Romans 9

New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel

Romans 9

1I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience witnessing with me in the Holy Spirit,Ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι, συμμαρτυρούσης μοι τῆς συνειδήσεώς μου ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ,

2that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.ὅτι λύπη μοί ἐστι μεγάλη, καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου.

3For I could wish that I myself to be accursed from Christ on behalf of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh,Εὐχόμην γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου, τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα·

4who are Israelites, of whom are the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the law-giving, and the worship, and the promises;οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται, ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ αἱ διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι,

5of whom are the fathers and from whom Christ came, according to the flesh, He who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.ὧν οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων, Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.

6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all those of Israel are of Israel,Οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι ἐκπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ·

7nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”οὐδ᾽ ὅτι εἰσὶ σπέρμα Ἁβραάμ, πάντες τέκνα· ἀλλ᾽ Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα.

8That is, those who are the children of the flesh are not the children of God; but it is the children of the promise that are regarded as descendants.Τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκός, ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα.

9For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”Ἐπαγγελίας γὰρ ὁ λόγος οὗτος, Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐλεύσομαι, καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρᾳ υἱός.

10And not only this, but also Rebecca, having conceived from the one man, our father Isaac;Οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥεβέκκα ἐξ ἑνὸς κοίτην ἔχουσα, Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν—

11(for the children not yet being born, nor having done anything good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων, μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἵνα ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ Θεοῦ μένῃ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος,

12it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.”ἐρρήθη αὐτῇ ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι.

13As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”Καθὼς γέγραπται, Τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἠσαῦ ἐμίσησα.

14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? By no means!Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; Μὴ ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ; Μὴ γένοιτο.

15For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”Τῷ γὰρ Μωϋσῇ λέγει, Ἐλεήσω ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ, καὶ οἰκτειρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτείρω.

16So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God who shows mercy.Ἄρα οὖν οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος, οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος Θεοῦ.

17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”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.

18So then He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.Ἄρα οὖν ὃν θέλει ἐλεεῖ· ὃν δὲ θέλει σκληρύνει.

19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?”Ἐρεῖς οὖν μοι, Τί ἔτι μέμφεται; Τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκε;

20But indeed, O man, who are you to be answering back against God? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”Μενοῦνγε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ Θεῷ; Μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι, Τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως;

21Or does not the potter have the right over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and the other for dishonor?Ἢ οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν ὁ κεραμεὺς τοῦ πηλοῦ, ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος ποιῆσαι ὃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν σκεῦος, ὃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν;

22But what if God, wanting to show His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,Εἰ δὲ θέλων ὁ Θεὸς ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν ὀργήν, καὶ γνωρίσαι τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτοῦ, ἤνεγκεν ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν·

23and so that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,καὶ ἵνα γνωρίσῃ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σκεύη ἐλέους, ἃ προητοίμασεν εἰς δόξαν,

24even us whom He called, not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles?οὓς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς οὐ μόνον ἐξ Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν;

25As also in Hosea He says: “I will call those My people who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.”Ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὠσηὲ λέγει, Καλέσω τὸν οὐ λαόν μου λαόν μου· καὶ τὴν οὐκ ἠγαπημένην ἠγαπημένην.

26“And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”Καὶ ἔσται, ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ ἐρρήθη αὐτοῖς, Οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς, ἐκεῖ κληθήσονται υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ζῶντος.

27Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved;Ἡσαΐας δὲ κράζει ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, Ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται·

28For He is finishing and cutting short an account in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short account upon the earth.”λόγον γὰρ συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ὅτι λόγον συντετμημένον ποιήσει Κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

29And just as Isaiah foretold: “If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”Καὶ καθὼς προείρηκεν Ἡσαΐας, Εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν, καὶ ὡς Γόμορρα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν.

30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; Ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην, κατέλαβε δικαιοσύνην, δικαιοσύνην δὲ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως·

31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to the law of righteousness.Ἰσραὴλ δέ, διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης, εἰς νόμον δικαιοσύνης οὐκ ἔφθασε.

32Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but rather by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stone of stumbling.Διὰ τί; Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων νόμου· προσέκοψαν γὰρ τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος,

33Just as it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and everyone believing on Him will not be put to shame.”καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον προσκόμματος καὶ πέτραν σκανδάλου· καὶ πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.

The Fathers on Romans 9

Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Romans 9:1

Saint John Chrysostom

Eastern Fathers · c. 391 AD · Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.”

Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans →