Romans 9:6-13

6God promised good things to Israel's people. But I am not saying that what God promised did not happen. It is clear that not all of Israel's people are God's true people.

7Not all of them are true descendants of Abraham. God told Abraham, ‘It is only Isaac that I will call the father of your descendants.’

8This means that not all of Abraham's children are really God's children. It is only those children who were born as a result of God's promise. Only they are the people that God calls true descendants.

9This is what God promised to Abraham: ‘At this time next year I will come back. Then Sarah, your wife, will have a son.’

10Remember this too: Later, Isaac's wife, Rebekah, gave birth to twins. Those two sons had the same father, who was our ancestor, Isaac.

11And God spoke to Rebekah before her sons were born. God spoke before the boys had done anything either good or bad. God did this to show clearly that he himself was choosing one child. He was not choosing someone because of what that person had done. He himself decided who he would choose.

12God said to Rebekah, ‘The older son will serve the younger son.’

13This is written in the Bible: ‘I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.’