Paul’s Concern for the Jews 2 UST that I grieve very greatly and constantly! BSB BSB: I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 UST { I do so} because I truly wish that God would curse me and completely alienate me from{ Jesus} the Messiah for my fellow{ kinsmen}{ to be saved}! They are physically related to me. BSB BSB: For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood,
5 UST { Our Jewish} forefathers{ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob} were Israelites. The Messiah is also one of them, as someone physically related to them. The Messiah rules over everything.{ He is} the blessed God forever. May it be so! BSB BSB: Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.
God’s Sovereign Choice (Genesis 25:19–28; Malachi 1:1–5)
6 UST Yet God has not failed to do what he promised{ to the Israelites}.{ This is true} because not all people who have physically descended from Israel are{ true} Israelites. BSB BSB: It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
7 UST { It is} also not{ true} that all those who physically descended{ from Abraham} are Abraham’ s{ true} offspring. Rather,{ as God says to Abraham in the Scriptures,}“I will identify your{ true} offspring through{ those who descend from} Isaac.” BSB BSB: Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
8 UST In other words, the people who{ only} physically descended{ from Abraham} are not God’ s{ spiritual} children. Rather, those{ who became God’ s spiritual} children as a result of what God promised are regarded as{ Abraham’ s true spiritual} offspring. BSB BSB: So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
9 UST Indeed, this is what God promised{ would happen}{ when he said in the Scriptures},“At a set time, I will come. As a result, Sarah will give birth to a son.” BSB BSB: For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 UST This is not the only{ promise God made}. But{ God made a promise} also when Rebekah became pregnant by this same man, Isaac.{ He is} the ancestor of us{ Israelites}. BSB BSB: Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
11 UST Indeed,{ God chose only one of her two sons} even though she had not yet born them and they had not yet done anything right or wrong.{ God did this} in order that what he had previously planned with regard to choosing{ people} would happen. BSB BSB: Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand,
12 UST { God did not choose only one of her sons} because of what he did. Rather, it was because God summons{ those whom he chooses}.{ This is why} God told Rebekah{ in the Scriptures},“Your older son will become a slave to your younger son.” BSB BSB: not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
13 UST This is what{ God meant when} he said{ in the Scriptures},“I love{ the younger son} Jacob, but I emphatically reject{ the older son} Esau.” BSB BSB: So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 UST { Someone might say,}“{ If what you have said is true,} then surely God must be unrighteous!”{ Then I would say,}“Of course not!” BSB BSB: What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not!
15 UST { We know that God is truly righteous} because God told Moses{ in the Scriptures},“I will be merciful to whomever I want to be merciful. I will be compassionate to whomever I want to be compassionate.” BSB BSB: For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 UST Therefore,{ who receives God’ s mercy does} not{ depend} on{ how much} someone desires{ to receive it}.{ Who receives God’ s mercy} also does not depend on{ how much} effort someone exerts. Rather,{ it depends on} what God wants.{ He is} the one who is merciful. BSB BSB: So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
17 UST Indeed, this is what God told Pharaoh in the Scriptures,“I allowed you{ to become king in Egypt} for this exact reason: in order that I could use you to exhibit how powerful I am. I also{ allowed you to become king} in order that I will be famous all over the world.” BSB BSB: For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18 UST Therefore, God is merciful to whomever he wants{ to be merciful}. But he makes stubborn whomever he wants{ to become stubborn}. BSB BSB: Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
19 UST As a result{ of what I have said,} one of you may tell me,“{ If what you have said is true,} then surely God should not blame people{ for doing what they do}!{ God should not do that} because no one can ever stop him from doing whatever he wants{ to do}!” BSB BSB: One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?”
20 UST { Then I would say,}“You{ mere} human! You who argue with God are truly not worthy{ to do so}! Who God has made surely must not say to God who made him,‘You should not have made me to be like this!’” BSB BSB: But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”
21 UST { God can surely do whatever he wants to do with what he has made. In the same way,} someone who makes containers can do whatever he wants to do with his materials. From the same material he can make both containers for special use and containers for ordinary use. BSB BSB: Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?
22 UST Now,{ you should surely not argue with God} because he very patiently endured those people whom he would punish{ and} had prepared to destroy{ eternally}.{ He endured them} because he wanted to show how angry he is and to reveal how powerful he is. BSB BSB: What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
23 UST { God} also{ endures those whom he will punish} in order to reveal how abundantly glorious he is to those people to whom he will be merciful. God has previously arranged to glorify these people{ eternally}. BSB BSB: What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—
24 UST We are also{ among those people to whom God is merciful and} whom God has summoned.{ God summons people} from{ among} Jewish people and even from{ among} non- Jewish people. BSB BSB: including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?
26 UST { God also told Hosea,}“Then it will happen, in the{ exact} same location where I previously told them,‘You are not my people,’ I will give them the name,‘Children of God who lives.’” BSB BSB: and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
27 UST Indeed,{ elsewhere in the Scriptures} Isaiah shouts out about{ the people} of Israel,“Even though there were as many Israelites as there are grains of sand along the seashore, God will refrain from punishing{ only} a few of them. BSB BSB: Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
28 UST { This is} because the Lord will fully and swiftly accomplish what he promised{ to do} on the earth.” BSB BSB: For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively.”
29 UST { It is} also just like Isaiah previously said{ in the Scriptures},“Unless the Lord, who rules over angel armies, had preserved offspring for us{ Israelites}, he would have utterly destroyed us like he destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.” BSB BSB: It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
Israel’s Unbelief 30 UST { Since these things are true}, we should surely say that{ although} the nations are not trying to be righteous,{ they} became righteous.{ However,} they became righteous by trusting{ God}. BSB BSB: What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 UST By contrast,{ the people of} Israel tried to obey the laws{ God gave them} in order to become righteous.{ But} they could not become righteous by{ obeying} those laws. BSB BSB: but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
32 UST The reason why{ the people of Israel could not become righteous} is that they did not{ try to become righteous} by trusting{ God}. Instead, they tried to become righteous by working{ for it}.{ Because of this}{ the Messiah offended them when he came. It is as if the Messiah is} a stone that causes them to trip. BSB BSB: Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33 UST This is what{ God meant when} he had{ Isaiah} write{ in the Scriptures},“Pay attention! I am placing in Jerusalem{ someone who is like} a stone that trips{ people} and a rock that offends{ people}. But God will not humiliate{ anyone} who trusts in that person.” BSB BSB: as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.