Romanos 9
La Biblia de las Américas
La elección de Israel
9 Digo la verdad en Cristo, no miento, dándome testimonio mi conciencia(A) en el Espíritu Santo, 2 de que tengo gran tristeza y continuo dolor en mi corazón. 3 Porque desearía[a] yo mismo ser anatema[b](B), separado de Cristo(C) por amor a mis hermanos, mis parientes[c] según la carne(D), 4 que son israelitas(E), a quienes pertenece la adopción como hijos(F), y la gloria(G), los pactos(H), la promulgación de la ley(I), el culto(J) y las promesas(K), 5 de quienes son los patriarcas(L), y de quienes, según la carne, procede el Cristo[d](M), el cual está sobre todas las cosas(N), Dios(O) bendito por los siglos(P). Amén.
6 Pero no es que la palabra de Dios haya fallado(Q). Porque no todos los descendientes de Israel son Israel(R); 7 ni son todos hijos por ser descendientes[e] de Abraham(S), sino que por Isaac será llamada tu descendencia[f](T). 8 Esto es, no son los hijos de la carne los que son hijos de Dios(U), sino que los hijos de la promesa son considerados como descendientes[g](V). 9 Porque esta es una palabra de promesa: Por este tiempo volveré, y Sara tendrá un hijo(W). 10 Y no solo esto(X), sino que también Rebeca, cuando concibió mellizos de uno, nuestro padre Isaac(Y) 11 (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 aquel que llama(Z)), 12 se le dijo a ella: El mayor servirá al menor(AA). 13 Tal como está escrito: A Jacob amé, pero a Esaú aborrecí(AB).
Dios no es injusto
14 ¿Qué diremos entonces(AC)? ¿Que hay injusticia en Dios(AD)? ¡De ningún modo(AE)! 15 Porque Él dice a Moisés: Tendré misericordia del que yo tenga misericordia, y tendré compasión del que yo tenga compasión(AF). 16 Así que no depende del que quiere ni del que corre(AG), sino de Dios que tiene misericordia(AH). 17 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[h] toda la tierra(AI). 18 Así que del que quiere tiene misericordia, y al que quiere endurece(AJ).
19 Me dirás entonces(AK): ¿Por qué, pues, todavía reprocha[i] Dios(AL)? Porque ¿quién resiste a su voluntad(AM)? 20 Al contrario, ¿quién eres tú, oh hombre, que le contestas a Dios(AN)? ¿Dirá acaso el objeto modelado al que lo modela: Por qué me hiciste así(AO)? 21 ¿O no tiene el alfarero derecho sobre el barro de hacer de la misma masa un vaso para uso honorable[j] y otro para uso ordinario[k]? 22 ¿Y qué, si Dios, aunque dispuesto a demostrar su ira y hacer notorio su poder, soportó con mucha paciencia(AP) a los vasos de ira preparados para destrucción(AQ)? 23 Lo hizo para dar a conocer las riquezas de su gloria(AR) sobre los vasos de misericordia(AS), que de antemano Él preparó para gloria(AT), 24 es decir, nosotros, a quienes también llamó(AU), no solo de entre los judíos, sino también de entre los gentiles(AV). 25 Como también dice en Oseas:
A los que no eran mi pueblo, llamaré: «pueblo mío»,
y a la que no era amada: «amada mía(AW)».
26 Y acontecerá que en el lugar donde les fue dicho: «Vosotros no sois mi pueblo»,
allí serán llamados hijos del Dios viviente(AX).
27 Isaías también exclama en cuanto a Israel: Aunque el número de los hijos de Israel sea como la arena del mar, solo el remanente(AY) será salvo(AZ); 28 porque el Señor ejecutará su palabra sobre la tierra cabalmente[l] y con brevedad[m](BA). 29 Y como Isaías predijo:
Si el Señor de los ejércitos(BB) no nos hubiera dejado descendencia[n],
hubiéramos llegado a ser como Sodoma, y hechos semejantes a Gomorra(BC).
Razón del tropiezo de Israel
30 ¿Qué diremos entonces(BD)? Que los gentiles, que no iban tras la justicia, alcanzaron justicia, es decir, la justicia que es por[o] fe(BE); 31 pero Israel, que iba tras una ley de justicia(BF), no alcanzó esa ley(BG). 32 ¿Por qué? Porque no iban tras ella por[p] fe, sino como por[q] obras. Tropezaron en la piedra de tropiezo(BH), 33 tal como está escrito:
He aquí, pongo en Sión una piedra de tropiezo y roca de escandalo(BI);
y el que crea en Él no será avergonzado(BJ).
Footnotes
- Romanos 9:3 Lit., oraría
- Romanos 9:3 I.e., maldito
- Romanos 9:3 O, los de mi raza
- Romanos 9:5 I.e., el Mesías
- Romanos 9:7 Lit., simiente
- Romanos 9:7 Lit., simiente
- Romanos 9:8 Lit., simiente
- Romanos 9:17 Lit., en
- Romanos 9:19 O, halla faltas
- Romanos 9:21 Lit., para honra
- Romanos 9:21 Lit., para deshonra
- Romanos 9:28 Lit., terminándola
- Romanos 9:28 Lit., abreviándola
- Romanos 9:29 Lit., simiente
- Romanos 9:30 Lit., de
- Romanos 9:32 Lit., de
- Romanos 9:32 Lit., de
Romans 9
New King James Version
Israel’s Rejection of Christ
9 I (A)tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 (B)that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For (C)I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my [a]countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, (D)to whom pertain the adoption, (E)the glory, (F)the covenants, (G)the giving of the law, (H)the service of God, and (I)the promises; 5 (J)of whom are the fathers and from (K)whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, (L)who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose(M)
6 (N)But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For (O)they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 (P)nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, (Q)“In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but (R)the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: (S)“At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
10 And not only this, but when (T)Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of (U)Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, (V)“The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, (W)“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice
14 What shall we say then? (X)Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, (Y)“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For (Z)the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, (AA)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He (AB)hardens.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For (AC)who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? (AD)Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the (AE)potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make (AF)one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering (AG)the vessels of wrath (AH)prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known (AI)the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had (AJ)prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He (AK)called, (AL)not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As He says also in Hosea:
(AM)“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “And(AN) it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
(AO)“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
(AP)The remnant will be saved.
28 For [b]He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
(AQ)Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before:
(AR)“Unless the Lord of [c]Sabaoth had left us a seed,
(AS)We would have become like Sodom,
And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
Present Condition of Israel
30 What shall we say then? (AT)That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, (AU)even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, (AV)pursuing the law of righteousness, (AW)has not attained to the law [d]of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, [e]by the works of the law. For (AX)they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
(AY)“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And (AZ)whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Footnotes
- Romans 9:3 Or relatives
- Romans 9:28 NU the Lord will finish the work and cut it short upon the earth
- Romans 9:29 Lit., in Heb., Hosts
- Romans 9:31 NU omits of righteousness
- Romans 9:32 NU by works, omitting of the law
Romans 9
Amplified Bible
Concern for Israel
9 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For [if it were possible] I would wish that I myself were accursed, [separated, banished] from Christ for the sake [of the salvation] of my brothers, my natural kinsmen,(A) 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, the glory ([a]Shekinah), the [special] covenants [with Abraham, Moses, and David], the giving of the Law, the [system of temple] worship, and the [original] promises.(B) 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to His natural descent, came the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), He who is exalted and supreme over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
6 However, it is not as though God’s word has failed [coming to nothing]. For not all who are descended from Israel (Jacob) are [the true] Israel; 7 and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants [by blood], but [the promise was]: “Your descendants will be named through Isaac” [though Abraham had other sons].(C) 8 That is, it is not the children of the body [Abraham’s natural descendants] who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as [Abraham’s true] descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time [next year] I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”(D) 10 And not only that, but this too: Rebekah conceived twin sons by one man [under the same circumstances], by our father Isaac; 11 and though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything either good or bad, so that God’s purpose [His choice, His election] would stand, not because of works [done by either child], but because of [the plan of] Him who calls them, 12 it was said to her, “The [b]older (Esau) will serve the [c]younger (Jacob).”(E) 13 As it is written and forever remains written, “[d]Jacob I loved (chose, protected, blessed), but [e]Esau I hated (held in disregard compared to Jacob).”(F)
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion.”(G) 16 So then God’s choice is not dependent on human will, nor on human effort [the totality of human striving], but on God who shows mercy [to whomever He chooses—it is His sovereign gift]. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “I raised you up for this very purpose, to display My power in [dealing with] you, and so that My name would be proclaimed in all the earth.”(H) 18 So then, He has mercy on whom He wills (chooses), and He hardens [the heart of] whom He wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still blame me [for sinning]? For who [including myself] has [ever] resisted His will and purpose?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers [arrogantly] back to God and dares to defy Him? Will the thing which is formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”(I) 21 Does the potter not have the right over the clay, to make from the same lump [of clay] one object for honorable use [something beautiful or distinctive] and another for common use [something ordinary or menial]? 22 What if God, although willing to show His [terrible] wrath and to make His power known, has tolerated with great patience the objects of His wrath [which are] prepared for destruction?(J) 23 And what if He has done so to make known the riches of His glory to the objects of His mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory, 24 including us, whom He also called, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles? 25 Just as He says in [the writings of the prophet] Hosea:
“I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And [I will call] her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”(K)
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.”(L)
27 And Isaiah calls out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is only the remnant [a small believing minority] that will be saved [from God’s judgment]; 28 For the Lord will execute His word upon the earth [He will conclude His dealings with mankind] completely and without delay.”(M) 29 It is as Isaiah foretold,
“If the Lord of Hosts had not left us seed [future generations from which a believing remnant of Israelites came],
We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah [totally rejected and destroyed]!”(N)
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness [who did not seek salvation and a right relationship with God, nevertheless] obtained righteousness, that is, the righteousness which is produced by faith; 31 whereas Israel, [though always] pursuing the law of righteousness, did not succeed in fulfilling the law.(O) 32 And why not? Because it was not by faith [that they pursued it], but as though it were by works [relying on the merit of their works instead of their faith]. They stumbled over the stumbling Stone [Jesus Christ].(P) 33 As it is written and forever remains written,
“Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense;
And he who believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].”(Q)
Footnotes
- Romans 9:4 The Hebrew word “Shekinah” (“divine presence”) does not appear in Scripture, but has been used by both Christians and Jews to describe the visible Presence of God (the brilliant light of the divine), in such things as the burning bush, the cloud and the pillar of fire that led the Hebrews in the wilderness, and the Presence of God that rested between the cherubim over the mercy seat of the ark. It is said in the Talmud that the Emperor Hadrian once told a rabbi, “I want to see your God.” The rabbi replied, “You cannot see him.” “Indeed,” said the Emperor, “I will see him.” So the rabbi took the Emperor and positioned him to face the sun during the summer solstice, and said to him, “Look at it.” He replied, “I am not able to.” The rabbi said, “If you are not able to look at the sun, which is merely one of the servants that attend the Holy One—blessed be He—then how can you presume to look at the divine presence!”
- Romans 9:12 The descendants of Esau, the Edomites.
- Romans 9:12 The descendants of Jacob (Israel), the Israelites.
- Romans 9:13 The Israelites received God’s protection and blessing.
- Romans 9:13 The Edomites were left to God’s judgment.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
