1 I speak truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience bearing witness with me in holy spirit, 2 that sorrow to me is great and constant grief in my heart. 3 For I was praying, i I myself, to be accursed from the Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to flesh, 4 who are Israelis, whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, ii and the service, iii and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from which is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed unto the ages. Amen.
6 But, it is not such that the word of the God has failed. For not all who are from Israel are these Israel, 7 nor are they all children because of Abraham's seed. But, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” iv 8 This is, not the children of the flesh, these are children of the God. But, the children of the promise are considered for seed.
9 For the word of promise is this: “At this time I will come, and there shall be to the Sarah a son.” v 10 And not only, but also Rebecca having sex vi from one, our father Isaac 11 (for not being born yet, and not having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of the God according to election might remain, vii not from works, but from the one who calls), 12 it was said to her that, “The older will serve the younger.” viii 13 Just as it has been written, “The Jacob I loved, and ix the Esau I hated.” x
14 What then shall we say? There is not unrighteousness with the God, is there? May it not be! 15 For to Moses he says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” xi 16 So then, it is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs, but of God who has mercy. 17 For the writing says to the Pharaoh that, “Unto this itself I raised you up, in order that I might demonstrate in you my power, and in order that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” xii 18 So then, who he wills he has mercy, and who he wills he hardens.
19 You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his plan?” xiii 20 Yet indeed, O man, who are you who answers back xiv to the God? The thing formed will not say to the one who forms, “Why did you make me this way,” will it? 21 Or, does not the potter have authority over the clay, out of the same lump, to make the one indeed for honor, and the one for dishonor? 22 And if the God, willing to demonstrate the wrath and to make his power known, endured in much long-suffering vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that he might make known the wealth of his glory upon vessels of mercy, whom he prepared beforehand for glory, 24 whom also he called us, not only from Jews, but also from nations?
25 As also in the Hosea he says, “I will call the people not of me, my people, and her not loved, loved.” xv 26 And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” there they will be called sons of living God.
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning the Israel, “If the number of the sons of Israel were as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved.” xvi 28 For finishing a word and cutting short in righteousness, because Lord will make a short word xvii upon the earth. 29 And just as Isaiah foretold, “Unless Lord of hosts xviii left behind to us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.” xix
30 What then shall we say? That nations who are not pursuing righteousness attain righteousness, even the righteousness out of faith, 31 and Israel pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive unto a law of righteousness. 32 Because why? Because not out of faith, but as out of works of law, for they stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it has been written, “Behold, I place in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, xx and everyone who believes upon him shall not be ashamed.”
Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdfs here and here.
- Εὐχόμην (Euchomên) “I was praying”; TLV “I would pray”; YLT “I was wishing,” see footnote for Acts 26:29. ^
- νομοθεσία (nomothesia) “lawgiving” YLT - only here. ^
- λατρεία (latreia) “service” - used for service to God. Found also in John 16:2; Romans 12:1; Hebrews 9:1,6. ^
- Genesis 21:12 ^
- Genesis 18:10, 14 ^
- κοίτην (koitên) “sex”; OJB “conceived by . . . sexual intercourse”; NKJV “conceived” - this noun is used for “bed,” (Luke 11:7) the “bed” of marriage; (i.e. sex, Hebrews 13:4) and “sexual promiscuity.” (Romans 13:13 NAS) ^
- μένῃ (menê) “remain” YLT; “stand” NKJV – same exact word as in John 14:16; 15:16 “remain” (NKJV). ^
- Genesis 25:23 ^
- δὲ (de) “and” - can be “and” or “but” depending on context. Malachi 1:3 has נְאֶת־עֵשָׂו (ve'et-`êsâv) “and Esau.” ^
- Malachi 1:2-3 ^
- Exodus 33:19 ^
- Exodus 9:16 ^
- βουλήματι (boulêmati) “plan”; YLT “counsel”; NKJV “will” - see Acts 27:43 (TT) “plan” w/related verb “planning.” Only other time this noun is found is in 1 Peter 4:3 CT “desire” (NAS), MT & RT θέλημα (thelêma) “will” (NKJV). ^
- ἀνταποκρινόμενος (antapokrinomenos) “answers back” NAS; “reply against” NKJV – found also only in Luke 14:6. ^
- Hosea 2:23 ^
- Isaiah 10:22; Hosea 1:10; Romans 11:5 ^
- “in righteousness, because . . . a short word” - MT & RT, not found in CT. ^
- Σαβαὼθ (Sabaôth) “hosts” Green; “Sabaoth” (transliteration) NKJV, same word as in e.g. 1 Samuel 1:3 “hosts” LXX. ^
- Isaiah 1:9 ^
- σκανδάλου (skandalou) “offense”- see footnote for Luke 17:1. ^
As in day, let us walk properly, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lewdness, not in strife and jealousy. -- κοίταις (koitais) plural noun, “sexual promiscuity” NAS; see footnote for Romans 9:10.