The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 9 -

I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.

I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood,

the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.

Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise!(a) Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

(Genesis 25:19–28; Malachi 1:1–5)

It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”(b)

So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.

For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”(c)

Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.

Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand,

not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”(d)

So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”(e)

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not!

For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”(f)

So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”(g)

Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?”

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”(h)

Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—

including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?

As He says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people, and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,”(i)

and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”(j)

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.

For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively.”(k)

It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”(l)

Israel’s Unbelief

What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;(m) and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”(n)

Footnotes

(a)9:5 Or forever blessed

(b)9:7 Genesis 21:12

(d)9:12 Genesis 25:23

(e)9:13 Malachi 1:2–3

(f)9:15 Exodus 33:19

(g)9:17 Exodus 9:16 (see also LXX)

(h)9:20 Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9

(i)9:25 Hosea 2:23

(j)9:26 Hosea 1:10

(k)9:28 Isaiah 10:22–23 (see also LXX)

(l)9:29 Isaiah 1:9 (see also LXX)

(m)9:33 Isaiah 8:14

(n)9:33 Isaiah 28:16 (see also LXX)

I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit

that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh

who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises;

of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

(Genesis 25:19–28; Malachi 1:1–5)

But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel.

Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.”(a)

That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs.

For this is a word of promise: “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”(b)

Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac.

For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,(c)

it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”(d)

Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”(e)

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be!

For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”(f)

So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”(g)

So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.

You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?”

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”(h)

Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?

What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory—

us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?

As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.”(i)

“It 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.’”(j)

Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;

for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”(k)

As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies(l) had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.”(m)

Israel’s Unbelief

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;

but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness.

Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

even as it is written, “Behold,(n) I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”(o)

Footnotes

(a)9:7 ℘ Genesis 21:12

(b)9:9 ℘ Genesis 18:10,14

(c)9:11 NU puts the phrase “not of works, but of him who calls” at the beginning of verse 12 instead of the end of verse 11.

(d)9:12 ℘ Genesis 25:23

(e)9:13 ℘ Malachi 1:2-3

(f)9:15 ℘ Exodus 33:19

(g)9:17 ℘ Exodus 9:16

(h)9:20 ℘ Isaiah 29:16; 45:9

(i)9:25 ℘ Hosea 2:23

(j)9:26 ℘ Hosea 1:10

(k)9:28 ℘ Isaiah 10:22-23

(l)9:29 Greek: Sabaoth (or Hebrew: Tze’va’ot)

(m)9:29 ℘ Isaiah 1:9

(n)9:33 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

(o)9:33 ℘ Isaiah 8:14; 28:16