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God’s Selection of Israel

With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.[c]

Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”[d] though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”[e]

10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.[f] 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”[g] 13 In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”[h]

14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses,

“I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
    and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”[i]

16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”[j] 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. 24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,

“Those who were not my people,
    I will now call my people.
And I will love those
    whom I did not love before.”[k]

26 And,

“Then, at the place where they were told,
    ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called
    ‘children of the living God.’”[l]

27 And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out,

“Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore,
    only a remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth
    quickly and with finality.”[m]

29 And Isaiah said the same thing in another place:

“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    had not spared a few of our children,
we would have been wiped out like Sodom,
    destroyed like Gomorrah.”[n]

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law[o] instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem[p] that makes people stumble,
    a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
    will never be disgraced.”[q]

10 Dear brothers and sisters,[r] the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.[s] As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Salvation Is for Everyone

For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.[t] But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand;
    it is on your lips and in your heart.”[u]

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”[v] 12 Jew and Gentile[w] are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[x]

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”[y]

16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[z] 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have:

“The message has gone throughout the earth,
    and the words to all the world.”[aa]

19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said,

“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation.
    I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”[ab]

20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,

“I was found by people who were not looking for me.
    I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”[ac]

21 But regarding Israel, God said,

“All day long I opened my arms to them,
    but they were disobedient and rebellious.”[ad]

God’s Mercy on Israel

11 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”[ae]

And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”[af]

It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel[ag] have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say,

“God has put them into a deep sleep.
To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see,
    and closed their ears so they do not hear.”[ah]

Likewise, David said,

“Let their bountiful table become a snare,
    a trap that makes them think all is well.
Let their blessings cause them to stumble,
    and let them get what they deserve.
10 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and let their backs be bent forever.”[ai]

11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. 15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t[aj] spare you either.

22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

God’s Mercy Is for Everyone

25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters,[ak] so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,[al]
    and he will turn Israel[am] away from ungodliness.
27 And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.”[an]

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share[ao] in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?[ap]
35 And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?[aq]

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Footnotes

  1. 9:3 Greek my brothers.
  2. 9:4 Greek chosen for sonship.
  3. 9:5 Or May God, the one who rules over everything, be praised forever. Amen.
  4. 9:7 Gen 21:12.
  5. 9:9 Gen 18:10, 14.
  6. 9:10 Greek she conceived children through this one man.
  7. 9:12 Gen 25:23.
  8. 9:13 Mal 1:2-3.
  9. 9:15 Exod 33:19.
  10. 9:17 Exod 9:16 (Greek version).
  11. 9:25 Hos 2:23.
  12. 9:26 Greek sons of the living God. Hos 1:10.
  13. 9:27-28 Isa 10:22-23 (Greek version).
  14. 9:29 Isa 1:9 (Greek version).
  15. 9:32 Greek by works.
  16. 9:33a Greek in Zion.
  17. 9:33b Isa 8:14; 28:16 (Greek version).
  18. 10:1 Greek Brothers.
  19. 10:4 Or For Christ is the end of the law.
  20. 10:5 See Lev 18:5.
  21. 10:6-8 Deut 30:12-14.
  22. 10:11 Isa 28:16 (Greek version).
  23. 10:12 Greek and Greek.
  24. 10:13 Joel 2:32.
  25. 10:15 Isa 52:7.
  26. 10:16 Isa 53:1.
  27. 10:18 Ps 19:4.
  28. 10:19 Deut 32:21.
  29. 10:20 Isa 65:1 (Greek version).
  30. 10:21 Isa 65:2 (Greek version).
  31. 11:3 1 Kgs 19:10, 14.
  32. 11:4 1 Kgs 19:18.
  33. 11:5 Greek for a remnant.
  34. 11:8 Isa 29:10; Deut 29:4.
  35. 11:9-10 Ps 69:22-23 (Greek version).
  36. 11:21 Some manuscripts read perhaps he won’t.
  37. 11:25 Greek brothers.
  38. 11:26a Greek from Zion.
  39. 11:26b Greek Jacob.
  40. 11:26-27 Isa 59:20-21; 27:9 (Greek version).
  41. 11:31 Other manuscripts read will now share; still others read will someday share.
  42. 11:34 Isa 40:13 (Greek version).
  43. 11:35 See Job 41:11.

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

I (A)tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, (B)that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For (C)I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my [a]countrymen according to the flesh, 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; (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)

(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, (P)nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, (Q)“In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 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. 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. For I bear them witness (BA)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 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. For (BD)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, (BE)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” 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) or, (BG)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 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): 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.”

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I say then, (BX)has God cast away His people? (BY)Certainly not! For (BZ)I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom (CA)He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, (CB)Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? (CC)“I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (CD)Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And (CE)if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [h]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

What then? (CF)Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were (CG)blinded. Just as it is written:

(CH)“God has given them a spirit of stupor,
(CI)Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”

And David says:

(CJ)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.”

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But (CK)through their [i]fall, to provoke them to (CL)jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their [j]fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as (CM)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and (CN)save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be (CO)but life from the dead?

16 For if (CP)the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if (CQ)some of the branches were broken off, (CR)and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and [k]fatness of the olive tree, 18 (CS)do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of (CT)unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, [l]goodness, (CU)if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise (CV)you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, (CW)if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be (CX)wise in your own [m]opinion, that (CY)blindness in part has happened to Israel (CZ)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be [n]saved, as it is written:

(DA)“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For (DB)this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are (DC)beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are (DD)irrevocable. 30 For as you (DE)were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has [o]committed them (DF)all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

34 “For who has known the (DG)mind of the Lord?
Or (DH)who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or(DI) who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”

36 For (DJ)of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, (DK)to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:3 Or relatives
  2. Romans 9:28 NU the Lord will finish the work and cut it short upon the earth
  3. Romans 9:29 Lit., in Heb., Hosts
  4. Romans 9:31 NU omits of righteousness
  5. Romans 9:32 NU by works, omitting of the law
  6. Romans 10:1 NU them
  7. Romans 10:15 NU omits preach the gospel of peace, Who
  8. Romans 11:6 NU omits the rest of v. 6.
  9. Romans 11:11 trespass
  10. Romans 11:12 trespass
  11. Romans 11:17 richness
  12. Romans 11:22 NU adds of God
  13. Romans 11:25 estimation
  14. Romans 11:26 Or delivered
  15. Romans 11:32 shut them all up in

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

I speak the truth in Christ(A)—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit[a] that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish(B) that I myself were cursed(C) and cut off[b] from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. They are Israelites,(D) and to them belong the adoption,(E) the glory,(F) the covenants,(G) the giving of the law,(H) the temple service,(I) and the promises.(J) The ancestors are theirs,(K) and from them, by physical descent,[c] came the Christ,(L) who is God(M) over all,(N) praised forever.[d](O) Amen.

God’s Gracious Election of Israel

Now it is not as though the word of God has failed,(P) because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(Q) Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants.[e](R) On the contrary, your offspring will be traced[f] through Isaac.[g](S) That is, it is not the children by physical descent[h] who are God’s children,(T) but the children of the promise(U) are considered to be the offspring. For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.[i](V) 10 And not only that,(W) but Rebekah conceived children(X) through one man, our father Isaac. 11 For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand(Y) 12 not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger.[j](Z) 13 As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.[k](AA)

God’s Selection Is Just

14 What should we say then?(AB) Is there injustice with God?(AC) Absolutely not!(AD) 15 For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.[l](AE) 16 So then, it does not depend on human will or effort(AF) but on God who shows mercy.(AG) 17 For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth.[m](AH) 18 So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden.(AI)

19 You will say to me,(AJ) therefore, “Why then does he still find fault?(AK) For who resists his will?” (AL) 20 On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?(AM) Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” (AN) 21 Or has the potter no right over the clay,(AO) to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? 22 And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience(AP) objects of wrath prepared for destruction?(AQ) 23 And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory(AR) on objects of mercy(AS) that he prepared beforehand for glory(AT) 24 on us, the ones he also called,(AU) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?(AV) 25 As it[n] also says in Hosea,

I will call Not My People, My People,
and she who is Unloved, Beloved.[o](AW)
26 And it will be in the place where they were told,
you are not my people,
there they will be called sons of the living God.[p](AX)

27 But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,

Though the number of Israelites
is like the sand of the sea,(AY)
only the remnant will be saved;(AZ)
28 since the Lord will execute his sentence
completely and decisively on the earth.[q][r] (BA)

29 And just as Isaiah predicted:

If the Lord of Armies had not left us offspring,(BB)
we would have become like Sodom,
and we would have been made like Gomorrah.[s](BC)

Israel’s Present State

30 What should we say then?(BD) Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.(BE) 31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness,(BF) has not achieved the righteousness of the law.[t](BG) 32 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.[u] They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(BH) 33 As it is written,

Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,
and the one who believes on him(BI)
will not be put to shame.[v](BJ)

Righteousness by Faith Alone

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them[w] is for their salvation. I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,(BK) but not according to knowledge. Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God(BL) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end[x] of the law for righteousness(BM) to everyone who believes,(BN) since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.[y](BO) But the righteousness that comes from faith(BP) speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”[z](BQ) that is, to bring Christ down or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”[aa](BR) that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.(BS) On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.[ab](BT) This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(BU) and believe in your heart(BV) that God raised him from the dead,(BW) you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,[ac](BX) 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,(BY) because the same Lord(BZ) of all(CA) richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.[ad](CB)

Israel’s Rejection of the Message

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him?(CC) And how can they hear without a preacher?(CD) 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful[ae] are the feet of those who bring good news.[af](CE) 16 But not all obeyed the gospel.(CF) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?[ag](CG) 17 So faith comes from what is heard,(CH) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.[ah](CI) 18 But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:

Their voice has gone out to the whole earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.[ai](CJ)

19 But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said,

I will make you jealous
of those who are not a nation;(CK)
I will make you angry by a nation
that lacks understanding.[aj](CL)

20 And Isaiah says boldly,

I was found
by those who were not looking for me;
I revealed myself
to those who were not asking for me.[ak](CM)

21 But to Israel he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.[al](CN)

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people?(CO) Absolutely not!(CP) For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,(CQ) from the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.(CR) Or don’t you know(CS) what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he pleads with God against Israel? Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life![am](CT) But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal.[an](CU) In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.(CV) Now if by grace,(CW) then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.[ao]

What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for,(CX) but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,(CY) as it is written,

God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that cannot see
and ears that cannot hear,
to this day.[ap](CZ)

And David says,

Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a pitfall and a retribution to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent continually.[aq](DA)

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I ask, then, have they stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles(DB) to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!(DC)

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Insofar as I am an apostle to the Gentiles,(DD) I magnify my ministry, 14 if I might somehow make my own people[ar](DE) jealous and save some of them.(DF) 15 For if their rejection brings reconciliation(DG) to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?(DH) 16 Now if the firstfruits are holy,(DI) so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 Now if some of the branches were broken off,(DJ) and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them(DK) and have come to share in the rich root[as] of the cultivated olive tree, 18 do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.(DL) 19 Then you will say,(DM) “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith.(DN) Do not be arrogant, but beware,[at](DO) 21 because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness(DP) toward you—if you remain in his kindness.(DQ) Otherwise you too will be cut off.(DR) 23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,(DS) will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 I don’t want you to be ignorant(DT) of this mystery,(DU) brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited:(DV) A partial hardening has come upon Israel(DW) until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.(DX) 26 And in this way all[au] Israel will be saved, as it is written,

The Deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this will be my covenant with them[av](DY)
when I take away their sins.[aw](DZ)

28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,(EA) but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,(EB) 29 since God’s gracious gifts and calling(EC) are irrevocable.[ax](ED) 30 As you once disobeyed God but now have received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now[ay] receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience(EE) so that he may have mercy on all.

A Hymn of Praise

33 Oh, the depth of the riches(EF)
and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!(EG)
How unsearchable his judgments(EH)
and untraceable his ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?(EI)
Or who has been his counselor?
35 And who has ever given to God,
that he should be repaid?[az](EJ)
36 For from him and through him
and to him are all things.(EK)
To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. 9:1 Or testifying with me by the Holy Spirit
  2. 9:3 Lit to be anathema
  3. 9:5 Lit them, according to the flesh
  4. 9:5 Or the Messiah, the one who is over all, the God who is blessed forever, or Messiah. God, who is over all, be blessed forever
  5. 9:7 Lit seed
  6. 9:7 Lit called
  7. 9:7 Gn 21:12
  8. 9:8 Lit children of the flesh
  9. 9:9 Gn 18:10,14
  10. 9:12 Gn 25:23
  11. 9:13 Mal 1:2–3
  12. 9:15 Ex 33:19
  13. 9:17 Ex 9:16
  14. 9:25 Or he
  15. 9:25 Hs 2:23
  16. 9:26 Hs 1:10
  17. 9:28 Or land
  18. 9:27–28 Is 10:22–23; 28:22; Hs 1:10
  19. 9:29 Is 1:9
  20. 9:31 Other mss read the law for righteousness
  21. 9:32 Other mss add of the law
  22. 9:33 Is 8:14; 28:16
  23. 10:1 Other mss read God for Israel
  24. 10:4 Or goal
  25. 10:5 Lv 18:5
  26. 10:6 Dt 9:4; 30:12
  27. 10:7 Dt 30:13
  28. 10:8 Dt 30:14
  29. 10:11 Is 28:16
  30. 10:13 Jl 2:32
  31. 10:15 Or welcome, or timely
  32. 10:15 Is 52:7; Nah 1:15
  33. 10:16 Is 53:1
  34. 10:17 Other mss read God
  35. 10:18 Ps 19:4
  36. 10:19 Dt 32:21
  37. 10:20 Is 65:1
  38. 10:21 Is 65:2
  39. 11:3 1Kg 19:10,14
  40. 11:4 1Kg 19:18
  41. 11:6 Other mss add But if of works it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
  42. 11:8 Dt 29:4; Is 29:10
  43. 11:9–10 Ps 69:22–23
  44. 11:14 Lit flesh
  45. 11:17 Other mss read the root and the richness
  46. 11:20 Lit fear
  47. 11:26 Or And then all
  48. 11:26–27 Is 59:20–21
  49. 11:27 Jr 31:31–34
  50. 11:29 Or are not taken back
  51. 11:31 Other mss omit now
  52. 11:34–35 Jb 41:11; Is 40:13; Jr 23:18

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying,(A) my conscience confirms(B) it through the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself(C) were cursed(D) and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people,(E) those of my own race,(F) the people of Israel.(G) Theirs is the adoption to sonship;(H) theirs the divine glory,(I) the covenants,(J) the receiving of the law,(K) the temple worship(L) and the promises.(M) Theirs are the patriarchs,(N) and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah,(O) who is God over all,(P) forever praised![a](Q) Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word(R) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(S) 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.”[b](T) In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(U) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(V) For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[c](W)

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

14 What then shall we say?(AC) Is God unjust? Not at all!(AD) 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f](AE)

16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.(AF) 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g](AG) 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.(AH)

19 One of you will say to me:(AI) “Then why does God still blame us?(AJ) For who is able to resist his will?”(AK) 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?(AL) “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,(AM) ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h](AN) 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?(AO)

22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience(AP) the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?(AQ) 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory(AR) known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory(AS) 24 even us, whom he also called,(AT) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?(AU) 25 As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
    and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”[i](AV)

26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
    ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”[j](AW)

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,(AX)
    only the remnant will be saved.(AY)
28 For the Lord will carry out
    his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”[k](AZ)

29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty(BA)
    had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.”[l](BB)

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What then shall we say?(BC) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;(BD) 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,(BE) have not attained their goal.(BF) 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(BG) 33 As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[m](BH)

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire(BI) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous(BJ) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.(BK) Christ is the culmination of the law(BL) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.(BM)

Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[n](BN) But the righteousness that is by faith(BO) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[o](BP) (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[p](BQ) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).(BR) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[q](BS) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare(BT) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(BU) and believe(BV) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,(BW) you will be saved.(BX) 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[r](BY) 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile(BZ)—the same Lord is Lord of all(CA) and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord(CB) will be saved.”[s](CC)

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[t](CD)

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.(CE) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[u](CF) 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,(CG) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.(CH) 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”[v](CI)

19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious(CJ) by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”[w](CK)

20 And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”[x](CL)

21 But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”[y](CM)

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!(CN) I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham,(CO) from the tribe of Benjamin.(CP) God did not reject his people,(CQ) whom he foreknew.(CR) Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[z]?(CS) And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[aa](CT) So too, at the present time there is a remnant(CU) chosen by grace.(CV) And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works;(CW) if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain.(CX) The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,(CY) as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,(CZ)
to this very day.”[ab](DA)

And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,(DB)
    and their backs be bent forever.”[ac](DC)

Ingrafted Branches

11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!(DD) Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles(DE) to make Israel envious.(DF) 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,(DG) how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,(DH) I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy(DI) and save(DJ) some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation(DK) to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?(DL) 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits(DM) is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 If some of the branches have been broken off,(DN) and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others(DO) and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.(DP) 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.(DQ) Do not be arrogant,(DR) but tremble.(DS) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22 Consider therefore the kindness(DT) and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue(DU) in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.(DV) 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.(DW) 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree,(DX) how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

All Israel Will Be Saved

25 I do not want you to be ignorant(DY) of this mystery,(DZ) brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:(EA) Israel has experienced a hardening(EB) in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,(EC) 26 and in this way[ad] all Israel will be saved.(ED) As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[ae] my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”[af](EE)

28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies(EF) for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,(EG) 29 for God’s gifts and his call(EH) are irrevocable.(EI) 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient(EJ) to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[ag] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience(EK) so that he may have mercy on them all.

Doxology

33 Oh, the depth of the riches(EL) of the wisdom and[ah] knowledge of God!(EM)
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!(EN)
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”[ai](EO)
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”[aj](EP)
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.(EQ)
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.(ER)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!
  2. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
  3. Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
  4. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
  5. Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
  6. Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19
  7. Romans 9:17 Exodus 9:16
  8. Romans 9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9
  9. Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
  10. Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
  11. Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
  12. Romans 9:29 Isaiah 1:9
  13. Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
  14. Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
  15. Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
  16. Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
  17. Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
  18. Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
  19. Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
  20. Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
  21. Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
  22. Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
  23. Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
  24. Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
  25. Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2
  26. Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14
  27. Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18
  28. Romans 11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10
  29. Romans 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23
  30. Romans 11:26 Or and so
  31. Romans 11:27 Or will be
  32. Romans 11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jer. 31:33,34
  33. Romans 11:31 Some manuscripts do not have now.
  34. Romans 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the
  35. Romans 11:34 Isaiah 40:13
  36. Romans 11:35 Job 41:11