Romans 9-11

New American Standard Bible 1995

Solicitude 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 brethren, my kinsmen ^(D)according to the flesh, ⁴ who are ^(E)Israelites, to whom belongs ^(F)the adoption as sons, and ^(G)the glory and ^(H)the covenants and ^(I)the giving of the Law and ^(J)the temple service and ^(K)the promises, ⁵ whose are ^(L)the fathers, and ^(M)from whom is ^[b]the 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]descendants, but: “^[e](T)through Isaac your ^[f]descendants will be named.” ⁸ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are ^(U)children of God, but the ^(V)children of the promise are regarded as ^[g]descendants. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: “^(W)At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” ^10 (X)And not only this, but there was ^(Y)Rebekah also, 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 ^(Z)God’s purpose according to His choice would ^[h]stand, not ^[i]because of works but ^[j]because of Him who calls, ¹² it was said to her, “^(AA)The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written, “^(AB)Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

^14 (AC)What shall we say then? ^(AD)There is no injustice with God, is there? ^(AE)May it never be! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “^(AF)I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who ^(AG)runs, but on ^(AH)God who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “^(AI)For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed ^[k]throughout the whole earth.” ¹⁸ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He ^(AJ)hardens whom He desires.

^19 (AK)You will say to me then, “^(AL)Why does He still find fault? For ^(AM)who resists His will?” ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, ^(AN)O man, who ^(AO)answers back to God? ^(AP)The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? ²¹ Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel ^[l]for honorable use and another ^[m]for common use? ^22 [n]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much ^(AQ)patience vessels of wrath ^(AR)prepared for destruction? ²³ And He did so to make known ^(AS)the riches of His glory upon ^(AT)vessels of mercy, which He ^(AU)prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴ even us, whom He also ^(AV)called, ^(AW)not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. ²⁵ As He says also in Hosea,

²⁷ Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “^(BA)Though the number of the sons of Israel be ^(BB)like the sand of the sea, it is ^(BC)the remnant that will be saved; ^28 (BD)for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, ^[o]thoroughly and ^[p]quickly.” ²⁹ And just as Isaiah foretold,

^30 (BH)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even ^(BI)the righteousness which is ^[t]by faith; ³¹ but Israel, ^(BJ)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not ^(BK)arrive at that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it ^[u]by faith, but as though it were ^[v]by works. They stumbled over ^(BL)the stumbling stone, ³³ just as it is written,

The Word of Faith Brings Salvation

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. ² For I testify about them that they have ^(BQ)a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. ³ For not knowing about ^(BR)God’s righteousness and ^(BS)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For ^(BT)Christ is the ^[x]end of the law for righteousness to ^(BU)everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is ^[y]based on law ^(BV)shall live ^[z]by that righteousness. ⁶ But ^(BW)the righteousness ^[aa]based on faith speaks as follows: “^(BX)Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), ⁷ or ‘Who will descend into the ^(BY)abyss?’ (that is, to ^(BZ)bring Christ up from the dead).” ⁸ But what does it say? “^(CA)The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ^9 [ab]that ^(CB)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and ^(CC)believe in your heart that ^(CD)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, ^[ac]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, ^[ad]resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “^(CE)Whoever believes in Him will not be ^[ae]disappointed.” ¹² For ^(CF)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is ^(CG)Lord of ^(CH)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for “^(CI)Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him ^(CJ)whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without ^(CK)a preacher? ¹⁵ How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “^(CL)How beautiful are the feet of those who ^[af](CM)bring good news of good things!”

¹⁶ However, they ^(CN)did not all heed the ^[ag]good news; for Isaiah says, “^(CO)Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from ^(CP)hearing, and hearing by ^(CQ)the word ^[ah]of Christ.

¹⁸ But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;

¹⁹ But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,

²⁰ And Isaiah is very bold and says,

²¹ But as for Israel He says, “^(CV)All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Israel Is Not Cast Away

11 I say then, God has not ^(CW)rejected His people, has He? ^(CX)May it never be! For ^(CY)I too am an Israelite, ^[aj]a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God ^(CZ)has not rejected His people whom He ^(DA)foreknew. ^(DB)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ³ “Lord, ^(DC)they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ⁴ But what ^[ak]is the divine response to him? “^(DD)I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time ^(DE)a remnant according to God’s ^[al]gracious choice. ⁶ But ^(DF)if it is by grace, it is no longer ^[am]on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷ What then? What ^(DG)Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but ^[an]those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were ^(DH)hardened; ⁸ just as it is written,

⁹ And David says,

^11 (DL)I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? ^(DM)May it never be! But by their transgression ^(DN)salvation has come to the Gentiles, to ^(DO)make them jealous. ¹² Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their ^[ao](DP)fulfillment be! ¹³ But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(DQ)I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴ if somehow I might ^(DR)move to jealousy ^(DS)my ^[ap]fellow countrymen and ^(DT)save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection is the ^(DU)reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but ^(DV)life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the ^(DW)first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.

¹⁷ But if some of the ^(DX)branches were broken off, and ^(DY)you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the ^[aq]rich root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that ^(DZ)it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. ^19 (EA)You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you ^(EB)stand by your faith. ^(EC)Do not be conceited, but fear; ²¹ for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. ²² Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s ^(ED)kindness, ^(EE)if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also ^(EF)will be cut off. ²³ And they also, ^(EG)if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵ For ^(EH)I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this ^(EI)mystery—so that you will not be ^(EJ)wise in your own estimation—that a partial ^(EK)hardening has happened to Israel until the ^(EL)fullness of the Gentiles has come in; ²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

^28 [as]From the standpoint of the gospel they are ^(EP)enemies for your sake, but ^[at]from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for ^(EQ)the sake of the fathers; ²⁹ for the gifts and the ^(ER)calling of God ^(ES)are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. ³² For ^(ET)God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

³³ Oh, the depth of ^(EU)the riches ^[au]both of the ^(EV)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(EW)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ³⁴ For ^(EX)who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? ³⁵ Or ^(EY)who has first given to Him ^[av]that it might be paid back to him again? ³⁶ For ^(EZ)from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. ^(FA)To Him be the glory ^[aw]forever. Amen.