Deep Concern for Israel

9 ^(A)I 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 ^(B)I could ^[a]wish that I myself were ^(C)accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen ^(D)according to the flesh, ⁴ who are ^(E)Israelites, to whom belongs ^(F)the adoption as sons and daughters, ^(G)the glory, ^(H)the covenants, ^(I)the giving of the Law, ^(J)the temple service, and ^(K)the promises; ⁵ whose are ^(L)the fathers, and ^(M)from whom is the ^[b]Christ according to the flesh, ^(N)who is over all, ^(O)God ^(P)blessed ^[c]forever. Amen.

⁶ But it is not as though ^(Q)the word of God has failed. ^(R)For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; ⁷ nor are they all children ^(S)because they are Abraham’s ^[d](T)descendants, but: “^[e](U)through Isaac your ^[f]descendants shall be named.” ⁸ That is, it is not the children of the flesh ^[g]who are ^(V)children of God, but the ^(W)children of the promise are regarded as ^[h](X)descendants. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: “^(Y)At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” ^10 (Z)And not only that, but there was also ^(AA)Rebekah, 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 ^(AB)God’s purpose according to His choice would ^[i]stand, not ^[j]because of works but ^[k]because of Him who calls, ¹² it was said to her, “^(AC)The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written: “^(AD)Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

^14 (AE)What shall we say then? ^(AF)There is no injustice with God, is there? ^[l](AG)Far from it! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, “^(AH)I 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 ^[m]wants it nor the one who ^[n](AI)runs, but on ^(AJ)God who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “^(AK)For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed ^[o]throughout the earth.” ¹⁸ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He ^(AL)hardens whom He desires.

^19 (AM)You will say to me then, “^(AN)Why does He still find fault? For ^(AO)who has resisted His will?” ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, ^[p](AP)you foolish person, who ^(AQ)answers back to God? ^(AR)The 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 ^[q]for honorable use, and another ^[r]for common use? ^22 [s]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with great ^(AS)patience objects of wrath ^(AT)prepared for destruction? ²³ And He did so to make known ^(AU)the riches of His glory upon ^(AV)objects of mercy, which He ^(AW)prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴ namely us, whom He also ^(AX)called, ^(AY)not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, ²⁵ as He also says in Hosea:

²⁷ Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “^(BC)Though the number of the sons of Israel may be ^(BD)like the sand of the sea, only ^(BE)the remnant will be saved; ^28 (BF)for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, ^[t]thoroughly and ^[u]quickly.” ²⁹ And just as Isaiah foretold:

^30 (BK)What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but ^(BL)the righteousness that is ^[y]by faith; ³¹ however, Israel, ^(BM)pursuing a law of righteousness, did not ^(BN)arrive at that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it ^[z]by faith, but as though they could ^[aa]by works. They stumbled over ^(BO)the stumbling stone, ³³ just as it is written:

The Word of Faith Brings Salvation

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. ² For I testify about them that they have ^(BT)a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. ³ For not knowing about ^(BU)God’s righteousness and ^(BV)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For ^(BW)Christ is the ^[ac]end of the Law for righteousness to ^(BX)everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes of the righteousness that is ^[ad]based on the Law, that the person who performs ^[ae]them ^(BY)will live by ^[af]them. ⁶ But ^(BZ)the righteousness ^[ag]based on faith speaks as follows: “^(CA)Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), ⁷ or ‘Who will descend into the ^(CB)abyss?’ (that is, to ^(CC)bring Christ up from the dead).” ⁸ But what does it say? “^(CD)The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ^9 [ah]that ^(CE)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and ^(CF)believe in your heart that ^(CG)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, ^[ai]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, ^[aj]resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “^(CH)Whoever believes in Him will not be ^[ak]put to shame.” ¹² For ^(CI)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is ^(CJ)Lord of ^(CK)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for “^(CL)Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him ^(CM)whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without ^(CN)a preacher? ¹⁵ But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “^(CO)How beautiful are the feet of those who ^[al](CP)bring good news of good things!”

¹⁶ However, they ^(CQ)did not all heed the ^[am]good news; for Isaiah says, “^(CR)Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from ^(CS)hearing, and hearing by ^(CT)the word ^[an]of Christ.

¹⁸ But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? On the contrary:

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

²⁰ And Isaiah is very bold and says,

²¹ But as for Israel, He says, “^(CY)I have spread out My hands all day long to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Israel Has Not Been Rejected

11 I say then, God has not ^(CZ)rejected His people, has He? ^[ap](DA)Far from it! For ^(DB)I too am an Israelite, ^[aq]a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God ^(DC)has not rejected His people whom He ^(DD)foreknew. ^(DE)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ³ “Lord, ^(DF)they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ⁴ But what ^[ar]is the divine response to him? “^(DG)I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time ^(DH)a remnant according to God’s ^[as]gracious choice. ⁶ But ^(DI)if it is by grace, it is no longer ^[at]on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷ What then? What ^(DJ)Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but ^[au]those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were ^(DK)hardened; ⁸ just as it is written:

⁹ And David says,

^11 (DO)I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? ^[av](DP)Far from it! But by their wrongdoing ^(DQ)salvation has come to the Gentiles, to ^(DR)make them jealous. ¹² Now if their wrongdoing proves to be riches for the world, and their failure, riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their ^[aw](DS)fulfillment be! ¹³ But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Therefore insofar as ^(DT)I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ if somehow I may ^(DU)move ^(DV)my ^[ax]own people to jealousy and ^(DW)save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection proves to be the ^(DX)reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but ^(DY)life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the ^(DZ)first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are as well.

¹⁷ But if some of the ^(EA)branches were broken off, and ^(EB)you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the ^[ay]rich root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that ^(EC)it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. ^19 (ED)You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you ^(EE)stand by your faith. ^(EF)Do not be conceited, but fear; ²¹ for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. ²² See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s ^(EG)kindness, ^(EH)if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too ^(EI)will be cut off. ²³ And they also, ^(EJ)if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵ For ^(EK)I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this ^(EL)mystery—so that you will not be ^(EM)wise in your own estimation—that a partial ^(EN)hardening has happened to Israel until the ^(EO)fullness of the Gentiles has come in; ²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:

²⁸ In relation to the gospel they are ^(ES)enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved ^(ET)on account of the fathers; ²⁹ for the gifts and the ^(EU)calling of God ^(EV)are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. ³² For ^(EW)God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.

³³ Oh, the depth of ^(EX)the riches, ^[ba]both of the ^(EY)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(EZ)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ³⁴ For ^(FA)who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? ³⁵ Or ^(FB)who has first given to Him, ^[bb]that it would be paid back to him? ³⁶ For ^(FC)from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. ^(FD)To Him be the glory ^[bc]forever. Amen.