Romans 9 ISV NLT Parallel

◄ Romans 9 ►

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1I am telling the truth because I belong to the Messiah —I am not lying, and my conscience confirms it by means of the Holy Spirit.

1With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.

2I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart,

2My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief

3for I could wish that I myself were condemned and cut off from the Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my own people,

3for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.

4who are Israelis. To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises.

4They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.

5To the Israelis belong the patriarchs, and from them, the Messiah descended, who is God over all, the one who is forever blessed. Amen.

5Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

6Now it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all Israelis truly belong to Israel,

6Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!

7and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you."

7Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too.

8That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God's children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants.

8This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.

9For this is the language of the promise: "At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."

9For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

10Not only that, but Rebecca became pregnant by our ancestor Isaac.

10This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.

11Yet before their children had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's plan of election might continue to operate

11But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes;

12according to his calling and not by actions), Rebecca was told, "The older child will serve the younger one."

12he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”

13So it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

13In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”

14What can we say, then? God is not unrighteous, is he? Of course not!

14Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!

15For he says to Moses, "I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to."

15For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

16Therefore, God's choice does not depend on a person's will or effort, but on God himself, who shows mercy.

16So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

17For the Scripture says about Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, to demonstrate my power through you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

17For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”

18Therefore, God has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.

18So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

19You may ask me, "Then why does God still find fault with anybody? For who can resist his will?"

19Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

20On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this?"

20No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”

21A potter has the right to do what he wants to with his clay, doesn't he? He can make something for a special occasion or something for ordinary use from the same lump of clay.

21When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

22Now if God wants to demonstrate his wrath and reveal his power, can't he be extremely patient with the objects of his wrath that are made for destruction?

22In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.

23Can't he also reveal his glorious riches to the objects of his mercy that he has prepared ahead of time for glory—

23He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

24including us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but from the gentiles as well?

24And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

25As the Scripture says in Hosea, "Those who are not my people I will call my people, and the one who was not loved I will call my loved one.

25Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.”

26In the very place where it was told them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called children of the living God."

26And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

27Isaiah also calls out concerning Israel, "Although the descendants of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore, only a few will be saved.

27And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out, “Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved.

28For the Lord will carry out his plan decisively, bringing it to completion on the earth."

28For the LORD will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”

29It is just as Isaiah predicted: "If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom and would have been compared to Gomorrah."

29And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: “If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.” Israel’s Unbelief

30What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith.

30What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.

31But Israel, who pursued righteousness based on the Law, did not achieve the Law.

31But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.

32Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble.

32Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.

33As it is written, "Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble— a large rock that will make them fall— and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed."

33God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

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