Israel Doubts God’s Love

² “I have loved^(A) you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask,^(B) ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob,^{(C) 3} but Esau I have hated,^(D) and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland^(E) and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.^(F)”

⁴ Edom^(G) may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild^(H) the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish.^(I) They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.^{(J) 5} You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great^(K) is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’^(L)

God’s Sovereign Choice

⁶ It is not as though God’s word^(A) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.^{(B) 7} Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[a](C) 8} In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,^(D) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.^{(E) 9} For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”^[b](F)

¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.^{(G) 11} Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad^(H)—in order that God’s purpose^(I) in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”^{[c](J) 13} Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^[d](K)

¹⁴ What then shall we say?^(L) Is God unjust? Not at all!^{(M) 15} For he says to Moses,

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.^(O)

¹⁶ See that no one is sexually immoral,^(A) or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.^{(B) 17} Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears,^(C) he could not change what he had done.