Romans 9:4-33

4who are 1Israelites, to whom belongs 2the adoption as sons and daughters, 3the glory, 4the covenants, 5the giving of the Law, 6the temple service, and 7the promises; 5whose are 8the fathers, and 9from whom is the 10Christ according to the flesh, 11who is over all, 12God 13blessed 14forever. Amen.

6But it is not as though 15the word of God has failed. 16For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7nor are they all children 17because they are Abraham’s 1819descendants, but: “2021through Isaac your 22descendants shall be named.” 8That is, it is not the children of the flesh 23who are 24children of God, but the 25children of the promise are regarded as 2627descendants. 9For this is the word of promise: “28At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” 1029And not only that, but there was also 30Rebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that 31God’s purpose according to His choice would 32stand, not 33because of works but 34because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, “35The older will serve the younger.” 13Just as it is written: “36Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

1437What shall we say then? 38There is no injustice with God, is there? 3940Far from it! 15For He says to Moses, “41I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” 16So then, it does not depend on the person who 42wants it nor the one who 4344runs, but on 45God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “46For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed 47throughout the earth.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He 48hardens whom He desires.

1949You will say to me then, “50Why does He still find fault? For 51who has resisted His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, 5253you foolish person, who 54answers back to God? 55The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object 56for honorable use, and another 57for common use? 2258What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great 59patience objects of wrath 60prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known 61the riches of His glory upon 62objects of mercy, which He 63prepared beforehand for glory, 24namely us, whom He also 64called, 65not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, 25as He also says in Hosea: “66I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”26“67And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of 68the living God.”

27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “69Though the number of the sons of Israel may be 70like the sand of the sea, only 71the remnant will be saved; 2872for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, 73thoroughly and 74quickly.” 29And just as Isaiah foretold: “75If 76the Lord 77of armies had not left us 7879descendants, 80We would have become like Sodom, and would have 81been like Gomorrah.”

3082What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but 83the righteousness that is 84by faith; 31however, Israel, 85pursuing a law of righteousness, did not 86arrive at that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it 87by faith, but as though they could 88by works. They stumbled over 89the stumbling stone, 33just as it is written: “90Behold, I am laying in Zion 91a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, 92And the one who believes in Him 93will not be 94put to shame.”