Romans 9:30-10:21

New International Version

Israel’s Unbelief

³⁰What then shall we say?^(A) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;^(B) ³¹but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,^(C) have not attained their goal.^(D) ³²Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^(E) ³³As 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.”^[a]^(F)

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire^(G) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ²For I can testify about them that they are zealous^(H) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.^(I) ⁴Christ is the culmination of the law^(J) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.^(K)

⁵Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^[b]^(L) ⁶But the righteousness that is by faith^(M) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[c]^(N) (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[d]^(O) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^(P) ⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[e]^(Q) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹If you declare^(R) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(S) and believe^(T) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(U) you will be saved.^(V) ¹⁰For 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. ¹¹As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^[f]^(W) ¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(X)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(Y) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(Z) will be saved.”^[g]^(AA)

¹⁴How, 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? ¹⁵And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[h]^(AB)

¹⁶But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.^(AC) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”^[i]^(AD) ¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,^(AE) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.^(AF) ¹⁸But 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.”^[j]^(AG)

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

“I will make you envious^(AH) by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”^[k]^(AI)

²⁰And Isaiah boldly says,

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

²¹But concerning Israel he says,

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

Footnotes

Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2

Psalm 109

New International Version

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹My God, whom I praise,^(A)
    do not remain silent,^(B)
²for people who are wicked and deceitful^(C)
    have opened their mouths against me;
    they have spoken against me with lying tongues.^(D)
³With words of hatred^(E) they surround me;
    they attack me without cause.^(F)
⁴In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.^(G)
⁵They repay me evil for good,^(H)
    and hatred for my friendship.

⁶Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser^(I) stand at his right hand.
⁷When he is tried, let him be found guilty,^(J)
    and may his prayers condemn^(K) him.
⁸May his days be few;^(L)
    may another take his place^(M) of leadership.
⁹May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.^(N)
¹⁰May his children be wandering beggars;^(O)
    may they be driven^[a] from their ruined homes.
¹¹May a creditor^(P) seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder^(Q) the fruits of his labor.^(R)
¹²May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity^(S) on his fatherless children.
¹³May his descendants be cut off,^(T)
    their names blotted out^(U) from the next generation.
¹⁴May the iniquity of his fathers^(V) be remembered before the Lord;
    may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
¹⁵May their sins always remain before^(W) the Lord,
    that he may blot out their name^(X) from the earth.

¹⁶For he never thought of doing a kindness,
    but hounded to death the poor
    and the needy^(Y) and the brokenhearted.^(Z)
¹⁷He loved to pronounce a curse—
    may it come back on him.^(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
    may it be far from him.
¹⁸He wore cursing^(AB) as his garment;
    it entered into his body like water,^(AC)
    into his bones like oil.
¹⁹May it be like a cloak wrapped^(AD) about him,
    like a belt tied forever around him.
²⁰May this be the Lord’s payment^(AE) to my accusers,
    to those who speak evil^(AF) of me.

²¹But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;^(AG)
    out of the goodness of your love,^(AH) deliver me.^(AI)
²²For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
²³I fade away like an evening shadow;^(AJ)
    I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴My knees give^(AK) way from fasting;^(AL)
    my body is thin and gaunt.^(AM)
²⁵I am an object of scorn^(AN) to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.^(AO)

²⁶Help me,^(AP) Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
²⁷Let them know^(AQ) that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.
²⁸While they curse,^(AR) may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.^(AS)
²⁹May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame^(AT) as in a cloak.

³⁰With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng^(AU) of worshipers I will praise him.
³¹For he stands at the right hand^(AV) of the needy,
to save their lives from those who would condemn them.