New Living Translation NLT
English Standard Version ESV
1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
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Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.
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For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.
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For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
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For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.
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For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).
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But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven? ’” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”
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“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss? ’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:
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But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
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because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
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For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
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For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. ”
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
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For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
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For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
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How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
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And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! ”
16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “ LORD, who has believed our message?”
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But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? ”
17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
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So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”
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But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. ”
19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”
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But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry. ”
20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”
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Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. ”
21 But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”
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But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. ”
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025