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¹ I say the truth in Messiah, and do not misrepresent; and my conscience beareth me witness in the Holy Spirit;² that I have great sorrow, and the sadness of my heart is unceasing.³ For I have prayed, that I myself might be accursed from Messiah, for my brethren and my kinsmen in the flesh:⁴ who are sons of Israel, to whom belonged the adoption of sons, and the glory, and the covenants, and the law, and the ministration, and the promises, and the fathers;⁵ and from among whom, Messiah appeared in the flesh, who is God over all; to whom be praises and benediction, for ever and ever; Amen.

⁶ Not, however, that the word of God hath actually failed. For all are not Israel, who are of Israel.⁷ Neither are they all sons, because they are of the seed of Abraham: for it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.⁸ That is, it is not the children of the flesh, who are the children of God; but the children of the promise, are accounted for the seed.⁹ For the word of promise was this: At that time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.¹⁰ Nor this only; but Rebecca also, when she had cohabited with one [fn] , our father Isaac, ¹¹ before her children were born, or: had done good or evil, the choice of God was predeclared; that it might stand, not of works, but of him who called.¹² For it was said: The elder shall be servant to the younger.¹³ As it is written: Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated.

¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there iniquity with God? Far be it.¹⁵ Behold, to Moses also he said: I will have pity, on whom I will have pity; and I will be merciful, to whom I will be merciful.¹⁶ Therefore, it is not of him who is willing, nor of him who runneth, but of the merciful God.¹⁷ For in the scripture, he said to Pharaoh: For this very thing, have I raised thee up; that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.¹⁸ Wherefore, he hath pity upon whom he pleaseth; and whom he pleaseth, he hardeneth.¹⁹ But, perhaps thou wilt say: Of what [fn] doth he complain? For, who hath resisted his pleasure? ²⁰ Thou, thus! Who art thou? O man; that thou repliest against God! Shall the potter's vessel say to the former of it, Why hast thou formed me so?²¹ Hath not the potter dominion over his clay out of the same mass to make vessels, one for honor, and another for dishonor?²² And if God, being disposed to exhibit his wrath and to make known his power, in abundance of long-suffering, brought wrath upon the vessels of wrath which were complete for destruction;²³ and made his mercy flow forth upon the vessels of mercy, which were prepared by God for glory;²⁴ namely, upon us who are called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles:

²⁵ As also he said in Hosea: I will call them my people, who were not my people; and will pity, whom I have not pitied:²⁶ For it shall be, that in the place where they were called: Not my people, there shall they be called: The children of the living God.²⁷ And Isaiah proclaimed concerning the children of Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel should be as the sand on the sea, a remnant of them will live.²⁸ He hath finished and cut short the matter: and the Lord will do it on the earth.²⁹ And according to what Isaiah had before said: If the Lord of hosts had not favored us with a residue, we had been as Sodom, and had been like Gomorrha.

³⁰ What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who ran not after righteousness, have found righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith:³¹ But Israel, who ran after the law of righteousness, hath not found the law of righteousness.³² And why? Because [fn] , not by faith, but by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling-stone: ³³ As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling-stone, and a stone of offence: and he who believeth in him, shall not be ashamed.