Romans 9:6-13
New Living Translation
6 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! 7 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,”[a] though Abraham had other children, too. 8 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. 9 For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”[b]
10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.[c] 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.”[d] 13 In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”[e]
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Romans 9:6-13
New English Translation
6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel,[a] 7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”[b] 8 This means[c] it is not the children of the flesh[d] who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. 9 For this is what the promise declared:[e] “About a year from now[f] I will return and Sarah will have a son.”[g] 10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man,[h] our ancestor Isaac— 11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election[i] would stand, not by works but by[j] his calling)[k]— 12 [l] it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”[m] 13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[n]
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- Romans 9:6 tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”
- Romans 9:7 tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.sn A quotation from Gen 21:12.
- Romans 9:8 tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”
- Romans 9:8 tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.sn The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring.
- Romans 9:9 tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”
- Romans 9:9 tn Grk “About this time I will return.” Since this refers to the time when the promised child would be born, it would be approximately a year later.
- Romans 9:9 sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.
- Romans 9:10 tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.
- Romans 9:11 tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”
- Romans 9:11 tn Or “not based on works but based on…”
- Romans 9:11 tn Grk “by the one who calls.” sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.
- Romans 9:12 sn Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (NA28/UBS5, NIV, NRSV, NLT, NAB). Other translations place this verse division in the same place that the translation above does (NASB, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV). The translation has followed the latter to avoid breaking the parenthetical statement.
- Romans 9:12 sn A quotation from Gen 25:23.
- Romans 9:13 sn A quotation from Mal 1:2-3.
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