Romans 9:1–13

God’s Chosen People, Israel

^1aI am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,

²that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.

³For ^aI could ¹wish that I myself were ^baccursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen ^caccording to the flesh,

⁴who are ^aIsraelites, to whom belongs ^bthe adoption as sons, and ^cthe glory and ^dthe covenants and ^ethe giving of the Law and ^fthe temple service and ^gthe promises,

⁵whose are ^athe fathers, and ^bfrom whom is the ¹Christ according to the flesh, ^cwho is ^dGod over all, ^eblessed ²forever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though ^athe word of God has failed. ^bFor they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

⁷nor are they all children ^abecause they are Abraham’s seed, but: “^1bthrough Isaac your seed will be named.”

⁸That is, the children of the flesh are not the ^achildren of God, but the ^bchildren of the promise are considered as seed.

⁹For this is the word of promise: “^aAt this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”

^10aAnd not only this, but there was ^bRebekah also, 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 the ^apurpose of God according to His choice would ¹stand, not ²because of works but ³because of Him who calls,

¹²it was said to her, “^aThe older shall serve the younger.”

¹³Just as it is written, “^aJacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”