New Testament in a Year

Israel’s Rejection

9 I am telling the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit— ² that my grief is great and there is constant distress in my heart. ³ For I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my fellow countrymen according to the flesh, ⁴ who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the temple service, and the promises, ⁵ to whom belong the patriarchs, and from whom is the Christ according to human descent, who is God over all, blessed forever^[a]! Amen.

⁶ But it is not as if the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, ⁷ nor are they all children because they are descendants of Abraham, but “In Isaac will your descendants be named.”^{[b] 8} That is, it is not the children by human descent^[c] who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. ⁹ For the statement of the promise is this: “At this time I will return and Sarah will have^[d] a son.”^{[e] 10} And not only this, but also when^[f] Rebecca conceived children by one man,^[g] Isaac our father— ¹¹ for although they^[h] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, ¹² not by works but by the one who calls—it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”^{[i] 13} just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^[j]

God’s Sovereign Choice to Show Mercy

¹⁴ What then shall we say? There is no injustice with God, is there?^[k] May it never be! ¹⁵ For to Moses he says, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion.”^[l]