Romans 9

Legacy Standard Bible

God’s Chosen People, 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 brothers, my kinsmen ^(D)according to the flesh, ⁴ who are ^(E)Israelites, to whom belongs ^(F)the adoption as sons, and ^(G)the glory and ^(H)the covenants and ^(I)the giving of the Law and ^(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 ^(O)God over all, ^(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 seed, but: “^[d](T)through Isaac your seed will be named.” ⁸ That is, the children of the flesh are not the ^(U)children of God, but the ^(V)children of the promise are considered as seed. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: “^(W)At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” ^10 (X)And not only this, but there was ^(Y)Rebekah also, 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 the ^(Z)purpose of God according to His choice would ^[e]stand, not ^[f]because of works but ^[g]because of Him who calls, ¹² it was said to her, “^(AA)The older shall serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written, “^(AB)Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

^14 (AC)What shall we say then? ^(AD)Is there any unrighteousness with God? ^(AE)May it never be! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “^(AF)I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who ^(AG)runs, but on ^(AH)God who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “^(AI)For this very purpose I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and in order that My name might be proclaimed ^[h]throughout the whole earth.” ¹⁸ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He ^(AJ)hardens whom He desires.

^19 (AK)You will say to me then, “^(AL)Why does He still find fault? For ^(AM)who resists His will?” ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, ^(AN)O man, who ^(AO)answers back to God? ^(AP)Will the thing molded say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this”? ²¹ Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel ^[i]for honorable use and another ^[j]for dishonorable use? ²² And ^[k]what if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much ^(AQ)patience vessels of wrath ^(AR)having been prepared for destruction, ²³ and in order that He might make known ^(AS)the riches of His glory upon ^(AT)vessels of mercy, which He ^(AU)prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us, whom He also ^(AV)called, ^(AW)not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles? ²⁵ As He says also in Hosea,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “^(BA)Though the number of the sons of Israel be ^(BB)like the sand of the sea, it is ^(BC)the remnant that will be saved; ^28 (BD)for the Lord will execute His word on the land, ^[l]thoroughly and ^[m]quickly.” ²⁹ And just as Isaiah foretold,

^30 (BH)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, even ^(BI)the righteousness which is ^[p]by faith; ³¹ but Israel, ^(BJ)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not ^(BK)attain that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it ^[q]by faith, but as though it were ^[r]by works. They stumbled over ^(BL)the stumbling stone, ³³ just as it is written,