Romans 9-10

Common English Bible

The tragedy of Israel’s unbelief

9 I’m speaking the truth in Christ—I’m not lying, as my conscience assures me with the Holy Spirit: ² I have great sadness and constant pain in my heart. ³ I wish I could be cursed, cut off from Christ if it helped my brothers and sisters, who are my flesh-and-blood relatives. ⁴ They are Israelites. The adoption as God’s children, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises belong to them. ⁵ The Jewish ancestors are theirs, and the Christ descended from those ancestors. He is the one who rules over all things, who is God, and who is blessed forever. Amen.

Israel and God’s choice

⁶ But it’s not as though God’s word has failed. Not all who are descended from Israel are part of Israel. ⁷ Not all of Abraham’s children are called Abraham’s descendants, but instead your descendants will be named through Isaac.^{[a] 8} That means it isn’t the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children from the promise who are counted as descendants. ⁹ The words in the promise were: A year from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.^[b]

¹⁰ Not only that, but also Rebecca conceived children with one man, our ancestor Isaac. ¹¹ When they hadn’t been born yet and when they hadn’t yet done anything good or bad, it was shown that God’s purpose would continue because it was based on his choice. ¹² It wasn’t because of what was done but because of God’s call. This was said to her: The older child will be a slave to the younger one.^{[c] 13} As it is written, I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.^[d]

¹⁴ So what are we going to say? Isn’t this unfair on God’s part? Absolutely not! ¹⁵ He says to Moses, I’ll have mercy on whomever I choose to have mercy, and I’ll show compassion to whomever I choose to show compassion.^{[e] 16} So then, it doesn’t depend on a person’s desire or effort. It depends entirely on God, who shows mercy. ¹⁷ Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have put you in this position for this very thing: so I can show my power in you and so that my name can be spread through the entire earth.^{[f] 18} So then, God has mercy on whomever he wants to, but he makes resistant whomever he wants to.

¹⁹ So you are going to say to me, “Then why does he still blame people? Who has ever resisted his will?” ²⁰ You are only a human being. Who do you think you are to talk back to God? Does the clay say to the potter, “Why did you make me like this?”^{[g] 21} Doesn’t the potter have the power over the clay to make one pot for special purposes and another for garbage from the same lump of clay? ²² What if God very patiently puts up with pots made for wrath that were designed for destruction, because he wanted to show his wrath and to make his power known? ²³ What if he did this to make the wealth of his glory known toward pots made for mercy, which he prepared in advance for glory? ²⁴ We are the ones God has called. We don’t come only from the Jews but we also come from the Gentiles. ²⁵ As it says also in Hosea,

²⁶ And in the place where it was said to them,

²⁷ But Isaiah cries out for Israel,

²⁹ As Isaiah prophesied,

Israel and God’s righteousness

³⁰ So what are we going to say? Gentiles who weren’t striving for righteousness achieved righteousness, the righteousness that comes from faith. ³¹ But though Israel was striving for a Law of righteousness, they didn’t arrive. ³² Why? It’s because they didn’t go for it by faith but they went for it as if it could be reached by doing something. They have tripped over a stumbling block. ³³ As it is written:

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire is for Israel’s salvation. That’s my prayer to God for them. ² I can vouch for them: they are enthusiastic about God. However, it isn’t informed by knowledge. ³ They don’t submit to God’s righteousness because they don’t understand his righteousness, and they try to establish their own righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the goal of the Law, which leads to righteousness for all who have faith in God.

⁵ Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law: The person who does these things will live by them.^{[m] 6} But the righteousness that comes from faith talks like this: Don’t say in your heart, “Who will go up into heaven?”^[n] (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ or “Who will go down into the region below?”^[o] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart^[p] (that is, the message of faith that we preach). ⁹ Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation. ¹¹ The scripture says, All who have faith in him won’t be put to shame.^{[q] 12} There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives richly to all who call on him. ¹³ All who call on the Lord’s name will be saved.^[r]

¹⁴ So how can they call on someone they don’t have faith in? And how can they have faith in someone they haven’t heard of? And how can they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the good news.^[s]

¹⁶ But everyone hasn’t obeyed the good news. As Isaiah says, Lord, who has had faith in our message?^{[t] 17} So, faith comes from listening, but it’s listening by means of Christ’s message. ¹⁸ But I ask you, didn’t they hear it? Definitely! Their voice has gone out into the entire earth, and their message has gone out to the corners of the inhabited world.^{[u] 19} But I ask you again, didn’t Israel understand? First, Moses says, I will make you jealous of those who aren’t a people, of a people without understanding.^{[v] 20} And Isaiah even dares to say, I was found by those who didn’t look for me; I revealed myself to those who didn’t ask for me.^{[w] 21} But he says about Israel, All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.^[x]