Lettera ai Romani 9

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Veritatem dico in Christo, non mentior, testimonium mihi per hibenteconscientia mea in Spiritu Sancto,	1 This is the truth and I am speaking in Christ, without pretence, as my conscience testifies for me in theHoly Spirit;
2 quoniam tristitia est mihi magna, etcontinuus dolor cordi meo.	2 there is great sorrow and unremitting agony in my heart:
3 Optarem enim ipse ego anathema esse a Christo profratribus meis, cognatis meis secundum carnem,	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.
4 qui sunt Israelitae, quorumadoptio est filiorum et gloria et testamenta et legislatio et cultus etpromissiones,	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.
5 quorum sunt patres, et ex quibus Christus secundum carnem: quiest super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen.	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.
6 Non autem quod exciderit verbum Dei. Non enim omnes, qui ex Israel, hi suntIsrael;	6 It is not that God's promise has failed. Not all born Israelites belong to Israel,
7 neque quia semen sunt Abrahae, omnes filii, sed: “ In Isaacvocabitur tibi semen ”.	7 and not all the descendants of Abraham count as his children, for Isaac is the one through whom yourName will be carried on.
8 Id est, non qui filii carnis, hi filii Dei, sed quifilii sunt promissionis, aestimantur semen;	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.
9 promissionis enim verbum hoc est:“ Secundum hoc tempus veniam, et erit Sarae filius ”.	9 The actual words of the promise were: I shal come back to you at this season, and Sarah wil have ason.
10 Non solum autem,sed et Rebecca ex uno concubitum habens, Isaac patre nostro;	10 Even more to the point is what was said to Rebecca when she was pregnant by our ancestor, Isaac,
11 cum enim nondumnati fuissent aut aliquid egissent bonum aut malum, ut secundum electionempropositum Dei maneret,	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
12 non ex operibus sed ex vocante dictum est ei: “Maior serviet minori ”;	12 -not human merit, but his cal -- she was told: the elder one wil serve the younger.
13 sicut scriptum est: “ Iacob dilexi, Esau autemodio habui ”.	13 Or as scripture says elsewhere: I loved Jacob but hated Esau.
14 Quid ergo dicemus? Numquid iniustitia apud Deum? Absit!	14 What should we say, then? That God is unjust? Out of the question!
15 Moysi enim dicit:“ Miserebor, cuius misereor, et misericordiam praestabo, cui misericordiampraesto ”.	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.
16 Igitur non volentis neque currentis sed miserentis Dei.	16 So it is not a matter of what any person wants or what any person does, but only of God havingmercy.
17 Dicit enimScriptura pharaoni: “ In hoc ipsum excitavi te, ut ostendam in te virtutemmeam, et ut annuntietur nomen meum in universa terra ”.	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.
18 Ergo, cuius vult,miseretur et, quem vult, indurat.	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.
19 Dices itaque mihi: “ Quid ergo adhuc queritur? Voluntati enim eius quisrestitit? ”.	19 Then you wil ask me, 'How then can he ever blame anyone, since no one can oppose his wil ?'
20 O homo, sed tu quis es, qui respondeas Deo? Numquid dicetfigmentum ei, qui se finxit: “ Quid me fecisti sic? ”.	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?
21 An non habetpotestatem figulus luti ex eadem massa facere aliud quidem vas in honorem, aliudvero in ignominiam?	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.
22 Quod si volens Deus ostendere iram et notam facerepotentiam suam, sustinuit in multa patientia vasa irae aptata in interitum;	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;
23 et ut ostenderet divitias gloriae suae in vasa misericordiae, quae praeparavitin gloriam,	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.
24 quos et vocavit nos non solum ex Iudaeis sed etiam ex gentibus?	24 We are that people, cal ed by him not only out of the Jews but out of the gentiles too.
25 Sicut et in Osee dicit: “ Vocabo Non plebem meam Plebem meam et Non dilectam Dilectam.	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.
26 Et erit: in loco, ubi dictum est eis: “Non plebs mea vos”, ibi vocabuntur Filii Dei vivi ”.	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'.
27 Isaias autem clamat pro Israel: “ Si fuerit numerus filiorum Israel tamquamarena maris, reliquiae salvae fient.	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;
28 Verbum enim consummans et breviansfaciet Dominus super terram ”.	28 for without hesitation or delay the Lord wil execute his sentence on the earth.
29 Et sicut praedixit Isaias: “ Nisi Dominus Sabaoth reliquisset nobis semen, sicut Sodoma facti essemus et sicut Gomorra similes fuissemus ”.	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.
30 Quid ergo dicemus? Quod gentes, quae non sectabantur iustitiam,apprehenderunt iustitiam, iustitiam autem, quae ex fide est;	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;
31 Israel verosectans legem iustitiae in legem non pervenit.	31 while Israel, looking for saving justice by law-keeping, did not succeed in fulfilling the Law.
32 Quare? Quia non ex fide sedquasi ex operibus; offenderunt in lapidem offensionis,	32 And why? Because they were trying to find it in actions and not in faith, and so they stumbled over thestumbling-stone-
33 sicut scriptum est: “ Ecce pono in Sion lapidem offensionis et petram scandali; et, qui credit in eo, non confundetur ”.	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.