Israel’s Present State

30 What should we say then?(A) Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.(B) 31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness,(C) has not achieved the righteousness of the law.[a](D) 32 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.[b] They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(E) 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(F)
will not be put to shame.[c](G)

Righteousness by Faith Alone

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them[d] is for their salvation. I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,(H) but not according to knowledge. Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God(I) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.

Footnotes

  1. 9:31 Other mss read the law for righteousness
  2. 9:32 Other mss add of the law
  3. 9:33 Is 8:14; 28:16
  4. 10:1 Other mss read God for Israel

Israel’s Unbelief

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

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire(G) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous(H) 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.(I)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16