New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—
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I say what is true in Christ, and not what is false, my mind giving witness with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
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That I am full of sorrow and pain without end.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.
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For I have a desire to take on myself the curse for my brothers, my family in the flesh:
4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
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Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God:
5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
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Whose are the fathers, and of whom came Christ in the flesh, who is over all, God, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.
6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to Israel,
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But it is not as if the word of God was without effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel:
7 and not all of Abraham's children are his true descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you."
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And they are not all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac will your seed be named.
8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.
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That is, it is not the children of the flesh, but the children of God's undertaking, who are named as the seed.
9 For this is what the promise said, "About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son."
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For this is the word of God's undertaking, At this time will I come, and Sarah will have a son.
10 Nor is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac.
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And not only so, but Rebecca being about to have a child by our father Isaac--
11 Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose of election might continue,
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Before the children had come into existence, or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose and his selection might be effected, not by works, but by him whose purpose it is,
12 not by works but by his call) she was told, "The elder shall serve the younger."
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It was said to her, The older will be the servant of the younger.
13 As it is written, "I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau."
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Even as it is said, I had love for Jacob, but for Esau I had hate.
14 What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!
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What may we say then? is God not upright? let it not be said.
15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
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For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and pity on whom I will have pity.
16 So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.
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So then, it is not by the desire or by the attempt of man, but by the mercy of God.
17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."
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For the holy Writings say to Pharaoh, For this same purpose did I put you on high, so that I might make my power seen in you, and that there might be knowledge of my name through all the earth.
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.
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So then, at his pleasure he has mercy on a man, and at his pleasure he makes the heart hard.
19 You will say to me then, "Why then does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"
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But you will say to me, Why does he still make us responsible? who is able to go against his purpose?
20 But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, "Why have you made me like this?"
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But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, Why did you make me so?
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?
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Or has not the potter the right to make out of one part of his earth a vessel for honour, and out of another a vessel for shame?
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath that are made for destruction;
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What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction:
23 and what if he has done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
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And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
24 including us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
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Even us, who were marked out by him, not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles?
25 As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call "my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call "beloved.' "
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As he says in Hosea, They will be named my people who were not my people, and she will be loved who was not loved.
26 "And in the very place where it was said to them, "You are not my people,' there they shall be called children of the living God."
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And in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they will be named the sons of the living God.
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved;
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And Isaiah says about Israel, Even if the number of the children of Israel is as the sand of the sea, only a small part will get salvation:
28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth quickly and decisively."
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For the Lord will give effect to his word on the earth, putting an end to it and cutting it short.
29 And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left survivors to us, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah."
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And, as Isaiah had said before, If the Lord of armies had not given us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
30 What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith;
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What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:
31 but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law.
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But Israel, going after a law of righteousness, did not get it.
32 Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
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Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;
33 as it is written, "See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
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As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.