Romans 9:1–23

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

9I speak the truth in Christ ^l—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit ^m— ²that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. ³For I could almost wish ⁿto be cursed ^oand cut off ^pfrom the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood. ⁴They are Israelites, ^qand to them belong the adoption, ^rthe glory, ^sthe covenants, ^tthe giving of the law, ^uthe temple service, ^vand the promises. ^w5The ancestors are theirs, ^xand from them, by physical descent, ^ycame the Messiah, ^zwho is God ^aover all, ^bpraised forever. ^cdAmen.

God’s Gracious Election of Israel

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. ^eFor not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ^f7Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants. ^ghOn the contrary, your offspring will be traced ⁱthrough Isaac. ^jk8That is, it is not the children by physical descent ^lwho are God’s children, ^mbut the children of the promise ⁿare considered to be the offspring. ⁹For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son. ^op10And not only that, ^qbut also Rebekah received a promise when she became pregnant ^rsby one man, our ancestor Isaac. ¹¹For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand— ^t12not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger. ^uv13As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. ^wx

God’s Selection Is Just

¹⁴What should we say then? ^yIs there injustice with God? ^zAbsolutely not! ^a15For He tells Moses:

I will show mercy

to whom I will show mercy,

and I will have compassion

on whom I will have compassion. ^bc

¹⁶So then it does not depend on human will or effort ^debut on God who shows mercy. ^f17For the Scripture tells Pharaoh:

I raised you up for this reason

so that I may display My power in you

and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth. ^gh

¹⁸So then, He shows mercy to those He wants to, and He hardens those He wants to harden. ⁱ

¹⁹You will say to me, ^jtherefore, “Why then does He still find fault? ^kFor who can resist His will?” ^l20But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? ^mWill what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” ⁿ²¹Or has the potter no right over the clay, ^oto make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? ²²And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience ^pobjects of wrath ready for destruction? ^q23And what if He did this to make known the riches of His glory ^ron objects of mercy ^sthat He prepared beforehand for glory ^t—