Romans 9 Christian Standard Bible

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

9 I speak the truth in Christ^(A)—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit^[a]— ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish^(B) that I myself were cursed^(C) and cut off^[b] from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. ⁴They are Israelites,^(D) and to them belong the adoption,^(E) the glory,^(F) the covenants,^(G) the giving of the law,^(H) the temple service,^(I) and the promises.^(J) ⁵The ancestors are theirs,^(K) and from them, by physical descent,^[c] came the Christ,^(L) who is God^(M) over all,^(N) praised forever.^[d]^(O) Amen.

God’s Gracious Election of Israel

⁶Now it is not as though the word of God has failed,^(P) because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.^(Q) ⁷Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants.^[e]^(R) On the contrary, your offspring will be traced^[f] through Isaac.^[g]^(S) ⁸That is, it is not the children by physical descent^[h] who are God’s children,^(T) but the children of the promise^(U) are considered to be the offspring. ⁹For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.^[i]^(V) ¹⁰And not only that,^(W) but Rebekah conceived children^(X) through one man, our father Isaac. ¹¹For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand^(Y)— ¹²not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger.^[j]^(Z) ¹³As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.^[k]^(AA)

God’s Selection Is Just

¹⁴What should we say then?^(AB) Is there injustice with God?^(AC) Absolutely not!^(AD) ¹⁵For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.^[l]^(AE) ¹⁶So then, it does not depend on human will or effort^(AF) but on God who shows mercy.^(AG) ¹⁷For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth.^[m]^(AH) ¹⁸So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden.^(AI)

¹⁹You will say to me,^(AJ) therefore, “Why then does he still find fault?^(AK) For who resists his will?” ^(AL) ²⁰On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?^(AM) Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” ^(AN) ²¹Or has the potter no right over the clay,^(AO) to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? ²²And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience^(AP) objects of wrath prepared for destruction?^(AQ) ²³And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory^(AR) on objects of mercy^(AS) that he prepared beforehand for glory^(AT)— ²⁴on us, the ones he also called,^(AU) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?^(AV) ²⁵As it^[n] also says in Hosea,

I will call Not My People, My People,
and she who is Unloved, Beloved.^[o]^(AW)
²⁶And it will be in the place where they were told,
you are not my people,
there they will be called sons of the living God.^[p]^(AX)

²⁷But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,

Though the number of Israelites
is like the sand of the sea,^(AY)
only the remnant will be saved;^(AZ)
²⁸since the Lord will execute his sentence
completely and decisively on the earth.^[q]^[r] ^(BA)

²⁹And just as Isaiah predicted:

If the Lord of Armies had not left us offspring,^(BB)
we would have become like Sodom,
and we would have been made like Gomorrah.^[s]^(BC)

Israel’s Present State

³⁰What should we say then?^(BD) Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.^(BE) ³¹But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness,^(BF) has not achieved the righteousness of the law.^[t]^(BG) ³²Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.^[u] They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^(BH) ³³As it is written,

Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,
and the one who believes on him^(BI)
will not be put to shame.^[v]^(BJ)

Footnotes

9:1 Or testifying with me by the Holy Spirit
9:3 Lit to be anathema
9:5 Lit them, according to the flesh
9:5 Or the Messiah, the one who is over all, the God who is blessed forever, or Messiah. God, who is over all, be blessed forever
9:7 Lit seed
9:7 Lit called
9:7 Gn 21:12
9:8 Lit children of the flesh
9:9 Gn 18:10,14
9:12 Gn 25:23
9:13 Mal 1:2–3
9:15 Ex 33:19
9:17 Ex 9:16
9:25 Or he
9:25 Hs 2:23
9:26 Hs 1:10
9:28 Or land
9:27–28 Is 10:22–23; 28:22; Hs 1:10
9:29 Is 1:9
9:31 Other mss read the law for righteousness
9:32 Other mss add of the law
9:33 Is 8:14; 28:16

Cross references

9:1 : Rm 1:9; 2Co 11:10; Gl 1:20; 1Tm 2:7
9:3 : Ex 32:32
9:3 : 1Co 12:3; 16:22; Gl 1:8,9
9:4 : Rm 8:6
9:4 : Ex 4:22; Rm 8:15
9:4 : Ex 40:34; 1Kg 8:11; Ezk 1:28; Heb 9:5
9:4 : Gn 17:2; Dt 29:14; Lk 1:72; Ac 3:25; Eph 2:12
9:4 : Dt 4:13–14; Ps 147:19
9:4 : Dt 7:6; 14:1; Heb 9:1,6
9:4 : Ac 2:39; 13:32; Eph 2:12
9:5 : Ac 3:13; Rm 11:28
9:5 : Mt 1:1–16; Rm 1:3
9:5 : Jn 1:1; Col 2:9
9:5 : Col 1:16–19
9:5 : Rm 1:25
9:6 : Nm 23:19
9:6 : Jn 1:47; Rm 2:28–29; Gl 6:16
9:7 : Jn 8:33,39; Gl 4:23
9:7 : Gn 21:12; Heb 11:18
9:8 : Rm 8:14
9:8 : Rm 4:13,16; Gl 3:29; 4:28; Heb 11:11
9:9 : Gn 18:10,14
9:10 : Rm 5:3
9:10 : Gn 25:21
9:11 : Rm 4:17; 8:28
9:12 : Gn 25:23
9:13 : Mal 1:2–3
9:14 : Rm 3:5
9:14 : 2Ch 19:7; Rm 2:11
9:14 : Lk 20:16
9:15 : Ex 33:19
9:16 : Gl 2:2
9:16 : Eph 2:8
9:17 : Ex 9:16
9:18 : Ex 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:20,27; 11:10; 14:4,7; Dt 2:30; Jos 11:20; Jn 12:40; Rm 11:7,25
9:19 : Rm 11:19; 1Co 15:25; Jms 2:18
9:19 : Rm 3:7
9:19 : 2Ch 20:6; Jb 9:12; Dn 4:35
9:20 : Jb 33:13
9:20 : Is 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jr 18:6; 2Tm 2:20
9:21 : Is 64:8; Jr 18:6
9:22 : Rm 2:4
9:22 : Pr 16:4; 1Pt 2:8
9:23 : Rm 2:4; Eph 3:16
9:23 : Ac 9:15
9:23 : Rm 8:29
9:24 : Rm 8:28
9:24 : Rm 3:29
9:25 : Hs 2:23; 1Pt 2:10
9:26 : Hs 1:10; Mt 16:16
9:27 : Gn 22:17
9:27 : Rm 11:5
9:27–28 : Is 10:22–23; 28:22
9:29 : Jms 5:4
9:29 : Dt 29:23; Is 1:9; 13:19; Jr 49:18; 50:40; Am 4:11
9:30 : Rm 9:14
9:30 : Rm 1:17; 3:21; 10:6; Gl 2:16; 3:24; Php 3:9; Heb 11:7
9:31 : Is 51:1; Rm 10:2,20; 11:7
9:31 : Gl 5:4
9:32 : 1Pt 2:6,8
9:33 : Rm 10:11
9:33 : Is 8:14; 28:16; Rm 5:5

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