^aI am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For ^aI could ¹wish that I myself were ^baccursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen ^caccording to the flesh, 4 who are ^aIsraelites, to whom belongs ^bthe adoption as sons and daughters, ^cthe glory, ^dthe covenants, ^ethe giving of the Law, ^fthe temple service, and ^gthe promises; 5 whose are ^athe fathers, and ^bfrom whom is the ¹Christ according to the flesh, ^cwho is over all, ^dGod ^eblessed ²forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though ^athe word of God has failed. ^bFor they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children ^abecause they are Abraham’s ^1bdescendants, but: “^2cTHROUGH ISAAC YOUR ³DESCENDANTS SHALL BE NAMED.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh ¹who are ^achildren of God, but the ^bchildren of the promise are regarded as ^2cdescendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “^aAT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH WILL HAVE A SON.” 10 ^aAnd not only that, but there was also ^bRebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that ^aGod’s purpose according to His choice would ¹stand, not ²because of works but ³because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “^aTHE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” 13 Just as it is written: “^aJACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE HATED.”

14 ^aWhat shall we say then? ^bThere is no injustice with God, is there? ^1cFar from it! 15 For He says to Moses, “^aI WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL SHOW COMPASSION TO WHOMEVER I SHOW COMPASSION.” 16 So then, it does not depend on the person who ¹wants it nor the one who ^2aruns, but on ^bGod who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “^aFOR THIS VERY REASON I RAISED YOU UP, IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED ¹THROUGHOUT THE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He ^ahardens whom He desires.

19 ^aYou will say to me then, “^bWhy does He still find fault? For ^cwho has resisted His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, ^1ayou foolish person, who ^banswers back to God? ^cThe thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object ¹for honorable use, and another ²for common use? 22 ¹What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great ^apatience objects of wrath ^bprepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known ^athe riches of His glory upon ^bobjects of mercy, which He ^cprepared beforehand for glory, 24 namely us, whom He also ^acalled, ^bnot only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, 25 as He also says in Hosea:“^aI WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “^aTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL MAY BE ^bLIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, ONLY ^cTHE REMNANT WILL BE SAVED; 28 ^aFOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, ¹THOROUGHLY AND ²QUICKLY.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold:“^aIF ^bTHE LORD ¹OF ARMIES HAD NOT LEFT US ^2cDESCENDANTS,^dWE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE ³BEEN LIKE GOMORRAH.”

30 ^aWhat shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but ^bthe righteousness that is ¹by faith; 31 however, Israel, ^apursuing a law of righteousness, did not ^barrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it ¹by faith, but as though they could ²by works. They stumbled over ^athe stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written:“^aBEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION ^bA STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,^cAND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM ^dWILL NOT BE ¹PUT TO SHAME.”