Romans
9 I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying, as in Holy Spirit my conscience bears me out in attesting, 2 that I have a great grief and my heart an unceasing ache. 3 For I could pray that I might myself be for God’s doom cutting me off from Christ in favor of my brothers, my kinsfolk in the way of flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the gift of the law and the divine service and the promises; 5*** whose are the fathers, and from whom in the way of flesh comes the Christ, he who is over everything, God blessed forever—Amen!
6 But it is not any such thing as that God’s word has fallen through. For it is not just everybody who comes from Israel that are Israel. 7 Neither because they are Abraham’s issue are all of them children, but “it will be by Isaac that issue shall be called yours”; 8 that is, it is not just the children of the flesh that are children of God’s, but the children of the promise are counted as issue; 9 for this word, “at this date I will come and Sarah shall have a son,” is one of promise. 10 And not only this, but Rebecca too, having impregnation by one man, our father Isaac,— 11 for when they were not yet born nor had done any good or evil act, in order that God’s purpose in the way of choice might remain in force not on the basis of deeds but on the basis of him who gave the call, 12 she was told “the senior shall be enslaved to the junior,” 13 as it is written “I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated.”
14 What shall we therefore say? is there injustice with God? away with the thought! 15 For he says to Moses “I will take pity on whom I do take pity on, and have compassion for whom I do have compassion for.” 16 So then it belongs not to the one who has the will nor to the one who does the running, but to God who takes pity. 17 For the text says to the Pharaoh “I raised you up for this sake, for the sake of showing my power on you, and of having my fame told of throughout the earth.” 18 So then he takes pity on whom he will, but whom he will he hardens.
19* So you will say to me “Why does he go on finding fault? for who stands up against his wish?” 20 Rather, man, who are you that answer back to God? is the product to say to the manufacturer “Why did you make me like this?” 21 Or does the potter not have a right to manage the clay, to make out of the same mass part into a vessel destined for honor and part into one for ignominy? 22 And if God, having a will to show his anger and make known what he could do, endured with great patience vessels for anger, adapted to go to destruction; 23 and, in order to make known the richness of his glory upon vessels for mercy which he had prepared for glory, 24 us whom he also called not only out of the Jews but out of the nations too— 25* the same as he says to Hosea “I will call him who was not my people my people, and her who was not loved loved, 26 and in the place where they were told ‘you are not my people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.” 27 And Isaiah cries out about Israel “If the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved, 28 for the Lord will put a word in effect sweepingly and summarily on earth.” 29* And, as Isaiah had said before, “if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us seed we should have come to be like Sodom and a parallel to Gomorrah.”
30 So what shall we say? That foreign nations, those that did not go in for righteousness, arrived at righteousness, but the righteousness that comes of faith; 31 but Israel, going in for the law of righteousness, did not attain to the law. 32* Why? because they were not trying on the basis of faith, but as if on that of deeds; they struck on the “stone to strike against,” 33 as it is written “Here I am laying in Sion a stone to strike against and a rock to stumble over; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.”