Chapter 10

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

2 For I testify about them that they have aa zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.

3 For not knowing about aGod’s righteousness and bseeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

4 For aChrist is the 1end of the law for righteousness to beveryone who believes.

5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is 1based on law ashall live 2by that righteousness.

6 But athe righteousness 1based on faith speaks as follows: “bDo not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down),

7 or ‘Who will descend into the aabyss?’ (that is, to bbring Christ up from the dead).”

8 But what does it say? “aThe word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

9 1that aif you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and bbelieve in your heart that cGod raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, 1resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, 2resulting in salvation.

11 For the Scripture says, “aWhoever believes in Him will not be 1disappointed.”

12 For athere is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is bLord of call, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

13 for “aWhoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him awhom they have not heard? And how will they hear without ba preacher?

15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “aHow beautiful are the feet of those who 1bbring good news of good things!”

16 However, they adid not all heed the 1good news; for Isaiah says, “bLord, who has believed our report?”

17 So faith comes from ahearing, and hearing by bthe word 1of Christ.

18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;

“aTheir voice has gone out into all the earth,

And their words to the ends of the 1world.”

19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,

“aI will bmake you jealous by that which is not a nation,

By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”

20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,

“aI was found by those who did not seek Me,

I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

21 But as for Israel He says, “aAll the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”