1 D igo la verdad en Cristo, no miento. Mi conciencia me da testimonio 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 t engo una gran tristeza y un continuo dolor en mi corazón.

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

3 P orque desearía ser yo mismo maldecido y separado de Cristo, por amor a mis hermanos, por los de mi propia raza,

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 ellos son la adopción, la gloria, el pacto, la promulgación de la ley, 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 D e ellos son los patriarcas, y de ellos, desde el punto de vista humano, vino Cristo, el cual es Dios sobre todas las cosas. ¡Bendito sea por siempre! 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 A hora bien, no estoy diciendo que la palabra de Dios haya fallado, porque no todos los que descienden 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 todos los descendientes de Abrahán son verdaderamente sus hijos, pues dice: «Tu descendencia vendrá por medio de Isaac.»

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

8 E sto significa que los hijos de Dios no son los descendientes naturales, sino aquellos que son considerados descendientes según la promesa.

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 L a promesa dice así: «Por este tiempo vendré, y Sara tendrá 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. También sucedió cuando Rebeca concibió de un solo hombre, de nuestro antepasado Isaac,

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 a unque sus hijos todavía no habían nacido ni habían hecho algo bueno o malo; y para confirmar que el propósito de Dios no está basado en las obras sino en el que llama,

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 s e le dijo: «El mayor servirá al menor.»

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

13 C omo está escrito: «A Jacob amé, pero a Esaú aborrecí.»

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

14 E ntonces, ¿qué diremos? ¿Que Dios es injusto? ¡De ninguna manera!

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

15 P orque Dios dijo a Moisés: «Tendré misericordia del que yo quiera, y me compadeceré del que yo quiera.»

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

16 A sí pues, no depende de que el hombre quiera o se esfuerce, sino de que Dios tenga 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 le dice a Faraón: «Te he levantado precisamente para mostrar en ti mi poder, y para 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 Dios tiene misericordia de quien él quiere tenerla y endurece a quien él quiere endurecer.

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

19 E ntonces me dirás: ¿Por qué Dios todavía nos echa la culpa? ¿Quién puede oponerse a su voluntad?

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

20 P ero tú, hombre, ¿quién eres para discutir con Dios? ¿Acaso el vaso de barro le dirá al que lo formó por qué lo hizo así?

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 ¿ Qué, no tiene derecho el alfarero de hacer del mismo barro un vaso para honra y otro para deshonra?

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 su ira y dar a conocer su poder, soportó con mucha paciencia los vasos de ira que estaban preparados para destrucción?

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 qué si, para dar a conocer las riquezas de su gloria, se las mostró a los vasos de misericordia que él de antemano preparó para esa 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 E sos somos nosotros, a quienes Dios llamó, no sólo de entre los judíos, sino también de entre los no judíos.

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 se dice en Oseas: «Llamaré “pueblo mío” al que no era mi pueblo, Y llamaré “amada mía” a la que no era mi 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 en el lugar donde se les dijo: “Ustedes no son mi pueblo”, 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, en referencia a Israel: «Aunque los descendientes de Israel sean tan numerosos como la arena del mar, tan sólo el remanente será salvo;

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 el Señor ejecutará su sentencia sobre la tierra con justicia y prontitud.»

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 descendencia, Ya seríamos como Sodoma, y nos pareceríamos a Gomorra.» La justicia que es por fe

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 E ntonces, ¿qué diremos? Que los no judíos, que no buscaban la justicia, la han alcanzado; es decir, la justicia que viene por medio de 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 P ero Israel, que buscaba una ley de justicia, no la alcanzó.

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

32 ¿ Por qué? Porque no la buscaba a partir de la fe, sino a partir de las obras de la ley; y 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: «Yo pongo en Sión una piedra de tropiezo y una roca de caída; pero el que crea en él, 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.”