1 H e pono taku korero i roto i a te karaiti, kahore aku teka, a e whakaae ana toku hinengaro ki ahau i roto i te Wairua Tapu,

I am telling the truth because I belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit tells my heart that I am not lying.

2 H e nui atu toku pouri, mau tonu te mamae o toku ngakau.

I have much sorrow. The pain in my heart never leaves.

3 H e pai hoki ki ahau me i kanga ahau, me i motuhia i a te Karaiti, he whakaaro ki oku teina, ara ki oku whanaunga o te wahi ki te kikokiko:

I could even wish that I might be kept from being with Christ if that would help my people to be saved from the punishment of sin. They are of my own flesh and blood.

4 N o Iharaira nei ratou; no ratou nei te whakatamarikitanga, te kororia, nga kawenata, te homaitanga o te ture, te karakia ki te Atua, me nga kupu whakaari;

They are Jews and are the people God chose for Himself. He shared His shining-greatness with them and gave them His Law and a way to worship. They have His promises.

5 N o ratou nei nga matua, no ratou ano a te Karaiti i te wahi ki te kikokiko, ko ia nei kei runga ake i nga mea katoa, ko te Atua e whakapaingia ana ake ake. Amine.

The early preachers came from this family. Christ Himself was born of flesh from this family and He is over all things. May God be honored and thanked forever. Let it be so.

6 E hara ia i te mea kua taka te kupu a te Atua. Ko te hunga hoki o Iharaira, ehara i te mea no Iharaira katoa:

I am not saying that God did not keep His promises. Not all the Jews are people God chose for Himself.

7 A hakoa he uri no Aperahama, ehara ratou katoa i te tamariki: engari, Kei a Ihaka te whakaingoatanga mo ou uri.

Not all of Abraham’s family are children of God. God told Abraham, “Only the family of Isaac will be called your family.”

8 A ra, ehara i te mea ko nga tamariki a te kikokiko nga tamariki a te Atua, engari ko nga tamariki a te kupu whakaari, ko ratou ka kiia he uri.

This means that children born to Abraham are not all children of God. Only those that are born because of God’s promise to Abraham are His children.

9 H e kupu whakaari hoki tenei, Kia taka tenei wa ka haere mai ahau, a ka whanau he tama ma Hera.

This was the promise God made: “About this time next year I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”

10 N a ehara i te mea ko tenei anake; i a Ripeka ano ia kua hapu i tetahi, ara i a Ihaka, i to matou matua;

Not only this, but there was Rebecca also. Rebecca gave birth to two sons at the same time. Both of them were sons of Isaac.

11 I nga tama hoki kahore ano i whanau noa, kahore ano hoki i mahi i te pai, i te kino ranei, he mea kia u ai ta te Atua i whakatakoto ai mo te whiriwhiringa, ehara i nga mahi, engari na te kaikaranga;

Even before the two sons were born, we see God’s plan of choosing. God could choose whom He wanted. It could not be changed because of anything the older son tried to do about it. It was before either one had done anything good or bad.

12 K a korerotia ki a ia, Ko te tuakana hei pononga ma te teina:

Rebecca was told, “The older son will work for the younger son.”

13 K o te mea ia i tuhituhia, Kua aroha ahau ki a Hakopa, kua kino ki a Ehau.

The Holy Writings say, “I loved Jacob, but hated Esau.”

14 K a pehea ai i kona ta tatou korero? He tikanga he koia kei te Atua? Kahore rapea.

What about it then? Can we say that God is not fair? No, not at all!

15 I mea hoki ia ki a Mohi, E tohu ahau i taku e tohu ai, e atawhai ahau ki taku e atawhai ai.

God said to Moses, “I will have loving-kindness and loving-pity for anyone I want to.”

16 N o reira, ehara i te mea na te hiahia o te tangata, na te oma ranei o te tangata, engari na te Atua, ko ia e tohu nei.

These good things from God are not given to someone because he wants them or works to get them. They are given because of His loving-kindness.

17 E mea nei hoki te karaipiture ki a Parao, Mo konei pu ano koe i whakaarahia ai e ahau, kia ai koe hei whakakite i toku kaha, kia korerotia hoki toku ingoa ki te whenua katoa.

The Holy Writings say to Pharaoh, “I made you leader for this reason: I used you to show My power. I used you to make My name known over all the world.”

18 N a kona, e tohungia ana e ia, ko tana e pai ai, ko tana hoki e pai ai e whakapakeketia ana e ia.

So God has loving-kindness for those He wants to. He makes some have hard hearts if He wants to.

19 N a, tera koe e mea mai ki ahau, he aha ia i riri tonu ai? ko wai hoki e whakakeke ana ki tana i pai ai?

But you will ask me, “Why does God blame men for what they do? Who can go against what God wants?”

20 H a, e te tangata nei, ko wai koe hei whakahoki kupu ki te Atua? Ma te mea hanga koia e mea ki tona kaihanga, He aha ahau i hanga ai e koe kia penei?

Who are you to talk back to God? A pot being made from clay does not talk to the man making it and say, “Why did you make me like this?”

21 H e teka ianei kei te kaihanga riri te tikanga mo te paru, kia hanga tetahi wahi o taua mea kotahi i pokepokea hei oko rangatira, tetahi wahi hei mea ware?

The man making the pots has the right to use the clay as he wants to. He can make two pots from the same piece of clay. One can have an important use. The other one can be of little use.

22 H e aha hoki, mehemea, i tona whakaaro kia whakakitea tona riri, a kia whakaputaina tona kaha, ka whakaririka te Atua i runga i te manawanui ki nga oko o te riri, e rite rawa nei mo te whakangaro?

It may be that God wants to show His power and His anger against sin. He waits a long time on some men who are ready to be destroyed.

23 K ia whakakitea ano hoki e ia nga rawa o tona kororia ki nga oko o te mahi tohu, kua rite noa ake nei i a ia mo te kororia,

God also wanted to show His shining-greatness to those He has given His loving-kindness. He made them ready for His shining-greatness from the beginning.

24 A ra ki a tatou, i karangatia e ia, ehara i te mea no nga Hurai anake, engari no nga tauiwi ano hoki?

We are the ones He chose. He did not only choose Jews. He also chose some from among the people who are not Jews.

25 K o tana kupu ano tena i ta Hohea, Ka kiia e ahau tera ko toku iwi, ehara nei i te iwi noku; a he wahine e arohaina ana te wahine kihai i arohaina.

In the Book of Hosea He says, “Those who are not My people, I will call, ‘My people.’ Those who are not loved, I will call, ‘My loved ones.’”

26 A tenei ake, i te wahi i korerotia ai ki a ratou, Ehara koutou i te iwi noku; ko reira ratou kiia ai he tama na te Atua ora.

“And where it said, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called sons of the living God.”

27 K o ta Ihaia karanga hoki mo Iharaira, Ahakoa i rite te tokomaha o nga tama a Iharaira ki te onepu o te moana, ko te toenga kau e ora:

Isaiah says this about the Jews, “Even if there are as many Jews as the sand by the sea, only a few of them will be saved from the punishment of sin.

28 M a te Ariki hoki e whakatutuki tana kupu ki runga i te whenua, mana e whakaoti, mana e poro tata.

For the Lord will do on earth what He says in His Word. He will work fast when He says what will happen here.”

29 A , e ki ra a Ihaia i mua ra, Me kahore te toe i te Atua o nga mano he whanau mo tatou, kua pera tatou me Horoma, kua rite ano hoki ki Komora.

Isaiah said also, “If God had not left some of the Jews, we would have all been destroyed like the people who lived in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

30 N a, kia pehea ta tatou korero? Ko nga tauiwi, kihai nei i whai i te tika, kua tae ratou ki te tika, ara ki te tika, na te whakapono.

What are we to say about these things? The people who are not Jews were not made right with God by the Law. They were made right with God because they put their trust in Him.

31 K o Iharaira ia, whai ana i tetahi ture o te tika, kihai ratou i tae ki taua ture.

The Jews tried to be right with God by obeying the Law, but they did not become right with God.

32 N a te aha? Na te mea kihai ratou i whai i runga i te whakapono, engari ano na runga i nga mahi. I tutuki hoki o ratou waewae ki te kamaka tutukitanga;

Why? Because they did not put their trust in God. They tried to be right with God by working for it. They tripped over the most important Stone (Christ).

33 K o te mea hoki ia i tuhituhia, nana, ka whakatakotoria e ahau ki Hiona he kamaka tutukitanga, he kohatu whakahinga: na, ko te tangata e whakapono ana ki a ia, e kore e meinga kia whakama.

The Holy Writings say, “See! I put in Jerusalem a Stone that people will trip over. It is a Rock that will make them fall. But the person who puts his trust in the Rock (Christ) will not be put to shame.”