¹ I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, ² That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. ³ For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh: ⁴ Who are Israelites; to who pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; ⁵ Whose are the fathers, and of who as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. ⁶ Not as though+ the word of God has taken none effect. For they are not all+ Israel, which+ are of Israel: ⁷ Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac will your seed be called. 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 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara will have a son. ¹⁰ And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one+ , even by our father Isaac; 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 calls ;) ¹² + It was said to her, The elder will serve the younger. ¹³ As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. ¹⁴ What will we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid+ . ¹⁵ For he said to Moses, I will have mercy on who+ I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on who+ I will have compassion. ¹⁶ So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the scripture says to Pharaoh, Even for+ this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. ¹⁸ Therefore+ has he mercy on who he will have mercy, and who he will he hardens. ¹⁹ You will say then to me, Why does he yet find fault? For who has resisted his will? ²⁰ Nay but, O man, who are you that replies against God? will the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me so? ²¹ + Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to+ make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? ²² What if+ God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: ²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared to glory, ²⁴ + Even us, who he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? ²⁵ As he said also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. ²⁶ And it will come to pass, that in the place where+ it was said to them, You are not my people; there will they be called the children of the living God. ²⁷ Isaiah also cries concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant will be saved: ²⁸ For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make on the earth. ²⁹ And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been+ as Sodoma, and been made like+ to Gomorrha. ³⁰ What will we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. ³¹ But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. ³² why? 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 is written, See, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone+ and rock of offence: and whoever believes on him will not be ashamed.