God’s Chosen People, Israel

1I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3For I could [†]wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4who 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, 5whose are the fathers, and from whom is the [†]Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed [†]forever. Amen.

6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s seed, but: “[†]THROUGH ISAAC YOUR SEED WILL BE NAMED.” 8That is, the children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are considered as seed. 9For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” 10And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that the purpose of God according to His choice would [†]stand, not [†]because of works but [†]because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, “THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” 13Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

14What shall we say then? Is there any unrighteousness with God? May it never 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.” 16So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND IN ORDER THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED [†]THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? WILL THE THING MOLDED SAY TO THE MOLDER, “WHY DID YOU MAKE ME LIKE THIS”? 21Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel [†]for honorable use and another [†]for dishonorable use? 22And [†]what if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath having been prepared for destruction, 23and in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory— 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles? 25As He says also in Hosea,

“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’

AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”

26“AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’

THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”

27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; 28FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE LAND, [†]THOROUGHLY AND [†]QUICKLY.” 29And just as Isaiah foretold,

“UNLESS THE LORD OF [†]SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A SEED,

WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE [†]RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.”

30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, even the righteousness which is [†]by faith; 31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it [†]by faith, but as though it were [†]by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33just as it is written,

“BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,

AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”