Paul’s Anguish Over Israel
1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised! Amen.
God’s Sovereign Choice
6It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”9:7 Gen. 21:12 8In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
10Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”9:12 Gen. 25:23 13Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”9:15 Exodus 33:19
16It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”9:17 Exodus 9:16 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ”9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
22What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”9:25 Hosea 2:23
26and,
“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ”9:26 Hosea 1:10
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”9:29 Isaiah 1:9
Israel’s Unbelief
30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
Zaɓen Allah mai iko duka
1Ina faɗin gaskiya a cikin Kiristi ba ƙarya nake yi ba, lamirina ya tabbatar da wannan a cikin Ruhu Mai Tsarki. 2Ina da baƙin ciki mai yawa da kuma rashin kwanciyar rai marar ƙarewa a zuciyata. 3Gama da so na ne, sai a la’anta ni a kuma raba ni da Kiristi saboda ’yan’uwana, waɗannan na kabilata, 4mutanen Isra’ila. Su ne Allah ya mai da su ’ya’yansa, ya bayyana musu ɗaukakarsa, ya ba su alkawarinsa da Dokarsa, ya nuna musu hanyar sujada ta gaske, ya kuma ba su sauran alkawura. 5Kakannin-kakannin nan kuma nasu ne, Kiristi kuma, ta wurin zamansa mutum, na kabilarsu ne. Yabo ya tabbata ga Allah har abada, shi da yake bisa kome! Amin.
Zaɓin Allah mai iko duka
6Ba cewa maganar Allah ta kāsa ba ne. Gama ba duk waɗanda suke zuriyar Isra’ila ne suke Isra’ila na gaske ba. 7Ba kuwa don su zuriyarsa ne dukansu suka zama ’ya’yan Ibrahim ba. A maimako, “Ta wurin Ishaku ne za a lissafta zuriyarka.” 8Ana iya cewa zaman zuriyar Ibrahim, ba shi ne zama ’ya’yan Allah ba, a’a, zuriya ta alkawarin nan su ne ake lasaftawa zuriyar Ibrahim. 9Ga yadda aka yi alkawarin nan, “A ƙayyadadden lokaci zan dawo, Saratu kuma za tă haifi ɗa.”9.9 Far 18.10,14
10Ba ma haka kaɗai ba, ’ya’yan Rifkatu suna da mahaifi guda ne, wato, mahaifinmu Ishaku. 11Duk da haka, tun ba a haifi tagwayen nan ba, balle su yi wani abu mai kyau ko marar kyau don nufin Allah bisa ga zaɓensa ya tabbata, ba ga aikin lada ba, sai dai ga kiransa, 12ba ta wurin ayyuka ba sai dai ta wurin shi wanda ya kira, aka faɗa mata cewa, “Babban zai bauta wa ƙaramin.”9.12 Far 25.23 13Kamar yadda yake a rubuce cewa, “Yaƙub ne na so, amma Isuwa ne na ƙi.”9.13 Mal 1.2,3
14Me za mu ce ke nan? Allah marar adalci ne? Sam, ko kaɗan! 15Gama ya ce wa Musa,
“Zan nuna jinƙai ga wanda zan nuna jinƙai,
zan kuma ji tausayin wanda zan ji tausayi.”9.15 Fit 33.19
16Saboda haka, bai danganta ga sha’awar mutum ko ƙoƙarinsa ba, sai dai ga jinƙan Allah. 17Gama Nassi ya ce wa Fir’auna, “Na ɗaga ka saboda wannan manufa, saboda in nuna ikona a cikinka domin kuma a shaida sunana a duniya duka.”9.17 Fit 9.16 18Saboda haka Allah yana nuna jinƙai ga wanda yake so, yana kuma taurara zuciyar wanda yake so.
19Waninku zai iya ce mini, “To, don me har yanzu Allah yake ganin laifinmu? Gama wa zai iya tsayayya da nufinsa?” 20Amma wane ne kai, ya mutum, da za ka mayar wa Allah magana? “Ashe, abin da aka gina zai iya ce wa wanda ya gina shi, ‘Don me ka gina ni haka?’ ”9.20 Ish 29.16; Ish 45.9 21Ashe, mai ginin tukwane ba shi da iko yin amfani da yumɓu guda yă gina tukunya domin ayyuka masu daraja da kuma waɗansu don ayyuka marasa daraja?
22Haka ma aikin Allah yake. Ya so yă nuna fushinsa yă kuma sanar da ikonsa, ya yi haka cikin haƙuri ƙwarai ga waɗanda suka cancanci fushinsa, waɗanda aka shirya domin hallaka? 23Haka kuma ya so yă sanar da wadatar ɗaukakarsa ga waɗanda suka cancanci jinƙansa, waɗanda ya shirya tun kafin lokaci don ɗaukaka 24har da mu ma, mu da ya kira, ba daga cikin Yahudawa kaɗai ba amma har ma daga cikin Al’ummai? 25Kamar yadda ya faɗa a Hosiya.
“Zan kira su ‘mutanena,’ su da ba mutanena ba;
zan kuma kira ta ‘ƙaunatacciyata,’ ita da ba ƙaunatacciyata ba,”9.25 Hos 2.23
26kuma,
“Zai zama cewa a daidai inda aka ce musu,
‘Ku ba mutanena ba,’
za a ce da su, ‘’ya’yan Allah mai rai.’ ”9.26 Hos 1.10
27Ishaya ya ɗaga murya game da Isra’ila ya ce,
“Ko da yake yawan Isra’ilawa yana kama da yashi a bakin teku,
ragowa ce kaɗai za su sami ceto.
28Gama Ubangiji zai zartar da
hukuncinsa a bisan duniya da sauri kuma ba da ɓata lokaci ba.”9.28 Ish 10.22,23
29Yana nan kamar yadda Ishaya ya riga ya faɗa.
“Da ba don Ubangiji Maɗaukaki
ya bar mana zuriya ba,
da mun zama kamar Sodom,
da mun kuma zama kamar Gomorra.”9.29 Ish 1.9
Rashin bangaskiyar Isra’ila
30Me za mu ce ke nan? Ai, Al’ummai da ba su nemi adalci ba, sun same shi, adalcin da yake ta wurin bangaskiya; 31amma Isra’ila da suka yi ƙwazo wajen bin Dokar adalci, ba su same shi ba. 32Don me? Domin sun yi ƙwazo wajen binta ba ta wurin bangaskiya ba sai dai ta wurin ayyuka. Sun yi tuntuɓe a kan “dutsen sa tuntuɓe.” 33Kamar yadda yake a rubuce,
“Ga shi, na sa dutse a Sihiyona da yake sa mutane yin tuntuɓe
da kuma dutsen da yake sa su fāɗi
wanda kuwa ya dogara gare shi ba zai taɓa shan kunya ba.”9.33 Ish 8.14; Ish 28.16
