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

Digo la verdad en Cristo, no miento, dándome testimonio mi conciencia en el Espíritu Santo,

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

de que tengo gran tristeza y continuo dolor en mi corazón.

3 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.

Porque desearía yo mismo ser anatema (maldito), separado de Cristo por amor a mis hermanos, mis parientes (los de mi raza) según la carne.

4 T hey 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.

Porque son Israelitas, a quienes pertenece la adopción como hijos, y la gloria, los pactos, la promulgación de la ley, el culto y las promesas,

5 T he 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.

de quienes son los patriarcas, y de quienes, según la carne, procede el Cristo (el Mesías), el cual está sobre todas las cosas, Dios bendito por los siglos. Amén.

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

Pero no es que la palabra de Dios haya fallado. Porque no todos los descendientes de Israel son Israel;

7 N ot all of Abraham’s family are children of God. God told Abraham, “Only the family of Isaac will be called your family.”

ni son todos hijos por ser descendientes de Abraham, sino que “por Isaac sera llamada tu descendencia.”

8 T his 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.

Esto es, no son los hijos de la carne los que son hijos de Dios, sino que los hijos de la promesa son considerados como descendientes.

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

Porque la palabra de promesa es ésta: “ Por este tiempo volvere, y Sara tendra un hijo.”

10 N ot only this, but there was Rebecca also. Rebecca gave birth to two sons at the same time. Both of them were sons of Isaac.

Y no sólo esto, sino que también Rebeca concibió mellizos de uno, nuestro padre Isaac.

11 E ven 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.

Porque cuando aún los mellizos no habían nacido, y no habían hecho nada, ni bueno ni malo, para que el propósito de Dios conforme a Su elección permaneciera, no por las obras, sino por Aquél que llama,

12 R ebecca was told, “The older son will work for the younger son.”

se le dijo a Rebeca: “ El mayor servira al menor.”

13 T he Holy Writings say, “I loved Jacob, but hated Esau.”

Tal como está escrito: “A Jacob ame, pero a Esau aborreci.” Dios no es Injusto

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

¿Qué diremos entonces ? ¿Que hay injusticia en Dios ? ¡De ningún modo!

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

Porque El dice a Moisés: “ Tendre misericordia del que Yo tenga misericordia, y tendre compasion del que Yo tenga compasion.”

16 T hese 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.

Así que no depende del que quiere ni del que corre, sino de Dios que tiene misericordia.

17 T he 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.”

Porque la Escritura dice a Faraón: “ Para esto mismo te he levantado, para demostrar Mi poder en ti, y para que Mi nombre sea proclamado por toda la tierra.”

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

Así que Dios tiene misericordia, del que quiere y al que quiere endurece.

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

Me dirás entonces: “¿Por qué, pues, todavía reprocha Dios ? Porque ¿quién resiste a Su voluntad ?”

20 W ho 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?”

Al contrario, ¿quién eres tú, oh hombre, que le contestas a Dios ? ¿Dirá acaso el objeto modelado al que lo modela: “Por qué me hiciste así ?”

21 T he 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.

¿O no tiene el alfarero derecho sobre el barro de hacer de la misma masa un vaso para uso honorable y otro para uso ordinario?

22 I t 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.

¿Y qué, si Dios, aunque dispuesto a demostrar Su ira y hacer notorio Su poder, soportó con mucha paciencia a los vasos de ira preparados para destrucción ?

23 G od 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.

Lo hizo para dar a conocer las riquezas de Su gloria sobre los vasos de misericordia, que de antemano El preparó para gloria,

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

es decir, nosotros, a quienes también llamó, no sólo de entre los Judíos, sino también de entre los Gentiles.

25 I n 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.’”

Como también dice en Oseas: “A los que no eran Mi pueblo, llamare: ‘pueblo Mio,’ y a la que no era amada: ‘amada Mia.’

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

Y sucedera que en el lugar donde se les dijo: ‘Ustedes no son Mi pueblo,’ alli seran llamados hijos del Dios viviente.”

27 I saiah 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.

Isaías también exclama en cuanto a Israel: “ Aunque el numero de los hijos de Israel sea como la arena del mar, sólo el remanente sera salvo;

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

porque el Señor ejecutara Su palabra sobre la tierra cabalmente y con brevedad.”

29 I saiah 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.”

Y como Isaías predijo: “ Si el Señor de los ejercitos no nos hubiera dejado descendencia, hubieramos llegado a ser como Sodoma, y hechos semejantes a Gomorra.” Razón del Tropiezo de Israel

30 W hat 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.

¿Qué diremos entonces ? Que los Gentiles, que no iban tras la justicia, alcanzaron justicia, es decir, la justicia que es por fe;

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

pero Israel, que iba tras una ley de justicia, no alcanzó esa ley.

32 W hy? 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).

¿Por qué? Porque no iban tras ella por fe, sino como por obras. Tropezaron en la piedra de tropiezo,

33 T he 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.”

tal como está escrito: “ He aqui, pongo en Sion una piedra de tropiezo y roca de escandalo; y el que crea en El no sera avergonzado.”