Romans 9

9I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—G3004G225G1722G5547G5574G3756G3450G4893G4828G3427G4828G1722G40G41512I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.G3754G3427G2076G3173G3077G2532G88G3601G3450G25883For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,G1063G1473G2172G846G1511G331G575G5547G5228G3450G80G3450G4773G2596G45614the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.G3748G1526G2475G3739G5206G2532G1391G2532G1242G2532G3548G2532G2999G2532G18605Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.G3739G3962G2532G1537G3739G2596G4561G5547G5607G1909G3956G2316G2128G1519G165G2816It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.G3756G3634G1161G3754G3056G2316G1601G1063G3756G3956G1537G2474G3588G3778G24747Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."G3761G3754G1526G4690G11G3956G5043G235G1722G2464G2564G4671G4690G25648In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.G5123G5043G4561G5023G3756G5043G2316G235G5043G1860G3049G1519G46909For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."G1063G3778G3056G1860G2596G5126G2540G2064G2532G4564G2071G520710Not only that, but Rebekah's children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.G1161G3756G3440G235G4479G2532G2845G1537G1520G2192G2257G3962G246411Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand:G1063G1080G3380G1080G3366G4238G5100G18G2228G2556G2443G4286G2316G2596G1589G3306G3756G1537G2041G235G1537G256412not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger."G3754G4483G846G3187G1398G164013Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."G2531G1125G2384G25G1161G2269G340414What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!G5101G2046G3767G3361G93G3844G2316G3361G109615For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."G1063G3004G3475G1653G3739G302G1653G2532G3627G3739G302G362716It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy.G686G3767G3756G2309G3761G5143G235G2316G165317For 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."G1063G1124G3004G5328G3754G1519G5124G846G1825G4571G1825G3704G1731G3450G1411G1722G4671G2532G3704G3450G3686G1229G1722G3956G109318Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.G686G3767G1653G3739G2309G1161G3739G2309G464519One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?"G2046G3767G3427G5101G2089G3201G1063G5101G436G846G101320But who are you, a mere human being, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "G3304G5599G444G5101G1488G4771G470G2316G3361G2046G4110G2046G4111G5101G4160G3165G377921Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for disposal of refuse?G2228G2192G3756G2763G1849G4081G1537G846G5445G3739G3303G4160G4632G1519G5092G1161G3739G1519G81922What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?G1487G1161G2316G2309G1731G3709G2532G1107G846G1415G1107G5342G1722G4183G3115G4632G3709G2675G1519G68423What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—G2532G2443G1107G4149G846G1391G1909G4632G1656G3739G4282G1519G139124even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?G3739G2532G2248G3739G2564G3756G1537G2453G3440G235G2532G1537G148425As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"G3004G2532G1722G5617G2564G3450G2992G3756G3450G2992G2532G25G25G3756G2526and, "In the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'children of the living God.' "G2532G2071G1722G5117G3757G3739G4483G846G5210G3756G3450G2992G1563G2564G5207G2198G231627Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.G2268G1161G2896G5228G2474G1437G706G5207G2474G5600G5613G285G2281G2640G498228For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."G1063G4931G3056G2532G4932G1722G1343G3754G4932G3056G4160G2962G4160G1909G109329It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."G2532G2531G2268G4280G1508G2962G4519G1459G2254G4690G302G1096G5613G4670G2532G302G3666G5613G111630What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;G5101G2046G3767G3754G1484G3588G1377G3361G1343G2638G1343G1161G1343G3588G1537G410231but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal.G1161G2474G1377G3551G1343G5348G3756G5348G1519G3551G134332Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.G1302G3754G3756G1537G4102G235G5613G1537G2041G3551G1063G4350G3037G434833As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."G2531G1125G2400G5087G1722G4622G3037G4348G2532G4073G4625G2532G3956G4100G1909G846G2617G3756G2617