1I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying and my conscience bears witness with me in the Holy Spirit 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3In fact, I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my relatives according to the flesh, 4who are Israelites. Theirs is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the offering of divine service,1634 and the promises. 5From them are the fathers and Christ according to the flesh, who is blessed God over all, unto the ages.1635 Amen.
6But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. In fact, those of ‘Israel’ are not all Israel,1636 7and just because they are Abraham’s seed, not all are children. But, “In Isaac will your seed be called.”1637 8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are considered as descendants. 9For this is a word of promise, “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”1638 10Not only so, but Rebecca also conceived by our father Isaac. 11Even before her twins1639 had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls),1640 12it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”1641 13As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”1642
14What then shall we say? That there is injustice with God? May it never be! 15For God1643 said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”1644 16And so, it is not about someone willing or running, but it depends on God who has mercy. 17Thus, the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose, I caused you to be raised up, so that I might show in you my power, and that my Name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”1645 18And so, God1646 has mercy on whom he desires,1647 and he hardens whom he desires. 19You will then ask me, “Why does God1648 still find fault? Who can resist his will?”
20But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with God?1649 Will the thing formed ask the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”1650 21Does not the potter1651 have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?1652 22What if God, willing to show his wrath and also to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath fitted1653 for destruction; 23and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory? 24That is us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says also in Hosea:
I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people;
and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.1654
26It will be that in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
There they will be called ‘children of the living God.’1655
27Isaias (Isaiah) cries concerning Israel:
If the number of the children of Israel is as the sand of the sea,
It is the remnant who will be saved;1656
28For he will finish the work1657 and cut it short in righteousness,
Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.1658
29As Isaias has said before:
If the Lord of Hosts1659 had not left us a seed,
We would have become like Sodom,
And would have been made like Gomorrah.1660
The righteousness which is of faith
30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, [still] attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; 31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not in fact arrive at the law of righteousness. 32Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but by the works of the law! For they stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33even as it is written:
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense;
And whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.1661
About Israel—On salvation
- Greek latrei,a
- Or “…flesh, who is over all: God be blessed forever.” This doxology seems to apply to Christ (here called God), as is indicated by a similar structure in Romans 1:25 and 2 Corinthians 11:31.
- Compare Revelation 2:9
- Genesis 21:12
- Genesis 18:10,14
- Greek “they”
- CT puts the phrase “not of works, but of him who calls” at the beginning of verse 12 instead of the end of verse 11.
- Genesis 25:23
- Malachi 1:2-3
- Greek “he”
- Exodus 33:19
- Exodus 9:16. NT agrees with LXX against MT.
- Greek “he”
- Or “wills”
- Greek “he”
- Compare Job 38:1-40:1 (MT)
- Isaias 29:16; 45:9; Jeremiah 18:6-11
- Compare also with 2 Timothy 2:20-21 and Jeremiah 18:1-11
- Compare Wisdom 15:7
- Or “prepared/fully complete/supplied”
- Hosea 2:23. NT agrees with LXX against MT.
- Hosea 1:10
- NT agrees with LXX against MT.
- CT reads for verse 28, “For the Lord will execute his word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly” (NASB)
- Isaias 10:22-23
- Greek Sabaoth (for Hebrew: Tze’va’ot)
- Isaias 1:9. NT agrees with LXX against MT.
- Or “put to shame.” Isaias 8:14; 28:16. NT agrees with LXX against MT.
Text: The Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible, New Testament (EOB). Used with permission.
