1I say what is true in Christ, and not what is false, my mind giving witness with me in the Holy Spirit,
2That I am full of sorrow and pain without end.
3For I have a desire to take on myself the curse for my brothers, my family in the flesh:
4Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God:
5Whose are the fathers, and of whom came Christ in the flesh, who is over all, God, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.
6But it is not as if the word of God was without effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel:
7And they are not all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac will your seed be named.
8That is, it is not the children of the flesh, but the children of God's undertaking, who are named as the seed.
9For this is the word of God's undertaking, At this time will I come, and Sarah will have a son.
10And not only so, but Rebecca being about to have a child by our father Isaac —
11Before the children had come into existence, or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose and his selection might be effected, not by works, but by him whose purpose it is,
12It was said to her, The older will be the servant of the younger.
13Even as it is said, I had love for Jacob, but for Esau I had hate.
14What may we say then? is God not upright? let it not be said.
15For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and pity on whom I will have pity.
16So then, it is not by the desire or by the attempt of man, but by the mercy of God.
17For the holy Writings say to Pharaoh, For this same purpose did I put you on high, so that I might make my power seen in you, and that there might be knowledge of my name through all the earth.
18So then, at his pleasure he has mercy on a man, and at his pleasure he makes the heart hard.
19But you will say to me, Why does he still make us responsible? who is able to go against his purpose?
20But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, Why did you make me so?
21Or has not the potter the right to make out of one part of his earth a vessel for honour, and out of another a vessel for shame?
22What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction:
23And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
24Even us, who were marked out by him, not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles?
25As he says in Hosea, They will be named my people who were not my people, and she will be loved who was not loved.
26And in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they will be named the sons of the living God.
27And Isaiah says about Israel, Even if the number of the children of Israel is as the sand of the sea, only a small part will get salvation:
28For the Lord will give effect to his word on the earth, putting an end to it and cutting it short.
29And, as Isaiah had said before, If the Lord of armies had not given us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
30What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:
31But Israel, going after a law of righteousness, did not get it.
32Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;
33As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.