Romans 9

Modern

Literal

Paul’s Concern for the Jews

¹I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.

¹I speak truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience is testifying with me in the Holy Spirit

²I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

²that sorrow to me is great, and unceasing pain is in my heart.

³For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood,

³For I could wish myself to be accursed, apart from Christ for my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh,

⁴the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.

⁴who are Israelites, whose is the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the lawgiving and the service and the promises,

⁵Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise!^a Amen.

⁵whose are the fathers, and from whom is Christ according to the flesh, being God over all, blessed to the ages! Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

⁶It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel, are these Israel.

⁷Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”^a

⁷Nor because they are seed of Abraham are all children. Rather, “In Isaac a seed will be called to you.”

⁸So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

⁸That is, the children of the flesh, these are not children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for seed.

⁹For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”^a

⁹For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and to Sarah there will be a son.”

¹⁰Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.

¹⁰And not only so, but also Rebecca, having conception by one, Isaac our father—

¹¹Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand,

¹¹for they not yet having been born nor having done anything good or evil, so that the purpose of God according to election might stand—

¹²not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”^a

¹²not of works but of the One calling, it was said to her, “The greater will serve the lesser.”

¹³So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^a

¹³As it has been written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not!

¹⁴What then will we say? Is there injustice with God? Never may it be!

¹⁵For He says to Moses:

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,

and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”^a

¹⁵For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I may have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I may have compassion.”

¹⁶So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

¹⁶So then, it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of God having mercy.

¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”^a

¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “For this very thing I raised you up, so that I might display My power in you, and that My name should be declared in all the earth.”

¹⁸Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

¹⁸So then, He has mercy on whom He wants, and He hardens whom He wants.

¹⁹One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?”

¹⁹You will say, then, to me, “Why then does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”

²⁰But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”^a

²⁰But rather, O man, who are you answering against God? Will the thing formed say to the One having formed it, “Why did you make me thus?”

²¹Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

²¹Or does the potter not have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump the one vessel indeed for honor, but the one for dishonor?

²²What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

²²And what if God, desiring to display the wrath and to make known His power, bore with much patience vessels of wrath, having been fitted for destruction,

²³What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—

²³so that He might also make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,

²⁴including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?

²⁴even us, whom He called not only out from Jews, but also out from Gentiles?

²⁵As He says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people,

and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,”^a

²⁵As He also says in Hosea: “I will call that which is not My people ‘My People,’ and her not beloved ‘Beloved,’”

²⁶and,

“It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,

‘You are not My people,’

they will be called

‘sons of the living God.’”^a

²⁶and, “It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.””

²⁷Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea,

only the remnant will be saved.

²⁷And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel may be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.

²⁸For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth

thoroughly and decisively.”^a

²⁸For the Lord will execute His word, finishing and accomplishing swiftly upon the earth.”

²⁹It is just as Isaiah foretold:

“Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants,

we would have become like Sodom,

we would have resembled Gomorrah.”^a

²⁹And, as Isaiah forewarned: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Israel’s Unbelief

³⁰What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

³⁰What then will we say? That the Gentiles, not pursuing righteousness, obtained righteousness—and righteousness that is by faith;

³¹but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

³¹but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to that law.

³²Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

³²Why? Because it was not by faith, but as by works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling,

³³as it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense;^a

and the one who believes in Him

will never be put to shame.”^b

³³as it has been written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one believing on Him will not be put to shame.”