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Romans 9

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1 Ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι, συμμαρτυρούσης μοι τῆς συνειδήσεώς μου ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, 2 ὅτι λύπη μοί ἐστιν μεγάλη καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου. 3 ηὐχόμην γὰρ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα, 4 οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται, ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ αἱ διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, 5 ὧν οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα: ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν. 6 Οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι ἐκπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ: 7 οὐδ' ὅτι εἰσὶν σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ, πάντες τέκνα, ἀλλ', ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα. 8 τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα: 9 ἐπαγγελίας γὰρ ὁ λόγος οὗτος, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐλεύσομαι καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρᾳ υἱός. 10 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥεβέκκα ἐξ ἑνὸς κοίτην ἔχουσα, Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν: 11 μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ φαῦλον, ἵνα ἡ κατ' ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ θεοῦ μένῃ, 12 οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος, ἐρρέθη αὐτῇ ὅτι ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι, 13 καθὼς γέγραπται, τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἠσαῦ ἐμίσησα.

1 I am not deceiving you, I am telling you the truth in Christ’s name, with the full assurance of a conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit, 2 when I tell you of the great sorrow, the continual anguish I feel in my heart, 3 and how it has ever been my wish that I myself might be doomed to separation from Christ, if that would benefit my brethren, my own kinsmen by race.[1] 4 They are Israelites, adopted as God’s sons; the visible presence, and the covenant, and the giving of the law, and the Temple worship, and the promises, are their inheritance; 5 the patriarchs belong to them, and theirs is the human stock from which Christ came; Christ, who rules as God over all things, blessed for ever, Amen.[2] 6 And yet it is not as if God’s promise had failed of its effect. Not all those who are sprung from Israel are truly Israelites; 7 not all the posterity of Abraham are Abraham’s children; It is through Isaac, he was told, that thy posterity shall be traced. 8 That is to say, God’s sonship is not for all those who are Abraham’s children by natural descent; it is only the children given to him as the result of God’s promise that are to be counted as his posterity. 9 It was a promise God made, when he said, When this season comes round again, I will visit thee, and Sara shall have a son. 10 And not only she, but Rebecca too received a promise, when she bore two sons to the same husband, our father Isaac. 11 They had not yet been born; they had done nothing, good or evil; and already, so that God’s purpose might stand out clearly as his own choice, 12 with no action of theirs to account for it, nothing but his will, from whom the call came, she was told, The elder is to be the servant of the younger.[3] 13 So it is that we read, I have been a friend to Jacob, and an enemy to Esau.[4]

1 Veritatem dico in Christo, non mentior: testimonium mihi perhibente conscientia mea in Spiritu Sancto: 2 quoniam tristitia mihi magna est, et continuus dolor cordi meo. 3 Optabam enim ego ipse anathema esse a Christo pro fratribus meis, qui sunt cognati mei secundum carnem, 4 qui sunt Israëlitæ, quorum adoptio est filiorum, et gloria, et testamentum, et legislatio, et obsequium, et promissa: 5 quorum patres, et ex quibus est Christus secundum carnem, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in sæcula. Amen. 6 Non autem quod exciderit verbum Dei. Non enim omnes qui ex Israël sunt, ii sunt Israëlitæ: 7 neque qui semen sunt Abrahæ, omnes filii: sed in Isaac vocabitur tibi semen: 8 id est, non qui filii carnis, hi filii Dei: sed qui filii sunt promissionis, æstimantur in semine. 9 Promissionis enim verbum hoc est: Secundum hoc tempus veniam: et erit Saræ filius. 10 Non solum autem illa: sed et Rebecca ex uno concubitu habens, Isaac patris nostri. 11 Cum enim nondum nati fuissent, aut aliquid boni egissent, aut mali (ut secundum electionem propositum Dei maneret), 12 non ex operibus, sed ex vocante dictum est ei quia major serviet minori, 13 sicut scriptum est: Jacob dilexi, Esau autem odio habui.

14 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ; μὴ γένοιτο. 15 τῷ Μωϋσεῖ γὰρ λέγει: ἐλεήσω ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ, καὶ οἰκτιρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτίρω. 16 ἄρα οὖν οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεῶντος θεοῦ. 17 λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ τῷ Φαραὼ ὅτι εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξήγειρά σε ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. 18 ἄρα οὖν ὃν θέλει ἐλεεῖ, ὃν δὲ θέλει σκληρύνει. 19 Ἐρεῖς μοι οὖν, τί οὖν ἔτι μέμφεται; τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκεν; 20 ὦ ἄνθρωπε, μενοῦνγε σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ θεῷ; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι, τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως; 21 ἢ οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν ὁ κεραμεὺς τοῦ πηλοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος ποιῆσαι ὃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν σκεῦος, ὃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν; 22 εἰ δὲ θέλων ὁ θεὸς ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ γνωρίσαι τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτοῦ ἤνεγκεν ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν, 23 καὶ ἵνα γνωρίσῃ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σκεύη ἐλέους, ἃ προητοίμασεν εἰς δόξαν,

14 What does this mean? That God acts unjustly? That is not to be thought of. 15 I will shew pity, he tells Moses, on those whom I pity; I will shew mercy where I am merciful;[5] 16 the effect comes, then, from God’s mercy, not from man’s will, or man’s alacrity. 17 Pharao, too, is told in scripture, This is the very reason why I have made thee what thou art, so as to give proof, in thee, of my power, and to let my name be known all over the earth.[6] 18 Thus he shews mercy where it is his will, and where it is his will he hardens men’s hearts.[7] 19 Hereupon thou wilt ask, If that is so, how can he find fault with us, since there is no resisting his will? 20 Nay, but who art thou, friend, to bandy words with God? Is the pot to ask the potter, Why hast thou fashioned me thus?[8] 21 Is not the potter free to do what he will with the clay, using the same lump to make two objects, one for noble and one for ignoble use? 22 It may be that God has borne, long and patiently, with those who are the objects of his vengeance, fit only for destruction, meaning to give proof of that vengeance, and display his power at last;[9] 23 meaning also to display, in those who are the objects of his mercy, how rich is the glory he bestows, that glory for which he has destined them.[10]

14 Quid ergo dicemus? numquid iniquitas apud Deum? Absit. 15 Moysi enim dicit: Miserebor cujus misereor: et misericordiam præstabo cujus miserebor. 16 Igitur non volentis, neque currentis, sed miserentis est Dei. 17 Dicit enim Scriptura Pharaoni: Quia in hoc ipsum excitavi te, ut ostendam in te virtutem meam: et ut annuntietur nomen meum in universa terra. 18 Ergo cujus vult miseretur, et quem vult indurat. 19 Dicis itaque mihi: Quid adhuc queritur? voluntati enim ejus quis resistit? 20 O homo, tu quis es, qui respondeas Deo? numquid dicit figmentum ei qui se finxit: Quid me fecisti sic? 21 an non habet potestatem figulus luti ex eadem massa facere aliud quidem vas in honorem, aliud vero in contumeliam? 22 Quod si Deus volens ostendere iram, et notum facere potentiam suam, sustinuit in multa patientia vasa iræ, apta in interitum, 23 ut ostenderet divitias gloriæ suæ in vasa misericordiæ, quæ præparavit in gloriam.

24 οὓς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς οὐ μόνον ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν; 25 ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὡσηὲ λέγει, καλέσω τὸν οὐ λαόν μου λαόν μου καὶ τὴν οὐκ ἠγαπημένην ἠγαπημένην: 26 καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς, οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς, ἐκεῖ κληθήσονται υἱοὶ θεοῦ ζῶντος. 27 Ἠσαΐας δὲ κράζει ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ ὑπόλειμμα σωθήσεται: 28 λόγον γὰρ συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων ποιήσει κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 29 καὶ καθὼς προείρηκεν Ἠσαΐας: εἰ μὴ κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν. 30 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην κατέλαβεν δικαιοσύνην, δικαιοσύνην δὲ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως, 31 Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης εἰς νόμον οὐκ ἔφθασεν. 32 διὰ τί; ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλ' ὡς ἐξ ἔργων: προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος, 33 καθὼς γέγραπται: ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον προσκόμματος καὶ πέτραν σκανδάλου, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.

24 We are the objects of his mercy; we, whom he has called, Jews and Gentiles alike. 25 That is what he says in the book of Osee, Those who were no people of mine, I will call my people; she who was unpitied and unloved shall be loved and pitied.[11] 26 In places where they used to be told, You are no people of mine, they will be called, now, sons of the living God.[12] 27 And, where Israel is concerned, Isaias cries out, The number of the sons of Israel may be like the sand of the sea, but it is a remnant that will be left; 28 the Lord is making up his reckoning and cutting it short in his justice; it is a short reckoning that he will make upon earth.[13] 29 So Isaias had said earlier on, If the Lord of Hosts had not left us a stock to breed from, we should have been like Sodom, we should have gone the way of Gomorrah.[14] 30 What do we conclude, then? Why, that the Gentiles, who never aimed at justifying themselves, attained justification, the justification which comes of faith; 31 whereas the Israelites aimed at a disposition which should justify them, and never reached it. 32 Why was this? Because they hoped to derive their justification from observance, not from faith. They tripped on the stone which trips men’s feet; 33 so we read in scripture, Behold, I am setting down in Sion one who is a stone to trip men’s feet, a boulder to catch them unawares; those who believe in him will not be disappointed.[15]

24 Quos et vocavit nos non solum ex Judæis, sed etiam in gentibus, 25 sicut in Osee dicit: Vocabo non plebem meam, plebem meam: et non dilectam, dilectam: et non misericordiam consecutam, misericordiam consecutam. 26 Et erit: in loco, ubi dictum est eis: Non plebs mea vos: ibi vocabuntur filii Dei vivi. 27 Isaias autem clamat pro Israël: Si fuerit numerus filiorum Israël tamquam arena maris, reliquiæ salvæ fient. 28 Verbum enim consummans, et abbrevians in æquitate: quia verbum breviatum faciet Dominus super terram: 29 et sicut prædixit Isaias: Nisi Dominus Sabaoth reliquisset nobis semen, sicut Sodoma facti essemus, et sicut Gomorrha similes fuissemus. 30 Quid ergo dicemus? Quod gentes, quæ non sectabantur justitiam, apprehenderunt justitiam: justitiam autem, quæ ex fide est. 31 Israël vero sectando legem justitiæ, in legem justitiæ non pervenit. 32 Quare? Quia non ex fide, sed quasi ex operibus: offenderunt enim in lapidem offensionis, 33 sicut scriptum est: Ecce pono in Sion lapidem offensionis, et petram scandali: et omnis qui credit in eum, non confundetur.

[1] St Paul only says that he would be prepared to sacrifice his own salvation conditionally (i.e. if God sanctioned, and were prepared to accept, such offers of substitution); not absolutely (since we are bound to desire our own salvation).

[2] ‘Christ, who rules as God’; some commentators would translate, ‘Blessed be God who is above all things, for ever’, making this a distinct sentence; but they have not been able to suggest any plausible grounds for the intrusion of this irrelevant apostrophe, and the order of words in the Greek makes it almost impossible.

[3] Gen. 25.23.

[4] Mal. 1.2.

[5] Ex. 33.19.

[6] ‘I have made thee what thou art’, literally, ‘I have raised thee up’. The phrase is variously interpreted as meaning ‘brought thee into existence’, ‘raised thee to the throne of Egypt’, or ‘enabled thee to recover from the effects of the earlier plagues’. See Ex. 9.16.

[7] vv. 15-18: Some commentators have understood these verses as part of the objection made by the imaginary critic whom St Paul is answering; they are more often taken as part of St Paul’s own assertion.

[8] Is. 45.9.

[9] ‘Meaning to give proof … at last’; these words have sometimes been interpreted ‘although he would have liked to give proof … there and then’, but the Greek does not favour this rendering.

[10] vv. 11-23: St Paul is speaking here, not of predestination to eternal life, but of that first grace, entirely gratuitous, which leads men to Christ.

[11] Os. 2.24.

[12] Os. 1.10.

[13] vv. 27, 28: Is. 10.22. The meaning of verse 28 is not clear, either in the Greek or in the Hebrew; it is usually interpreted as meaning that God will cut short the time, and exercise judgement swiftly on Israel; but it seems more in point, both in this passage and in Isaias, to understand it as meaning that he will cut short the number of those Jews who are to be regarded, henceforth, as his people.

[14] Is. 1.9.

[15] Is. 8.14, 28.16. For ‘will not be disappointed’ the Hebrew has ‘will not take flight’.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd