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

¶ I say the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,

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

that I have great sorrow and continual pain 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 myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren, those who are my kinsmen according to the flesh,

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,

who are Israelites, to whom pertains the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises,

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

whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh is the Christ, who is God over all things, blessed for all the ages. Amen.

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;

¶ Not as though the word of God has been deficient. For not all the descendants of Israel are Israelites;

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

neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are all sons, but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

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, Those who are sons of the flesh, these are not the sons of God; but those who are sons of the promise are counted in the generation.

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

For the word of the promise is this, At this time I will come, and Sara 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 this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father 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,

(for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand: not of works, but of him that calls),

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

it was said unto her, The elder shall 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.

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

¶ What shall we say then? Is there injustice in God? No, in no wise.

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 saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion 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 it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that has 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 saith of Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

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

Therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he hardens whom he will.

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

Thou wilt say then unto me, Why does he become angry? For who shall resist 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?

Rather, O man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou 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 not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?

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, desiring to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much meekness the vessels of wrath, prepared for death,

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 making known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared unto glory?

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

Even us, whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles!

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.’”

¶ As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, who were not my people, and her beloved, who was not 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 come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they 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;

Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant shall be saved;

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

when the consumption comes to an end, righteousness shall overflow, because a short sentence will the Lord execute upon the earth.

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.”

And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of the hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrha.

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 the Gentiles, who did not follow after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, that is to say, the righteousness which is by faith,

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

and Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

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

Why? Because they followed it not by faith but, as it were, by the works (of the law); therefore, they stumbled on the stumblingstone;

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 lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock that will cause some to fall, and whosoever believes in him shall not be ashamed.