1 I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit,

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

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

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

3 F or I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh,

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 w ho are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises;

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 o f whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

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 B ut it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel.

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

7 N either, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from 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 T hat is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs.

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

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

10 N ot only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father 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 F or being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,

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

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

13 E ven as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

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

14 W hat shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be!

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

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

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

16 S o then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.

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 F or the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

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

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

19 Y ou will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?”

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

20 B ut indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”

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 r hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?

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 W hat if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction,

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 a nd that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,

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 u s, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the 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 A s he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.”

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 “ It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ There they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

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

27 I saiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;

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 f or He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.”

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 A s Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.”

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 W hat shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;

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 b ut Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness.

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

32 W hy? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;

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 e ven as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”

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.”