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 Manfoɔ
1Mereka nokorɛ sɛ Kristoni, na mʼahonim a Honhom Kronkron di no adanseɛ kyerɛ me sɛ menni atorɔ. 2Medi awerɛhoɔ na mete daa yea wɔ me akoma mu ma me nkurɔfoɔ. 3Wɔn enti anka mepɛ sɛ Onyankopɔn nnome ba me so na ɔte me firi Kristo ho. 4Wɔyɛ Onyankopɔn manfoɔ a wɔayi wɔn de wɔn ayɛ ne mma de wɔn asane atena nʼanimuonyam mu. Ɔne wɔn yɛɛ apam no na ɔde mmara no maa wɔn; ɔkyerɛɛ ɛkwan pa a wɔfa so som ma wɔn nsa kaa bɔhyɛ no. 5Wɔyɛ tete agyanom asefoɔ, na ɛsiane sɛ Kristo baa onipasu mu enti, ɔyɛ wɔn aseni. Ayɛyie nka Onyankopɔn a ɔyɛ adeɛ nyinaa so otumfoɔ no daadaa. Amen.
6Mennka sɛ Onyankopɔn bɔhyɛ no amma mu, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛnyɛ Israelfoɔ nyinaa na Onyankopɔn ayi wɔn sɛ ne manfoɔ. 7Saa ara nso na ɛnyɛ Abraham asefoɔ nyinaa na wɔyɛ Onyankopɔn mma. Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Abraham sɛ, “Ɛnam Isak so na wʼase bɛtrɛ.” 8Yei kyerɛ sɛ ɛnyɛ wɔn a wɔyɛ Abraham mma, na mmom, wɔn a wɔnam Onyankopɔn bɔhyɛ so woo wɔn no na wɔyɛ Abraham asefoɔ turodoo. 9Onyankopɔn nam saa bɔhyɛ nsɛm a ɛka sɛ, “Ampa ara, mɛsane aba wo nkyɛn bio ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ mu no, na wo yere Sara awo ɔba” no so na ɛhyɛɛ saa bɔ no.
10Ɛnyɛ yei nko. Rebeka mma baanu no nyinaa firi agya korɔ a ɔne yɛn agya Isak. 11Na sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a Onyankopɔn nam ɔba baako so bɛma ne pɛ ada adi no enti, 12ɔka kyerɛɛ Rebeka sɛ, “Ɔpanin no bɛsom akumaa no.” Ɔkaa yei 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 nneyɛeɛ so, 13sɛdeɛ Atwerɛsɛm no ka sɛ, “Medɔɔ Yakob na metanee Esau” no.
14Afei, asɛm bɛn na yɛbɛka? Sɛ Onyankopɔn nyɛ ɔnokwafoɔ anaa? Dabi! 15Ɛfiri sɛ, ɔka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ,
“Deɛ mepɛ sɛ mehunu no mmɔbɔ no, mɛhunu no mmɔbɔ,
na deɛ mepɛ sɛ meyɛ no adɔeɛ nso, mɛyɛ no adɔeɛ.”
16Yei kyerɛ sɛ, ɛnnyina deɛ obi pɛ so anaa ne nnwuma so, na mmom ɛgyina Onyankopɔn ahummɔborɔ so. 17Atwerɛsɛm no mu, Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Farao sɛ, “Yei ara enti na mesii wo ɔhene nam so daa me tumi adi, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, me tumi bɛda adi wɔ ewiase afanan nyinaa.” 18Ɛnneɛ Onyankopɔn hunu deɛ ɔpɛ sɛ ɔhunu no mmɔbɔ biara no mmɔbɔ, na deɛ ɔpɛ sɛ ɔma no yɛ asoɔden nso ɔma no yɛ saa.
19Afei, obi bɛbisa sɛ, “Sɛ yɛntumi nsi Onyankopɔn pɛ ho ɛkwan a, adɛn enti na ɔbɔ yɛn soboɔ?” 20Onua, wone hwan a wobɛtumi akasa akyerɛ Onyankopɔn? Kukuo mmisa ne nwomfoɔ sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wonwonoo me sei?” 21Ɔnwomfoɔ no wɔ ho ɛkwan sɛ ɔde dɔteɛ no nwono deɛ ɔpɛ biara. Ɔtumi nwono nkukuo mmienu firi dɔteɛ mu, na ɔde mu baako adi dwuma titire bi, na ɔde baako no nso ayɛ deɛ ɔpɛ biara.
22Saa ara na adeɛ biara a Onyankopɔn ayɛ no teɛ. Ɔpɛɛ sɛ ɔda nʼabufuo adi na ɔma wɔhunu ne tumi. Nanso ɔtɔɔ ne bo ase maa wɔn a anka ɔfiri nʼabufuhyeɛ mu rebɛsɛe wɔn. 23Ɔyɛɛ yei de kyerɛɛ sɛdeɛ nʼanimuonyam no teɛ, ɛberɛ a ɔnyaa ayamhyehyeɛ maa wɔn a wayi wɔn dada sɛ wɔmmɛyɛ nʼanimuonyam no fafafoɔ. 24Ɛnyɛ wɔn a wɔfrɛɛ wɔn firii Yudafoɔ mu nkoa, na mmom, amanamanmufoɔ nso. 25Wɔka wɔ Hosea nwoma mu sɛ,
“Mɛfrɛ wɔn a wɔnyɛ me nkurɔfoɔ no ‘me nkurɔfoɔ’,
na deɛ ɔnyɛ me dɔfoɔ no mɛfrɛ no ‘me dɔfoɔ,’ ”
26na
“Beaeɛ korɔ no ara a wɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ,
‘Monnyɛ me nkurɔfoɔ’ no,
ɛhɔ ara na wɔbɛfrɛ wɔn sɛ ‘Onyankopɔn teasefoɔ no mma.’ ”
27Na Yesaia dii Israelfoɔ ho yea sɛ,
“Sɛ Israelfoɔ dɔɔso sɛ mpoano anwea mpo a,
wɔn mu kakra bi na wɔbɛgye wɔn nkwa.
28Ɛfiri sɛ Awurade bɛyɛ ntɛm, na sɛdeɛ ɛteɛ biara,
ɔbɛyɛ deɛ wabɔ ho kɔkɔ sɛ ɔbɛyɛ wɔ asase so no.”
29Yesaia nso kaa sɛ,
“Sɛ Awurade Otumfoɔ no
annya yɛn asefoɔ a,
anka yɛayɛ sɛ Sodom,
na yɛadane ayɛ sɛ Gomora.”
Israel Nnye Nni
30Afei, asɛm bɛn na yɛbɛka bio? Yɛbɛka sɛ amanamanmufoɔ a wɔanhwehwɛ tenenee akyiri kwan no nam gyidie so yɛɛ ateneneefoɔ; 31Nanso, Israelfoɔ a wɔpɛɛ sɛ wɔnam mmara so die so bɛsɔ Onyankopɔn ani no mpo, Onyankopɔn annye wɔn anto mu. 32Adɛn enti na ɛbaa saa? Ɛfiri sɛ, wɔpɛɛ sɛ wɔnam mmara so die so sɔ Onyankopɔn ani, nanso, mmom anka ɛsɛ sɛ wɔnya gyidie wɔ Onyankopɔn mu. Wɔsuntii “suntiboɔ” no. 33Sɛdeɛ wɔatwerɛ sɛ,
“Hwɛ, Mede ɛboɔ a ɛma nnipa sunti ato Sion
ne ɔbotan a ɛma wɔhwe ase,
na deɛ ɔde ne ho to no soɔ no anim rengu ase da.”
