¹ I say the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience testifying to me in the Holy Spirit,

² that great distress is in me, and unceasing sorrow in my heart.

³ For I wished I myself to be accursed from the Christ, for my brothers, my kinsmen according to flesh,

⁴ who are Israelites, of whom is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the divine service, and the promises,

⁵ of whom are the fathers, and from whom (according to flesh) is the Christ, God who is over all is blessed into the ages. Truly.

⁶ But it is not as that the word of God has failed. For all those from Israel, these are not Israel,

⁷ nor, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children, rather, In Isaac a seed will be called for thee.

⁸ That is, the children of the flesh, these are not children of God, instead, the children of the promise are reckoned for seed.

⁹ For this is the word of promise: At this time I will come, and there will be a son by Sarah.

¹⁰ And not only so, but also Rebecca having bed from one man, our father Isaac

¹¹ (for not yet having been born, nor having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to selection might remain, not from works, but from him who calls),

¹² it was said to her, The older will serve the younger.

¹³ As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I regarded inferior.

¹⁴ What will we say then? Is there injustice from God? May it not happen!

¹⁵ For he says to Moses, I will be merciful to whom I may be merciful, and I will be compassionate to whomever I may be compassionate.

¹⁶ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who is merciful.

¹⁷ For the scripture says to Pharaoh, For this same thing I raised thee up, that I might display in thee my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

¹⁸ So then he is merciful to whom he will, and whom he will he hardens.

¹⁹ Thou will say to me therefore, Why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his purpose?

²⁰ Rather, O man, who are thou answering back to God? No, will the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why did thou make me this way?

²¹ Or has the potter no right over the clay, from the same lump certainly to make this vessel for esteem, and that for disesteem?

²² And if God, wanting to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

²³ even that he might make known the wealth of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he previously prepared for glory,

²⁴ namely us whom he called, not only from Jews but also from Gentiles.

²⁵ As also he says in Hosea, I will call those not my people, my people, and her who was not beloved, beloved.

²⁶ And it will be in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, there they will be called, sons of the living God.

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, If the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved.

²⁸ Since he is completing and finishing quickly a matter in righteousness, because a matter that has been cut short upon the earth, the Lord will perform.

²⁹ And just as Isaiah has foretold, Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.

³⁰ What will we say then? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness from faith.

³¹ But Israel who pursued a law of righteousness, did not arrive to a law of righteousness.

³² Why? Because it was not from faith but as from works of law. For they stumbled at the stone of stumbling,

³³ just as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. And every man who believes in him will not be shamed.