Romans 9
New American Standard Bible
Deep Concern for 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 countrymen, my kinsmen (D)according to the flesh, 4 who are (E)Israelites, to whom belongs (F)the adoption as sons and daughters, (G)the glory, (H)the covenants, (I)the giving of the Law, (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 over all, (O)God (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 [d](T)descendants, but: “[e](U)through Isaac your [f]descendants shall be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh [g]who are (V)children of God, but the (W)children of the promise are regarded as [h](X)descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “(Y)At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” 10 (Z)And not only that, but there was also (AA)Rebekah, 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 (AB)God’s purpose according to His choice would [i]stand, not [j]because of works but [k]because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “(AC)The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “(AD)Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
14 (AE)What shall we say then? (AF)There is no injustice with God, is there? [l](AG)Far from it! 15 For He says to Moses, “(AH)I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” 16 So then, it does not depend on the person who [m]wants it nor the one who [n](AI)runs, but on (AJ)God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “(AK)For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed [o]throughout the earth.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He (AL)hardens whom He desires.
19 (AM)You will say to me then, “(AN)Why does He still find fault? For (AO)who has resisted His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, [p](AP)you foolish person, who (AQ)answers back to God? (AR)The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object [q]for honorable use, and another [r]for common use? 22 [s]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great (AS)patience objects of wrath (AT)prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known (AU)the riches of His glory upon (AV)objects of mercy, which He (AW)prepared beforehand for glory, 24 namely us, whom He also (AX)called, (AY)not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, 25 as He also says in Hosea:
“(AZ)I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26 “(BA)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 (BB)the living God.”
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “(BC)Though the number of the sons of Israel may be (BD)like the sand of the sea, only (BE)the remnant will be saved; 28 (BF)for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, [t]thoroughly and [u]quickly.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold:
“(BG)If (BH)the Lord [v]of armies had not left us [w](BI)descendants,
(BJ)We would have become like Sodom, and would have [x]been like Gomorrah.”
30 (BK)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but (BL)the righteousness that is [y]by faith; 31 however, Israel, (BM)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not (BN)arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it [z]by faith, but as though they could [aa]by works. They stumbled over (BO)the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written:
“(BP)Behold, I am laying in Zion (BQ)a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
(BR)And the one who believes in Him (BS)will not be [ab]put to shame.”
Footnotes
- Romans 9:3 Lit pray
- Romans 9:5 I.e., Messiah
- Romans 9:5 Lit unto the ages
- Romans 9:7 Lit seed
- Romans 9:7 Lit in
- Romans 9:7 Lit seed
- Romans 9:8 Lit these
- Romans 9:8 Lit seed
- Romans 9:11 Lit remain
- Romans 9:11 Lit from
- Romans 9:11 Lit from
- Romans 9:14 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 9:16 Or wills nor
- Romans 9:16 I.e., to win mercy or favor
- Romans 9:17 Lit in all
- Romans 9:20 Lit O
- Romans 9:21 Lit for honor
- Romans 9:21 Lit for dishonor
- Romans 9:22 Lit But
- Romans 9:28 Lit finishing it
- Romans 9:28 Lit cutting it short
- Romans 9:29 Gr sabaoth, for Heb tsebaoth (armies)
- Romans 9:29 Lit seed
- Romans 9:29 Lit been made like
- Romans 9:30 Lit out of
- Romans 9:32 Lit out of
- Romans 9:32 Lit out of
- Romans 9:33 Or disappointed
Romans 9
New International Version
Paul’s Anguish Over Israel
9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying,(A) my conscience confirms(B) it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 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) 4 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) 5 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 Amen.
God’s Sovereign Choice
6 It is not as though God’s word(R) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(S) 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.”[b](T) 8 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) 9 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:
Footnotes
- Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!
- Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
- Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
- Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
- Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
- Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19
- Romans 9:17 Exodus 9:16
- Romans 9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9
- Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
- Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
- Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
- Romans 9:29 Isaiah 1:9
- Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
Romans 9
The Voice
In all of Paul’s letters, there is no more triumphant note than in this declaration. He has reached the climax of what it means to live em powered by God’s Spirit. We are champions, one and all. We will taste victory and sweet success made possible by His love and gifts to us. We may fear the harsh judgment of the majority. We may bristle under the scowls of others. We may even be unsettled by thoughts of death, persecution, and dark spiritual powers. But Paul celebrates the absolute assurance that no one and nothing can come between us and the love of God.
9 Now let me speak the truth as plainly as I know it in the Anointed One. I am not lying when I say that my conscience and the Holy Spirit are witnesses 2 to my state of constant grief. 3 It may sound extreme; but I wish that I were lost, cursed, and totally separated from the Anointed—if that would change the eternal destination of my brothers and sisters, my flesh and countrymen. 4 They are, after all, Israelites who have been adopted into God’s family; the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the temple service, and God’s promises are their rightful heritage. 5 The patriarchs are theirs, too; and from their bloodline comes the Anointed One, the Liberating King, who reigns supreme over all things, God blessed forever. Amen.
The tone changes abruptly. One minute Paul is celebrating the power of Jesus’ love; the next he is grieving because they are not pressing their way into the Kingdom.
6 Clearly it is not that God’s word has failed. The truth is that not everyone descended from Israel is truly Israel. 7 Just because people can claim Abraham as their father does not make them his true children. But in the Scriptures, it says, “Through Isaac your covenant children will be named.”[a] 8 The proper interpretation is this: Abraham’s children by natural descent are not necessarily God’s covenant people; what matters is that His children receive and live the promise. 9 For this is the word God promised: “In due time, I will come, and Sarah will give birth to a son.”[b] 10 But the story didn’t stop there. Remember when Rebekah conceived her twin boys by our father Isaac? 11-12 The twins were in Rebekah’s womb when God said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”[c] This was not based on merit or actions; the twins had not done anything to please or displease God. This was God’s call on each son and His desired purposes. 13 Just as the Scriptures say, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.”[d]
14 So how do we talk about that? Are God’s dealings unjust? Absolutely not! 15 Because He said to Moses, “I will show mercy to whomever I choose to show mercy, and I will demonstrate compassion on whomever I choose to have compassion.”[e] 16 The point is that God’s mercy has nothing to do with our will or the things we pursue. It is completely up to God. 17 The Scriptures even speak to the Pharaoh himself: “I have given you a position of power so that I might show My greater power through you and so that My name might be declared throughout every land upon the earth.”[f] 18 So when and where God decides to show mercy is completely up to Him. Likewise, when He chooses to harden one’s heart, how can we argue?
19 I can hear one of you asking, “Then how can He blame us if He is the one in complete control? How can we do anything He has not chosen for us?” 20 Here’s my answer: Who are you, a mere human, to argue with God? If God takes the time to shape us from the dust, is it right to point a finger at Him and ask, “Why have You made me this way?” 21 Doesn’t the potter have the right to shape the clay in any way he chooses? Can’t he make one lump into an elegant vase, and another into a common jug? Absolutely. 22 Even though God desires to demonstrate His anger and to reveal His power, He has shown tremendous restraint toward those vessels of wrath that are doomed to be cracked and shattered. 23 And why is that? To make the wealth of His glory known to vessels of mercy that are prepared for great beauty. 24 These vessels of mercy include all of us. God has invited Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders; it makes no difference. 25 The prophet Hosea says:
I will give a new name to those who are not My people; I’ll call them “My people,”
and to the one who has not been loved, I’ll rename her “beloved.”[g]
26 And it shall turn out that in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not My people,”
they will be called “children of the living God.”[h]
27 And this is what Isaiah cries out when he speaks of Israel, “Even though the number of the children of Israel had once been like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of My people will be rescued and remain. 28 For the Lord will waste no time in carrying out every detail of His sentence upon the earth.”[i] 29 It is as Isaiah predicts:
Except for the fraction of us who hang on by the grace of the Lord, Commander of heavenly armies,
we’d be destroyed and deserted like Sodom
and Gomorrah, utterly done in.[j]
For Paul, the astonishing truth of the gospel has to do with what God is now doing with the non-Jews. Apparently God’s plan all along is to make those who are not His people into His people. All those who never experienced God’s love are now experiencing it as they enter into the life of the Spirit through faith. But what does this mean for Israel? Israel, too, is included in the people of God; but again, this does not mean all of Israel. Pedigree is not what counts; faith is. As it was in the days of the prophets, so it is again. Divine judgment is falling on disobedience, but a remnant of faithful Jews—a fraction of the whole—is being saved.
30 So what does all of this mean? Did the non-Jews stumble into a right standing with God without chasing after it? Yes, they found it through faith. 31 And has Israel, who pursued the law to secure a right standing with God, failed to keep the law? Yes again. 32 And why is that? Because Israel did not follow the path of faith. They thought that whatever they needed to be right with God could be accomplished by doing the works of the law; they tripped over the stumbling stone. 33 As the Scriptures say,
Look what I am going to do in Zion.
I’ll put in place a stone that makes them stumble, a rock that trips them up,
and those who trust in it will not be disgraced.[k]
로마서 9
Korean Bible: Easy-to-Read Version
하나님과 유대 민족
9 나는 그리스도 안에서 참말을 하고 거짓말을 하지 않습니다. 성령의 인도를 받고 있는 내 양심이 이것을 증언합니다. 2 곧, 내게는 내 동족 때문에 큰 슬픔이 있고 내 마음에 끊임없는 고통이 있다는 것입니다. 3 그들은 내 형제자매요, 육신적으로 말하면 내 동족입니다. 나는, 그들에게 도움이 된다면, 하나님의 저주를 받아서 그리스도에게서 끊어짐을 당하는 일이라도 기꺼이 받아들일 것입니다. 4 내 동족은 이스라엘 민족입니다. 그들은 다음과 같은 여러 가지 특권을 가지고 있습니다. 그들은 하나님의 자녀로 택하심을 받았고 하나님의 영광을 경험해 왔으며, 하나님께서 그들과 맺으신 계약들을 가지고 있으며 모세의 율법과 성전 예배와 하나님의 약속들을 받았습니다. 5 그들은 위대한 조상들의 자손입니다. 그리고 육신으로 말하면 그들에게서 그리스도가 나셨습니다. 그리스도는 만물을 다스리는 하나님이십니다.[a] 그분께서 영원토록 찬양을 받으시기 바랍니다. 아멘.
6 그러나 하나님께서 그들과 맺은 약속을 저버리신 것은 아닙니다. 이스라엘에게서 태어난 사람이라고 해서 다 이스라엘 사람이 아닙니다. 7 그리고 아브라함[b]의 자손이라고 해서 다 아브라함의 자손이 아닙니다. 하나님께서는 “이삭의 몸에서 난 사람만이 네 자손이라고 불릴 것이다.”(A)라고 하셨습니다. 8 이것은 아브라함에게서 자연적으로 난 자녀가 다 하나님의 자녀는 아니라는 뜻입니다. 하나님께서 아브라함과 맺은 약속의 결과로 태어난 아브라함의 자녀만이 참 아브라함의 자손으로 여기심을 받는다는 뜻입니다. 9 하나님께서 아브라함에게 하신 약속의 말씀은 이것이었습니다. “이듬해 이맘때에 내가 돌아올 것이다. 그때에 사라에게 아들이 있을 것이다.”(B)
10 그러나 그것만이 아닙니다. 우리 조상 이삭의 아내 리브가가 쌍둥이를 가졌을 때에도 이와 비슷한 일이 있었습니다. 11-12 쌍둥이들이 태어나기도 전에, 그러니까 그들이 선한 일도 악한 일도 하기 전에 하나님께서 리브가에게 말씀하셨습니다. “형이 아우를 섬길 것이다.”(C) 하나님께서 쌍둥이들이 태어나기도 전에 이렇게 말씀하신 것은, 당신의 선택에 바탕을 둔 당신의 계획이 굳건히 서게 하려는 것이었습니다. 하나님의 계획은 사람의 행위에 바탕을 둔 것이 아니라, 하나님께서 원하는 사람을 부르시는 하나님 자신에게 바탕을 둔 것입니다. 13 성경[c]에도 이렇게 쓰여 있습니다. “내가 야곱은 사랑하고 에서는 미워하였다.”(D)
14 우리가 이 일을 두고 무슨 말을 하겠습니까? 하나님께서 공정치 못하시다고 하겠습니까? 15 하나님께서 모세에게 이렇게 말씀하셨습니다. “나는 자비를 베풀고 싶은 사람에게 자비를 베풀겠다. 그리고 내가 불쌍히 여기고 싶은 사람을 불쌍히 여기겠다.”(E) 16 그러므로 하나님의 선택을 받고 못 받고 하는 것은 사람의 욕구나 노력에 달려 있지 않고 하나님의 자비에 달려 있습니다. 17 성경이 이집트 왕 파라오를 두고 이렇게 말합니다. “나는 바로 이 목적을 위하여 너를 왕으로 세웠다. 그것은, 너로 말미암아 내 능력을 보여 주고 내 이름을 온 세상에 알리려는 것이다.”(F) 18 이렇게 하나님께서는 자비를 베풀고 싶은 사람에게는 자비를 베푸시고, 그 마음을 고집스럽게 만들고 싶은 사람은 고집스럽게 만드십니다.
19 아마 여러분 가운데 어떤 분은 나에게 이렇게 물으실 것입니다. “그렇다면 어찌하여 하나님께서 사람의 잘못을 트집 잡으십니까? 누가 하나님의 뜻에 맞설 수 있습니까?” 20 그러나 사람으로서 감히 하나님께 대들다니, 당신은 과연 누구입니까? “진흙 항아리가 자기를 만든 옹기장이에게 ‘어찌하여 당신은 나를 이런 모양으로 만들었소?’ 라고 말할 수 있습니까?”[d] 21 옹기장이에게는 자신이 원하는 대로 그릇을 빚을 권리가 있지 않습니까? 그는 흙덩이 하나를 둘로 나누어서, 한 덩이로는 특별한 일에 쓸 그릇을 만들고, 나머지 한 덩이로는 보통으로 쓸 그릇을 만듭니다.
22 하나님께서 하신 일도 마찬가지입니다. 하나님께서는 사람들에게 당신의 진노를 보이시고, 당신의 권능을 알게 하시기를 원하셨습니다. 그러나 그분은 인내심을 가지고 진노를 받아 멸망해야 할 사람들을 참아 주셨습니다. 하나님께서 그렇게 하신 것에 대해 누가 무슨 말을 할 수 있겠습니까? 23 하나님께서 그렇게 하신 것은, 당신의 풍성한 영광을 보여 주시려는 것이었습니다. 그분은 당신의 자비를 받을 사람들에게 그 영광을 주기를 원하셨습니다. 그리고 그 영광을 받을 사람들을 미리 준비해 두셨습니다. 이것을 두고 누가 무어라 말할 수 있겠습니까? 24 우리가 하나님께서 불러 주신 바로 그 사람들입니다. 하나님께서는 유대 사람 가운데서뿐만 아니라, 이방 사람[e] 가운데서도 부르셨습니다. 25 호세아의 글에서 하나님께서는 이렇게 말씀하십니다.
“내 백성이 아니었던 사람들을
‘내 백성’이라 부르리라.
그리고 내 사랑이 아니었던 그 여자를
‘내 사랑’이라 부르리라.”(G)
26 “‘너희는 내 백성이 아니다.’라고
말씀하신 바로 그곳에서
그들은
살아 계신 하나님의 자녀라고 불릴 것이다.”(H)
27 이사야도 이스라엘[f]을 두고 이렇게 외쳤습니다.
“이스라엘 사람의 수가
바닷가의 모래와 같다 하더라도
오직 남은 사람들만 구원을 받을 것이다.
28 이는,
하나님께서 빠르고 단호하게
세상 사람들을 벌하실 것이기 때문이다.”(I)
29 이사야는 또 이렇게 말하였습니다.
30 그렇다면 이 모든 것에서 어떤 결론을 내릴 수 있습니까? 이런 결론을 내릴 수 있을 것입니다. 이방 사람들은 하나님께서 받아 주실 만한 사람들이 되는 길을 찾으려고 애쓰지 않았습니다. 그러나 하나님께서 그들을 받아 주셨습니다. 그들의 믿음 때문입니다. 31 그런데 이스라엘 백성은 하나님과의 올바른 관계를 규정짓는 법을 추구하였습니다. 그러나 그 법을 얻지 못하였습니다. 32 어찌하여 얻지 못하였습니까? 그들은 그것을, 믿음의 문제가 아니라 행위의 문제로 여기고 그 법을 추구하였기 때문입니다. 그들은 ‘넘어지게 하는 돌에’ 걸려 넘어졌습니다. 33 성경에도 이렇게 쓰여 있습니다.
Footnotes
- 9:5 그리스도는…하나님이십니다 또는, ‘하나님은 모든 것을 다스리십니다. 그분께서 영원토록 찬양을 받으시길 바랍니다.’
- 9:7 아브라함 유대 사람들이 가장 존경하는 조상
- 9:13 성경 구약성경
- 9:20 진흙 항아리가…말할 수 있습니까 고대 그리스어 판에 나오는 사 29:16절
- 9:24 이방 사람 유대 사람이 아닌 사람
- 9:27 이스라엘 유대 나라(민족)
- 9:29 소돔, 고모라 사람들이 너무도 악하여 하나님이 파멸시킨 도시들. 창 19
- 9:33 시온 예루살렘. 또는 하나님의 백성이 사는 도시
- 9:33 돌, 바위 사 8:14-15절에서는 이스라엘이 걸려 넘어지는 바위인 하나님을, 사 28:16절에서는 구원의 상징으로 쓰였다. 여기서는 예수 그리스도를 뜻하는 것으로 해석된다. 마 21:42절과 비교할 것. 우리는 그 돌(그리스도)을 믿고 의지함으로 구원을 얻는다.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2021 by Bible League International

