Romans 9-10
New American Standard Bible
Deep Concern for Israel
9 (A)I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For (B)I could [a]wish that I myself were (C)accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen (D)according to the flesh, 4 who are (E)Israelites, to whom belongs (F)the adoption as sons and daughters, (G)the glory, (H)the covenants, (I)the giving of the Law, (J)the temple service, and (K)the promises; 5 whose are (L)the fathers, and (M)from whom is the [b]Christ according to the flesh, (N)who is over all, (O)God (P)blessed [c]forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though (Q)the word of God has failed. (R)For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children (S)because they are Abraham’s [d](T)descendants, but: “[e](U)through Isaac your [f]descendants shall be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh [g]who are (V)children of God, but the (W)children of the promise are regarded as [h](X)descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “(Y)At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” 10 (Z)And not only that, but there was also (AA)Rebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that (AB)God’s purpose according to His choice would [i]stand, not [j]because of works but [k]because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “(AC)The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “(AD)Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
14 (AE)What shall we say then? (AF)There is no injustice with God, is there? [l](AG)Far from it! 15 For He says to Moses, “(AH)I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” 16 So then, it does not depend on the person who [m]wants it nor the one who [n](AI)runs, but on (AJ)God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “(AK)For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed [o]throughout the earth.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He (AL)hardens whom He desires.
19 (AM)You will say to me then, “(AN)Why does He still find fault? For (AO)who has resisted His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, [p](AP)you foolish person, who (AQ)answers back to God? (AR)The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object [q]for honorable use, and another [r]for common use? 22 [s]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great (AS)patience objects of wrath (AT)prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known (AU)the riches of His glory upon (AV)objects of mercy, which He (AW)prepared beforehand for glory, 24 namely us, whom He also (AX)called, (AY)not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, 25 as He also says in Hosea:
“(AZ)I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26 “(BA)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 (BB)the living God.”
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “(BC)Though the number of the sons of Israel may be (BD)like the sand of the sea, only (BE)the remnant will be saved; 28 (BF)for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, [t]thoroughly and [u]quickly.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold:
“(BG)If (BH)the Lord [v]of armies had not left us [w](BI)descendants,
(BJ)We would have become like Sodom, and would have [x]been like Gomorrah.”
30 (BK)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but (BL)the righteousness that is [y]by faith; 31 however, Israel, (BM)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not (BN)arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it [z]by faith, but as though they could [aa]by works. They stumbled over (BO)the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written:
“(BP)Behold, I am laying in Zion (BQ)a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
(BR)And the one who believes in Him (BS)will not be [ab]put to shame.”
The Word of Faith Brings Salvation
10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have (BT)a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about (BU)God’s righteousness and (BV)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For (BW)Christ is the [ac]end of the Law for righteousness to (BX)everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes of the righteousness that is [ad]based on the Law, that the person who performs [ae]them (BY)will live by [af]them. 6 But (BZ)the righteousness [ag]based on faith speaks as follows: “(CA)Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the (CB)abyss?’ (that is, to (CC)bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “(CD)The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 [ah]that (CE)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and (CF)believe in your heart that (CG)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [ai]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [aj]resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “(CH)Whoever believes in Him will not be [ak]put to shame.” 12 For (CI)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is (CJ)Lord of (CK)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “(CL)Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him (CM)whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without (CN)a preacher? 15 But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “(CO)How beautiful are the feet of those who [al](CP)bring good news of good things!”
16 However, they (CQ)did not all heed the [am]good news; for Isaiah says, “(CR)Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from (CS)hearing, and hearing by (CT)the word [an]of Christ.
18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? On the contrary:
19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,
“(CV)I will (CW)make you jealous with those who are not a nation,
With a foolish nation I will anger you.”
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,
“(CX)I was found by those who did not seek Me,
I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But as for Israel, He says, “(CY)I have spread out My hands all day long to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
Footnotes
- Romans 9:3 Lit pray
- Romans 9:5 I.e., Messiah
- Romans 9:5 Lit unto the ages
- Romans 9:7 Lit seed
- Romans 9:7 Lit in
- Romans 9:7 Lit seed
- Romans 9:8 Lit these
- Romans 9:8 Lit seed
- Romans 9:11 Lit remain
- Romans 9:11 Lit from
- Romans 9:11 Lit from
- Romans 9:14 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 9:16 Or wills nor
- Romans 9:16 I.e., to win mercy or favor
- Romans 9:17 Lit in all
- Romans 9:20 Lit O
- Romans 9:21 Lit for honor
- Romans 9:21 Lit for dishonor
- Romans 9:22 Lit But
- Romans 9:28 Lit finishing it
- Romans 9:28 Lit cutting it short
- Romans 9:29 Gr sabaoth, for Heb tsebaoth (armies)
- Romans 9:29 Lit seed
- Romans 9:29 Lit been made like
- Romans 9:30 Lit out of
- Romans 9:32 Lit out of
- Romans 9:32 Lit out of
- Romans 9:33 Or disappointed
- Romans 10:4 Or goal
- Romans 10:5 Lit out of, from
- Romans 10:5 I.e., the statutes of the Law
- Romans 10:5 I.e., the statutes of the Law
- Romans 10:6 Lit out of, from
- Romans 10:9 Or because
- Romans 10:10 Lit to righteousness
- Romans 10:10 Lit to salvation
- Romans 10:11 Or disappointed
- Romans 10:15 Or preach the gospel
- Romans 10:16 Or gospel
- Romans 10:17 Or concerning Christ
- Romans 10:18 Or inhabited earth
Romans 9-10
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.”
Israel Needs the Gospel
10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [f]Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness (BA)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of (BB)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (BC)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For (BD)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, (BE)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, (BF)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, (BG)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (BH)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that (BI)if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, (BJ)“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For (BK)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for (BL)the same Lord over all (BM)is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For (BN)“whoever calls (BO)on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Israel Rejects the Gospel
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear (BP)without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
(BQ)“How beautiful are the feet of those who [g]preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (BR)“Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
(BS)“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:
(BT)“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a (BU)foolish nation.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
(BV)“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But to Israel he says:
(BW)“All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”
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 10:1 NU them
- Romans 10:15 NU omits preach the gospel of peace, Who
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
