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The Role of Israel

I tell the truth in Messiah—I do not lie, my conscience assuring me in the Ruach ha-Kodesh that my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart unending. For I would pray that I myself were cursed, banished from Messiah for the sake of my people—my own flesh and blood, [a] who are Israelites. To them belong the adoption[b] and the glory[c] and the covenants and the giving of the Torah[d] and the Temple service[e] and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs—and from them, according to the flesh, the Messiah, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are Israel, nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s seed; rather, “Your seed shall be called through Isaac.” [f] That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God; rather, the children of the promise are counted as seed. For the word of promise is this: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” [g] 10 And not only this, but also Rebecca having twins, from one act with our father Isaac. 11 Yet before the sons were even born and had not done anything good or bad—so that God’s purpose and choice might stand not because of works but because of Him who calls— 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” [h] 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[i]

14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For to Moses He says,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,

and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[j]

16 So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who strives, but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up—to demonstrate My power in you, so My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” [k] 18 So then He has mercy on whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But who in the world are you, O man, who talks back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” [l] 21 Does the potter have no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honor and another for common use? 22 Now what if God, willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath designed for destruction? 23 And what if He did so to make known the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory?

24 Even us He called—not only from the Jewish people, but also from the Gentiles— 25 as He says also in Hosea,

“I will call those who were not My people,
    ‘My people,’
    and her who was not loved,
    ‘Beloved.’
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.”[m]

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,

“Though the number of B’nei-Israel be as the sand of the sea,
    only the remnant shall be saved.
28 For Adonai will carry out His word upon the earth,
    bringing it to an end and finishing quickly.”[n]

29 And just as Isaiah foretold,

    “Unless Adonai-Tzva’ot had left us seed,
    we would have become like Sodom and
    resembled Gomorrah.”[o]

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness—that is, a righteousness of faith. 31 But Israel, who pursued a Torah of righteousness, did not reach the Torah. 32 Why? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as if it were from works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling, 33 just as it is written,

“Behold, I lay in Zion
    a stone of stumbling
    and a rock of offense,
and whoever believes in Him
    shall not be put to shame.”[p]

Ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι, συμμαρτυρούσης μοι τῆς συνειδήσεώς μου ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, ὅτι λύπη μοί ἐστιν μεγάλη καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου· ηὐχόμην γὰρ [a]ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα, οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται, ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ αἱ διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, ὧν οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων, θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.

Οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι ἐκπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ· οὐδ’ ὅτι εἰσὶν σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ, πάντες τέκνα, ἀλλ’· Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα. τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα· ἐπαγγελίας γὰρ ὁ λόγος οὗτος· Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐλεύσομαι καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρᾳ υἱός. 10 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥεβέκκα ἐξ ἑνὸς κοίτην ἔχουσα, Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν· 11 μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ [b]φαῦλον, ἵνα ἡ κατ’ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ θεοῦ μένῃ, 12 οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἀλλ’ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος, ἐρρέθη αὐτῇ ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι· 13 [c]καθὼς γέγραπται· Τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἠσαῦ ἐμίσησα.

14 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ; μὴ γένοιτο· 15 τῷ [d]Μωϋσεῖ γὰρ λέγει· Ἐλεήσω ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ, καὶ οἰκτιρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτίρω. 16 ἄρα οὖν οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεῶντος θεοῦ. 17 λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ τῷ Φαραὼ ὅτι Εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξήγειρά σε ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. 18 ἄρα οὖν ὃν θέλει ἐλεεῖ, ὃν δὲ θέλει σκληρύνει.

19 Ἐρεῖς [e]μοι οὖν· Τί [f]οὖν ἔτι μέμφεται; τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκεν; 20 [g]ὦ ἄνθρωπε, μενοῦνγε σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ θεῷ; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι Τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως; 21 ἢ οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν ὁ κεραμεὺς τοῦ πηλοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος ποιῆσαι ὃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν σκεῦος ὃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν; 22 εἰ δὲ θέλων ὁ θεὸς ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ γνωρίσαι τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτοῦ ἤνεγκεν ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν, 23 [h]καὶ ἵνα γνωρίσῃ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σκεύη ἐλέους, ἃ προητοίμασεν εἰς δόξαν, 24 οὓς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς οὐ μόνον ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν;— 25 ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὡσηὲ λέγει· Καλέσω τὸν οὐ λαόν μου λαόν μου καὶ τὴν οὐκ ἠγαπημένην ἠγαπημένην· 26 καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ ἐρρέθη [i]αὐτοῖς· Οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς, ἐκεῖ κληθήσονται υἱοὶ θεοῦ ζῶντος.

27 Ἠσαΐας δὲ κράζει ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ [j]ὑπόλειμμα σωθήσεται· 28 λόγον γὰρ συντελῶν καὶ [k]συντέμνων ποιήσει κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 29 καὶ καθὼς προείρηκεν Ἠσαΐας· Εἰ μὴ κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν.

30 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην κατέλαβεν δικαιοσύνην, δικαιοσύνην δὲ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως· 31 Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης εἰς [l]νόμον οὐκ ἔφθασεν. 32 διὰ τί; ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐξ [m]ἔργων· [n]προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος, 33 καθὼς γέγραπται· Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον προσκόμματος καὶ πέτραν σκανδάλου, [o]καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.

Footnotes

  1. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:3 ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ WH Treg NIV ] αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι RP
  2. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:11 φαῦλον WH Treg NIV ] κακόν RP
  3. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:13 καθὼς Treg NIV RP ] καθάπερ WH
  4. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:15 Μωϋσεῖ γὰρ WH Treg NIV ] γὰρ Μωϋσεῖ RP
  5. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:19 μοι οὖν WH Treg NIV ] οὖν μοι RP
  6. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:19 οὖν NIV ] – WH Treg RP
  7. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:20 ὦ ἄνθρωπε μενοῦνγε WH Treg NIV ] Μενοῦνγε ὦ ἄνθρωπε RP
  8. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:23 καὶ Treg NIV RP ] – WH
  9. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:26 αὐτοῖς WH NIV RP ] – Treg
  10. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:27 ὑπόλειμμα WH Treg NIV ] κατάλειμμα RP
  11. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:28 συντέμνων WH Treg NIV ] + ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὅτι λόγον συντετμημένον RP
  12. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:31 νόμον WH Treg NIV ] + δικαιοσύνης RP
  13. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:32 ἔργων WH Treg NIV ] + νόμου RP
  14. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:32 προσέκοψαν WH Treg NIV ] + γὰρ RP
  15. ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 9:33 καὶ WH Treg NIV ] + πᾶς RP