1 V ERDAD digo en Cristo, no miento, dándome testimonio mi conciencia en el Espíritu Santo,

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

2 Q ue tengo gran tristeza y continuo dolor en mi corazón.

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

3 P orque deseara yo mismo ser apartado de Cristo por mis hermanos, los que son mis parientes según la carne;

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 Q ue son israelitas, de los cuales es la adopción, y la gloria, y el pacto, y la data de la ley, y el culto, y las promesas;

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 C uyos son los padres, y de los cuales es Cristo según la carne, el cual es Dios sobre todas las cosas, bendito por los siglos. Amén.

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 N o empero que la palabra de Dios haya faltado: porque no todos los que son de Israel son Israelitas;

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

7 N i por ser simiente de Abraham, son todos hijos; mas: En Isaac te será llamada simiente.

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

8 Q uiere decir: No los que son hijos de la carne, éstos son los hijos de Dios; mas los que son hijos de la promesa, son contados en la generación.

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 P orque la palabra de la promesa es esta: Como en este tiempo vendré, y tendrá Sara un hijo.

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

10 Y no sólo esto; mas también Rebeca concibiendo de uno, de Isaac nuestro padre,

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 ( Porque no siendo aún nacidos, ni habiendo hecho aún ni bien ni mal, para que el propósito de Dios conforme á la elección, no por las obras sino por el que llama, permaneciese;)

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 L e fué dicho que el mayor serviría al menor.

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

13 C omo está escrito: A Jacob amé, mas á Esaú aborrecí.

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

14 ¿ Pues qué diremos? ¿Que hay injusticia en Dios? En ninguna manera.

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

15 M as á Moisés dice: Tendré misericordia del que tendré misericordia, y me compadeceré del que me compadeceré.

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

16 A sí que no es del que quiere, ni del que corre, sino de Dios que tiene misericordia.

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 P orque la Escritura dice de Faraón: Que para esto mismo te he levantado, para mostrar en ti mi potencia, y que mi nombre sea anunciado por toda la tierra.

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 D e manera que del que quiere tiene misericordia; y al que quiere, endurece.

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

19 M e dirás pues: ¿Por qué, pues, se enoja? porque ¿quién resistirá á su voluntad?

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

20 M as antes, oh hombre, ¿quién eres tú, para que alterques con Dios? Dirá el vaso de barro al que le labró: ¿Por qué me has hecho tal?

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 ¿ O no tiene potestad el alfarero para hacer de la misma masa un vaso para honra, y otro para vergüenza?

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 ¿ Y qué, si Dios, queriendo mostrar la ira y hacer notoria su potencia, soportó con mucha mansedumbre los vasos de ira preparados para muerte,

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 Y para hacer notorias las riquezas de su gloria, mostrólas para con los vasos de misericordia que él ha preparado para gloria;

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 L os cuales también ha llamado, es á saber, á nosotros, no sólo de los Judíos, mas también de los Gentiles?

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 C omo también en Oseas dice: Llamaré al que no era mi pueblo, pueblo mío; Y á la no amada, amada.

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 Y será, que en el lugar donde les fué dicho: Vosotros no sois pueblo mío: Allí serán llamados hijos del Dios viviente.

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

27 T ambién Isaías clama tocante á Israel: Si fuere el número de los hijos de Israel como la arena de la mar, las reliquias serán salvas:

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 P orque palabra consumadora y abreviadora en justicia, porque palabra abreviada, hará el Señor sobre la tierra.

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 Y como antes dijo Isaías: Si el Señor de los ejércitos no nos hubiera dejado simiente, Como Sodoma habríamos venido á ser, y á Gomorra fuéramos semejantes.

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 ¿ Pues qué diremos? Que los Gentiles que no seguían justicia, han alcanzado la justicia, es á saber, la justicia que es por la fe;

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 M as Israel que seguía la ley de justicia, no ha llegado á la ley de justicia.

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

32 ¿ Por qué? Porque la seguían no por fe, mas como por las obras de la ley: por lo cual tropezaron en la piedra de tropiezo,

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 C omo está escrito: He aquí pongo en Sión piedra de tropiezo, y piedra de caída; Y aquel que creyere en ella, no será avergonzado.

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.”