1 Ma räägin tõtt Kristuses, mu südametunnistus koos Püha Vaimuga kinnitab, et ma ei valeta: 2 mul on südames suur kurbus ja lakkamatu ahastus. 3 Sest ma soovin pigem, et ma ise oleksin neetud ja Kristusest ära lõigatud oma rahva, oma suguvõsa, 4 Iisraeli rahva pärast. Nende päralt on lapseõigus, kirkus ja lepingud, seadustik, templiteenistus ja tõotused. 5 Neile kuuluvad esiisad ja nende hulgast põlvneb Messia ihulikult, kes on Jumal üle kõige, igavesti kiidetav! Aamen.

6 See pole nii, nagu oleks Jumala sõna ebaõnnestunud. Kaugel sellest! Sest mitte kõik, kes põlvnevad Iisraelist, ei ole Iisrael 7 ja mitte kõik ei ole Aabrahami lapsed sellepärast, et nad on tema järeltulijad. Vastupidi: „Sinu sugu loetakse Iisakist." 8 Teisisõnu, mitte lihased lapsed ei ole Jumala lapsed, vaid Aabrahami järglasteks arvatakse tõotuse lapsed. 9 Sest selline oli tõotussõna: „Järgmisel aastal samal ajal tulen ma su juurde ja siis on Saaral poeg!"

10 Aga see pole ainus näide. Rebeka pojad sündisid ühest ja samast, meie esiisast Iisakist. 11,12 Kuid Jumala kava pidi teostuma endiselt valiku põhjal, sõltudes mitte inimeste tegudest, vaid kutsujast. Seepärast, veel enne, kui Rebeka pojad sündisid ja midagi head või halba tegid, kuulutati talle: „Vanem orjab nooremat!" 13 Nagu Pühakirjas öeldakse: „Jaakobit ma armastasin, Eesavit aga vihkasin."

14 Mis me siis ütleme? Kas Jumala juures on ebaõiglust? Kaugeltki mitte! 15 Sest ta ütleb Moosesele:

„Ma olen armuline, kellele olen armuline,

ja halastan, kellele halastan."

16 Nõnda siis ei sõltu see inimese tahtest või pingutusest, vaid Jumalast, kes halastab. 17 Sest vaaraole öeldakse Pühakirjas: „Just selleks olen ma sind esile tõstnud, et näidata sinu varal oma väge, ja et minu nime kuulutataks üle kogu maa." 18 Nõnda siis Jumal annab armu, kellele tahab, ja kalestab, keda tahab.

19 „Miks ta siis veel etteheiteid teeb?" ütled sa nüüd mulle. „Sest kes on iial saanud seista vastu tema tahtele?" 20 Ent kes oled sina, oh inimene, et arvustad Jumalat? Ei ütle ju vormitud kuju oma vormijale: „Miks sa mind selliseks tegid?" 21 Või kas pole pottsepal voli valmistada samast savikamakast üks anum ülemaks ja teine alamaks otstarbeks?

22 Aga kui Jumal selliselt tegutseb? Tahtes ilmutada oma viha ja avaldada oma väge, on ta ülima kannatlikkusega talunud hävitamiseks tehtud vihaanumaid, 23 et avaldada oma rikkalikku kirkust halastuseanumaile, mida ta on ette valmistanud kirkuseks.

24 Selleks ongi ta kutsunud meid mitte ainult juutide, vaid ka mittejuutide seast. 25 Nagu ka Hoosea raamatus öeldakse:

„Ma kutsun oma rahvaks teda, kes ei olnud minu rahvas,

ja armastatuks teda, kes ei olnud armastatud."

26 Ja,

„Paigas, kus neile öeldi:

„Teie ei ole mu rahvas!"

seal kutsutakse neid elava Jumala lasteks!"

27 Aga Jesaja hüüab Iisraeli kohta:

„Kuigi iisraellasi oleks nõnda palju nagu mereliiva,

päästetakse neist ainult jääk,

28 sest lõplikult ja kiiresti

teeb Issand tõeks oma sõna maa peal."

29 Ja nagu Jesaja on ette kuulutanud:

„Kui vägede Issand ei oleks jätnud meile järelsugu,

siis oleksime kadunud nagu Soodom

ja hävinud nagu Gomorra."

30 Mis me siis ütleme? Et mittejuudid, kes õigeksmõistmist ei taotlenud, on kätte saanud õigeksmõistmise usu kaudu; 31 aga Iisrael, kes taotles õigeksmõistmist Seaduse järgi, ei ole Seaduse täitmist saavutanud. 32 Mispärast? Sest nad ei lähtunud usust, vaid arvasid õigeks saavat tegudest. Nad komistasid vastu komistuskivi, 33 nagu Pühakirjas öeldakse:

„Vaata, ma panen Siionisse kivi, mis paneb inimesed komistama,

ja kalju, mis paneb nad kukkuma,

ja kes temasse usub, ei jää häbisse!"

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 brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 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 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

6 Not as though the word of God hath 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 shall thy 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 shall 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 calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 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 then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 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 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 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 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 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 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 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 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 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 he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 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 shall 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, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 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 is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.