Romans 9

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 This is the truth and I am speaking in Christ, without pretence, as my conscience testifies for me in theHoly Spirit;	1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 there is great sorrow and unremitting agony in my heart:	2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 I could pray that I myself might be accursed and cut off from Christ, if this could benefit the brotherswho are my own flesh and blood.	3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 They are Israelites; it was they who were adopted as children, the glory was theirs and the covenants;to them were given the Law and the worship of God and the promises.	4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
5 To them belong the fathers and out of them, so far as physical descent is concerned, came Christ whois above al , God, blessed for ever. Amen.	5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
6 It is not that God's promise has failed. Not all born Israelites belong to Israel,	6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 and not all the descendants of Abraham count as his children, for Isaac is the one through whom yourName will be carried on.	7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, it is not by being children through physical descent that people become children of God; it isthe children of the promise that are counted as the heirs.	8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
9 The actual words of the promise were: I shal come back to you at this season, and Sarah wil have ason.	9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
10 Even more to the point is what was said to Rebecca when she was pregnant by our ancestor, Isaac,	10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11 before her children were born, so that neither had yet done anything either good or bad, but in orderthat it should be God's choice which prevailed	11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 -not human merit, but his cal -- she was told: the elder one wil serve the younger.	12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 Or as scripture says elsewhere: I loved Jacob but hated Esau.	13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What should we say, then? That God is unjust? Out of the question!	14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For speaking to Moses, he said: I am gracious to those to whom I am gracious and I take pity onthose on whom I take pity.	15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So it is not a matter of what any person wants or what any person does, but only of God havingmercy.	16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 Scripture says to Pharaoh: I raised you up for this reason, to display my power in you and to have myname talked of throughout the world.	17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 In other words, if God wants to show mercy on someone, he does so, and if he wants to hardensomeone's heart, he does so.	18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Then you wil ask me, 'How then can he ever blame anyone, since no one can oppose his wil ?'	19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 But you -- who do you think you, a human being, are, to answer back to God? Something that wasmade, can it say to its maker: why did you make me this shape?	20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 A potter surely has the right over his clay to make out of the same lump either a pot for special use orone for ordinary use.	21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 But suppose that God, although all the time he wanted to reveal his retribution and demonstrate hispower, has with great patience gone on putting up with those who are the instruments of his retribution anddesigned to be destroyed;	22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 so that he may make known the glorious riches ready for the people who are the instruments of hisfaithful love and were long ago prepared for that glory.	23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24 We are that people, cal ed by him not only out of the Jews but out of the gentiles too.	24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 Just as he says in the book of Hosea: I shal tell those who were not my people, 'You are my people,'and I shall take pity on those on whom I had no pity.	25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 And in the very place where they were told, 'You are not my people,' they wil be told that they are'children of the living God'.	26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
27 And about Israel, this is what Isaiah cried out: Though the people of Israel are like the sand of thesea, only a remnant will be saved;	27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
28 for without hesitation or delay the Lord wil execute his sentence on the earth.	28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
29 As Isaiah foretold: Had the Lord Sabaoth not left us a few survivors, we should be like Sodom, weshould be the same as Gomorrah.	29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30 What should we say, then? That the gentiles, although they were not looking for saving justice, foundit, and this was the saving justice that comes of faith;	30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31 while Israel, looking for saving justice by law-keeping, did not succeed in fulfilling the Law.	31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 And why? Because they were trying to find it in actions and not in faith, and so they stumbled over thestumbling-stone-	32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33 as it says in scripture: Now I am laying in Zion a stumbling-stone, a rock to trip people up; but he whorelies on this wil not be brought to disgrace.	33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.