To the Romans
10 Brothers, the goodwill of my heart and my supplication to God for them are, indeed, for their salvation.+ 2 For I bear them witness* that they have a zeal+ for God; but not according to accurate knowledge;+ 3 for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God+ but seeking to establish their own,+ they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.+ 4 For Christ is the end* of the Law,+ so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness.+
5 For Moses writes that the man that has done the righteousness of the Law will live by it.+ 6 But the righteousness resulting from faith speaks in this manner: “Do not say in your heart,+ ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’+ that is, to bring Christ+ down; 7 or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’+ that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.”+ 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your own mouth and in your own heart”;+ that is, the “word”+ of faith, which we are preaching.*+ 9 For if you publicly declare that ‘word in your own mouth,’+ that Jesus is Lord,*+ and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead,+ you will be saved.+ 10 For with the heart+ one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration+ for salvation.
11 For the Scripture says: “None that rests+ his faith on him will be disappointed.”*+ 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,+ for there is the same Lord over all, who is rich+ to all those calling upon him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah* will be saved.”+ 14 However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith?+ How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach?+ 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent forth?+ Just as it is written: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”+
16 Nevertheless, they did not all obey the good news.+ For Isaiah says: “Jehovah,* who put faith in the thing heard from us?”+ 17 So faith follows the thing heard.+ In turn the thing heard is through the word about Christ.*+ 18 Nevertheless I ask, They did not fail to hear, did they? Why, in fact, “into all the earth their sound went out,+ and to the extremities* of the inhabited earth* their utterances.”+ 19 Nevertheless I ask, Israel did not fail to know, did they?+ First Moses says: “I will incite YOU people to jealousy through that which is not a nation; I will incite YOU to violent anger through a stupid nation.”+ 20 But Isaiah becomes very bold and says: “I was found by those who were not seeking me;+ I became manifest to those who were not asking for me.”+ 21 But as respects Israel he says: “All day long I have spread out my hands toward a people that is disobedient+ and talks back.”+