Paul Mourns for Israel
1I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My mind tells me that what I say is true. It is guided by the Holy Spirit. 2My heart is full of sorrow. My sadness never ends. 3I am so concerned about my people, who are members of my own race. I am ready to be cursed, if that would help them. I am even willing to be separated from Christ. 4They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises. 5The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.
God’s Free Choice
6I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel. 7Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says, “Your family line will continue through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) 8In other words, God’s children are not just in the family line of Abraham. Instead, they are the children God promised to him. They are the ones considered to be Abraham’s children. 9God promised, “I will return at the appointed time. Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10,14)
10And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac. 11Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice. 12It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told, “The older son will serve the younger one.” (Genesis 25:23) 13It is written, “I chose Jacob instead of Esau.” (Malachi 1:2,3)
14What should we say then? Is God unfair? Not at all! 15He said to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.
I will show love to those I love.” (Exodus 33:19)
16So it doesn’t depend on what people want or what they do. It depends on God’s mercy. 17In Scripture, God says to Pharaoh, “I had a special reason for making you king. I decided to use you to show my power. I wanted my name to become known everywhere on earth.” (Exodus 9:16) 18So God does what he wants to do. He shows mercy to one person and makes another stubborn.
19One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still blame us? Who can oppose what he wants to do?” 20But you are a mere human being. So who are you to talk back to God? Scripture says, “Can what is made say to the one who made it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” (Isaiah 29:16; 45:9) 21Isn’t the potter free to make different kinds of pots out of the same lump of clay? Some are for special purposes. Others are for ordinary use.
22What if God chose to show his great anger? What if he chose to make his power known? But he put up with the people he was angry with. They were made to be destroyed. 23What if he put up with them to show the riches of his glory to other people? Those other people are the ones he shows his mercy to. He made them to receive his glory. 24We are those people. He has chosen us. We do not come only from the Jewish race. Many of us are not Jews. 25God says in Hosea,
“I will call those who are not my people ‘my people.’
I will call the one who is not my loved one ‘my loved one.’ ” (Hosea 2:23)
26He also says,
“Once it was said to them,
‘You are not my people.’
In that very place they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ” (Hosea 1:10)
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. He says,
“The number of people from Israel may be like the sand by the sea.
But only a few of them will be saved.
28The Lord will carry out his sentence.
He will be quick to carry it out on earth, once and for all.” (Isaiah 10:22,23)
29Earlier Isaiah had said,
“The Lord who rules over all
left us children and grandchildren.
If he hadn’t, we would have become like Sodom.
We would have been like Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 1:9)
Israel Does Not Believe
30What should we say then? Gentiles did not look for a way to be right with God. But they found it by having faith. 31The people of Israel tried to obey the law to make themselves right with God. But they didn’t reach their goal of being right with God. 32Why not? Because they tried to do it without faith. They tried to be right with God by what they did. They tripped over the stone that causes people to trip and fall. 33It is written,
“Look! In Zion I am laying a stone that causes people to trip.
It is a rock that makes them fall.
The one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Isaiah 8:14; 28:16)
Onyankopɔn Ne Ne Manfo
1Mereka nokware sɛ Okristoni, na mʼahonim a Honhom Kronkron di no adanse kyerɛ me sɛ minni atoro. 2Midi awerɛhow na mete daa yaw wɔ me koma mu ma me nkurɔfo. 3Wɔn nti anka mepɛ sɛ Onyankopɔn nnome ba me so na ɔtew me fi Kristo ho. 4Wɔyɛ Onyankopɔn manfo a wɔayi wɔn de wɔn ayɛ ne mma de wɔn asan atena nʼanuonyam mu. Ɔne wɔn yɛɛ apam no na ɔde mmara no maa wɔn; ɔkyerɛɛ ɔkwan pa a wɔfa so som maa wɔn nsa kaa bɔhyɛ no. 5Wɔyɛ tete agyanom asefo, na esiane sɛ Kristo baa onipasu mu nti ɔyɛ wɔn aseni. Ayeyi nka Onyankopɔn a ɔyɛ ade nyinaa so tumfo no daadaa. Amen.
6Menka sɛ Onyankopɔn bɔhyɛ no amma mu, efisɛ ɛnyɛ Israelfo nyinaa na Onyankopɔn ayi wɔn sɛ ne manfo. 7Saa ara nso na ɛnyɛ Abraham asefo nyinaa na wɔyɛ Onyankopɔn mma. Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Abraham se, “Ɛnam Isak so na wʼase bɛtrɛw.” 8Eyi kyerɛ sɛ ɛnyɛ wɔn a wɔyɛ Abraham mma, na mmom wɔn a wɔnam Onyankopɔn bɔhyɛ so woo wɔn no na wɔyɛ Abraham asefo turodoo. 9Onyankopɔn nam saa bɔhyɛ nsɛm a ɛka se, “Ampa ara, mɛsan aba wo nkyɛn bio bere a ɛsɛ mu no, na wo yere Sara awo ɔba” no so na ɛhyɛɛ saa bɔ no.
10Ɛnyɛ eyi nko. Rebeka mma baanu no nyinaa fii agya koro a ɔne yɛn agya Isak. 11Na sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a Onyankopɔn nam ɔba baako so bɛma ne pɛ ada adi no nti, 12ɔka kyerɛɛ Rebeka sɛ, “Ɔpanyin no bɛsom akumaa no.” Ɔkaa eyi ansa na ɔrewo wɔn ama wɔayɛ papa anaa bɔne. Enti na Onyankopɔn pɛ no gyina ne frɛ a ɔfrɛɛ wɔn no so, na ɛnyɛ wɔn nneyɛe so, 13sɛnea Kyerɛwsɛm no ka se, “Medɔɔ Yakob na metan Esau” no.
14Afei asɛm bɛn na yɛbɛka? Sɛ Onyankopɔn nyɛ ɔnokwafo ana? Dabi da! 15Efisɛ, ɔka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ,
“Nea mepɛ sɛ mihu no mmɔbɔ no, mehu no mmɔbɔ,
na nea mepɛ sɛ meyɛ no adɔe nso, mɛyɛ no adɔe.”
16Eyi kyerɛ sɛ, ennyina nea obi pɛ so anaa ne nnwuma so, na mmom egyina Onyankopɔn ahummɔbɔ so. 17Kyerɛwsɛm no mu, Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Farao se, “Eyi ara nti na misii wo hene nam so daa me tumi adi, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, me tumi bɛda adi wɔ mmaa nyinaa.” 18Ɛno de, Onyankopɔn hu nea ɔpɛ sɛ ohu no mmɔbɔ biara no mmɔbɔ, na nea ɔpɛ sɛ ɔma no yɛ asoɔden nso ɔma no yɛ saa.
19Afei obi bebisa se, “Sɛ yentumi nsiw Onyankopɔn pɛ ho kwan a, adɛn nti na ɔbɔ yɛn sobo?” 20Onua, wone hena a wubetumi akasa akyerɛ Onyankopɔn? Kuku mmisa ne nwemfo se, “Adɛn nti na wonwen me sɛɛ?” 21Ɔnwemfo no wɔ ho kwan sɛ ɔde dɔte no nwen nea ɔpɛ biara. Otumi nwen nkuku abien fi dɔte mu, na ɔde mu baako adi dwuma titiriw bi, na ɔde baako no nso ayɛ nea ɔpɛ biara.
22Saa ara na ade biara a Onyankopɔn ayɛ no te. Ɔpɛɛ sɛ ɔda nʼabufuw adi na ɔma wohu ne tumi. Nanso ɔtɔɔ ne bo ase maa wɔn a anka ofi nʼabufuwhyew mu rebɛsɛe wɔn no. 23Ɔyɛɛ eyi de kyerɛɛ sɛnea nʼanuonyam no te, bere a onyaa ayamhyehye maa wɔn a wayi wɔn dedaw sɛ wɔmmɛyɛ nʼanuonyam no fafafo. 24Ɛnyɛ wɔn a wɔfrɛɛ wɔn fii Yudafo mu nko ara, na mmom amanamanmufo nso. 25Wɔka wɔ Hosea nhoma mu se,
“Mɛfrɛ wɔn a wɔnyɛ me nkurɔfo no ‘me nkurɔfo,’
na nea ɔnyɛ me dɔfo no mɛfrɛ no ‘me dɔfo,’ ”
26na
“Beae koro no ara a wɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se,
‘Monnyɛ me nkurɔfo’ no,
ɛhɔ ara na wɔbɛfrɛ wɔn se ‘Onyankopɔn teasefo no mma.’ ”
27Na Yesaia dii Israelfo ho yaw sɛ,
“Sɛ Israelfo dɔɔso sɛ mpoano nwea mpo a,
wɔn mu kakraa bi na wobegye wɔn nkwa.
28Efisɛ Awurade bɛyɛ ntɛm, na sɛnea ɛte biara no,
ɔbɛyɛ nea wabɔ ho kɔkɔ sɛ ɔbɛyɛ wɔ asase so no.”
29Yesaia nso kae se,
“Sɛ Asafo Awurade
annyaw yɛn asefo a,
anka yɛayɛ sɛ Sodom,
na yɛadan ayɛ sɛ Gomora.”
Israel Nnye Nni
30Afei asɛm bɛn na yɛbɛka bio? Yɛbɛka sɛ amanamanmufo a wɔanhwehwɛ trenee akyi kwan no nam gyidi so yɛɛ atreneefo; 31Nanso Israelfo a wɔpɛɛ sɛ wɔnam mmara so di so no bɛsɔ Onyankopɔn ani mpo, Onyankopɔn annye wɔn anto mu. 32Adɛn nti na ɛbaa saa? Efisɛ wɔpɛɛ sɛ wɔnam mmara so di so sɔ Onyankopɔn ani, nanso anka ɛsɛ sɛ wonya gyidi wɔ Onyankopɔn mu mmom. Wohintiw “hintibo” no. 33Sɛnea wɔakyerɛw se,
“Hwɛ, Mede ɔbo a ɛma nnipa hintiw ato Sion
ne ɔbotan a ɛma wɔhwe ase,
na nea ɔde ne ho to no so no anim rengu ase da.”
