Romans 9:16-18

Living Bible

¹⁶ And so God’s blessings are not given just because someone decides to have them or works hard to get them. They are given because God takes pity on those he wants to.

¹⁷ Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was an example of this fact. For God told him he had given him the kingdom of Egypt for the very purpose of displaying the awesome power of God against him, so that all the world would hear about God’s glorious name.^{[a] 18} So you see, God is kind to some just because he wants to be, and he makes some refuse to listen.