall we say then? BThere is no injustice with God, is there? CMay it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “AI 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 Aruns, but on BGod who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “AFoʀ ᴛʜɪs vᴇʀʏ ᴘᴜʀᴘosᴇ I ʀᴀɪsᴇᴅ ʏoᴜ ᴜᴘ, ᴛo ᴅᴇᴍoɴsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇ Mʏ ᴘowᴇʀ ɪɴ ʏoᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ Mʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴘʀocʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ 1ᴛʜʀoᴜɢʜoᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ wʜoʟᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He Ahardens whom He desires.

19 AYou will say to me then, “BWhy does He still find fault? For Cwho resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, AO man, who Banswers back to God? CThe 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 1for honorable use and another 2for common use? 22 1What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much Apatience vessels of wrath Bprepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known Athe riches of His glory upon Bvessels of mercy, which He Cprepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also Acalled, Bnot from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 As He says also in Hosea,

“AI wɪʟʟ cᴀʟʟ ᴛʜosᴇ wʜo wᴇʀᴇ ɴoᴛ Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ, ‘Mʏ ᴘᴇoᴘʟᴇ,’

Aɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ wʜo wᴀs ɴoᴛ ʙᴇʟovᴇᴅ, ‘ʙᴇʟovᴇᴅ.’ ”

26 “AAɴᴅ 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 Bᴛʜᴇ ʟɪvɪɴɢ Goᴅ.”

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “ATʜoᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ soɴs oꜰ Isʀᴀᴇʟ ʙᴇ Bʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀɴᴅ oꜰ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ, ɪᴛ ɪs Cᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴍɴᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ wɪʟʟ ʙᴇ sᴀvᴇᴅ; 28 Aꜰoʀ ᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ wɪʟʟ ᴇxᴇcᴜᴛᴇ Hɪs woʀᴅ oɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ, 1ᴛʜoʀoᴜɢʜʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ 2qᴜɪcᴋʟʏ.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold,

“AUɴʟᴇss Bᴛʜᴇ Loʀᴅ oꜰ 1Sᴀʙᴀoᴛʜ ʜᴀᴅ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴛo ᴜs ᴀ 2ᴘosᴛᴇʀɪᴛʏ,

CWᴇ woᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀvᴇ ʙᴇcoᴍᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ Soᴅoᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ woᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀvᴇ 3ʀᴇsᴇᴍʙʟᴇᴅ Goᴍoʀʀᴀʜ.”

30 AWhat shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even Bthe righteousness which is 1by faith; 31 but Israel, Apursuing a law of righteousness, did not Barrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it 1by faith, but as though it were 1by works. They stumbled over Athe stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written,