1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,

I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me

2 t hat I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.

That I have bitter grief and incessant anguish in my heart.

3 F or I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off and banished from Christ for the sake of my brethren and instead of them, my natural kinsmen and my fellow countrymen.

4 w ho 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,

For they are Israelites, and to them belong God’s adoption and the glorious Presence (Shekinah). With them were the special covenants made, to them was the Law given. To them worship was revealed and promises announced.

5 w hose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

To them belong the patriarchs, and as far as His natural descent was concerned, from them is the Christ, Who is exalted and supreme over all, God, blessed forever! Amen (so let it be).

6 B ut it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

However, it is not as though God’s Word had failed. For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to Israel.

7 n or are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “ through Isaac your descendants will be named.”

And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac.

8 T hat is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

That is to say, it is not the children of the body who are made God’s children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted descendants.

9 F or this is the word of promise: “ At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”

For this is what the promise said, About this time will I return and Sarah shall have a son.

10 A nd not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;

And not only that, but this too: Rebecca conceived by our forefather Isaac,

11 f or 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,

And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God’s purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls,

12 i t was said to her, “ The older will serve the younger.”

It was said to her that the elder should serve the younger.

13 J ust as it is written, “ Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob).

14 W hat shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

What shall we conclude then? Is there injustice upon God’s part? Certainly not!

15 F or He says to Moses, “ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion.

16 S o then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

So then is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God’s mercy.

17 F or the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “ For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in you, so that My name may be proclaimed the whole world over.

18 S o then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills.

19 Y ou will say to me then, “ Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”

You will say to me, Why then does He still find fault and blame us ? For who can resist and withstand His will?

20 O n 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?

But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?

21 O r 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?

Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?

22 W hat if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

What if God, although fully intending to show His wrath and to make known His power and authority, has tolerated with much patience the vessels (objects) of anger which are ripe for destruction?

23 A nd He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,

And He thus purposes to make known and show the wealth of His glory in the vessels (objects) of His mercy which He has prepared beforehand for glory,

24 e ven us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

Even including ourselves whom He has called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles (heathen)?

25 A s He says also in Hosea, “ I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”

Just as He says in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved My 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.”

And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the living God.

27 I saiah 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;

And Isaiah calls out (solemnly cries aloud) over Israel: Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant (a small part of them) will be saved '> from perdition, condemnation, judgment]!

28 f or the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.”

For the Lord will execute His sentence upon the earth, rigorously cutting it short in His justice.

29 A nd just as Isaiah foretold, “ Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”

It is as Isaiah predicted, If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have fared like Sodom and have been made like Gomorrah.

30 W hat shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;

What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not follow after righteousness have attained it by faith,

31 b ut Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

Whereas Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law of righteousness (right standing with God), actually did not succeed in fulfilling the Law.

32 W hy? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

For what reason? Because not through faith, relying on the merit of their works. They have stumbled over the Stumbling Stone.

33 j ust as it is written, “ Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations.