New Revised Standard NRS
Common English Bible CEB
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'm speaking the truth in Christ—I'm not lying, as my conscience assures me with the Holy Spirit:
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
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I have great sadness and constant pain in my heart.
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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I wish I could be cursed, cut off from Christ if it helped my brothers and sisters, who are my flesh-and-blood relatives.
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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They are Israelites. The adoption as God's children, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises belong to them.
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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The Jewish ancestors are theirs, and the Christ descended from those ancestors. He is the one who rules over all things, who is God, and who is blessed forever. Amen.
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's not as though God's word has failed. Not all who are descended from Israel are part 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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Not all of Abraham's children are called Abraham's descendants, but instead your descendants will be named through Isaac.
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 means it isn't the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children from the promise who are counted as descendants.
9 For this is what the promise said, "About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son."
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The words in the promise were: A year from now I will return, 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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Not only that, but also Rebecca conceived children with one man, our ancestor 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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When they hadn't been born yet and when they hadn't yet done anything good or bad, it was shown that God's purpose would continue because it was based on his choice.
12 not by works but by his call) she was told, "The elder shall serve the younger."
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It wasn't because of what was done but because of God's call. This was said to her: The older child will be a slave to the younger one.
13 As it is written, "I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau."
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As it is written, I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.
14 What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!
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So what are we going to say? Isn't this unfair on God's part? Absolutely not!
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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He says to Moses, I'll have mercy on whomever I choose to have mercy, and I'll show compassion to whomever I choose to show compassion.
16 So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.
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So then, it doesn't depend on a person's desire or effort. It depends entirely on God, who shows mercy.
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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Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have put you in this position for this very thing: so I can show my power in you and so that my name can be spread through the entire 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, God has mercy on whomever he wants to, but he makes resistant whomever he wants to.
19 You will say to me then, "Why then does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"
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So you are going to say to me, "Then why does he still blame people? Who has ever resisted his will?"
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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You are only a human being. Who do you think you are to talk back to God? Does the clay say to the potter, "Why did you make me like this?"
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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Doesn't the potter have the power over the clay to make one pot for special purposes and another for garbage from the same lump of clay?
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 very patiently puts up with pots made for wrath that were designed for destruction, because he wanted to show his wrath and to make his power known?
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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What if he did this to make the wealth of his glory known toward pots made for mercy, which he prepared in advance for glory?
24 including us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
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We are the ones God has called. We don't come only from the Jews but we also come 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 it says also in Hosea, I will call “my people” those who aren't my people, and the one who isn't well loved, I will call “loved one.”
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 aren't my people," there they will be called "the living God's children."
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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But Isaiah cries out for Israel, Though the number of Israel's children will be like the sand of the sea, only a remaining part will be saved,
28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth quickly and decisively."
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because the Lord does what he says completely and quickly.
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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As Isaiah prophesied, If the Lord of the heavenly forces had not left descendants for us, we would have been like Sodom, and we would have become like 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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So what are we going to say? Gentiles who weren't striving for righteousness achieved righteousness, the righteousness that comes from 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 though Israel was striving for a Law of righteousness, they didn't arrive.
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? It's because they didn't go for it by faith but they went for it as if it could be reached by doing something. They have tripped over a stumbling block.
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 written: Look! I'm putting a stumbling block in Zion, which is a rock that offends people. And the one 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.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible