God's Choice of Israel
1 I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say 2 my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. 3 I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. 4 They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. 5 They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of the Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! Amen.
6 It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. 7-8 In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised 9 Sarah, “At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son.”
10 Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 11-12 Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show he makes his own choices and it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. 13 That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.
14 Are we saying God is unfair? Certainly not! 15 The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. 16 Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. 17 In the Scriptures the Lord says to the king of Egypt, “I let you become king, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth.” 18 Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.
God's Anger and Mercy
19 Someone may ask, “How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?” 20 But, my friend, I ask, “Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? 21 Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?”
22 God wanted to show his anger and reveal his power against everyone who deserved to be destroyed. But instead, he patiently put up with them. 23 He did this by showing how glorious he is when he has pity on the people he has chosen to share in his glory. 24 Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are those chosen ones, 25 just as the Lord says in the book of Hosea,
“Although they are not
my people,
I will make them my people.
I will treat with love
those nations
that have never been loved.
26 “Once they were told,
‘You are not my people.’
But in that very place
they will be called
children of the living God.”
27 And this is what the prophet Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
“The people of Israel
are as many
as the grains of sand
along the beach.
But only a few who are left
will be saved.
28 The Lord will be quick
and sure to do on earth
what he has warned
he will do.”
29 Isaiah also said,
“If the Lord All-Powerful
had not spared some
of our descendants,
we would have been destroyed
like the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah.”
Israel and the Good News
30 What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. 31-32 It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, 33 just as God says in the Scriptures,
“Look! I am placing in Zion
a stone to make people
stumble and fall.
But those who have faith
in that one will never
be disappointed.”
aza 9
buuluz muŋw pini bulur ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋeḏi lizi leḏi izrayiil liira ṯəmna
1 ŋandizanyji ŋu ŋir rerem eḏi Kwruztu-na, nyi kwiti kwukəka ŋəluŋi mac; ṯugwor ṯinyi ṯunḏizenyi ki eḏi Ṯigɽim-na ṯirlinelu ter 2 eḏaruŋw, nyi kweṯi ronyine beṯen na eṯi nyi jiɽmini ki ṯugwor-na ṯinyi dɔk dɔk. 3 nenyi naŋni eḏaruŋw, eḏir nyi durneḏa lu mindaŋ eḏi nyi uɽuḏene lu Kwruztuŋw nana ki ŋwobi ŋweḏi lieŋgeri lir lizi linyi, 4 kla lir leḏi izrayiil, limɔ zi Allah ruzi nyor nyuŋwun, limɔ zi ruweci ŋiniṯi lu tɔk, nuŋw zi inḏeḏa ṯikitaḏa, na kuruu, na nizam kweḏi ṯikwocalu, na ŋiɽaŋali ŋuŋun ŋeṯuŋw zi ŋi kitaḏa; 5 ner orɔ leḏi papaŋa lupa, na ta Kwruztu ruḏa deŋgen-na ŋelŋe ŋi ŋeḏi ŋizigwunaŋ. eḏi Allah, wuṯemḏizi la tatap, ortani dɔk dɔk. emba.
ṯikitaḏa ṯeḏi Allah ṯiti ṯimɔ ke mac
6 na ŋiɽaŋal ŋeḏi Allah ere amɽaṯi kworɔ mac. kaka kla leni leḏi izrayiil ner ere orɔ tatap leḏi izrayiil rerem mac, 7 ner ere orɔ tatap nyor nyeḏi ibrahiim tɔk mac letaruŋw, ibrahiim kwiri papa kweri; kaka luḏinar gwu: izhaag ŋgi er eni nyor nyɔŋwa. 8 ŋeni ŋu, kla lir nyor ŋelŋe ŋi ŋeḏi ŋizigwunaŋ domony, ner ere orɔ nyor nyeḏi Allah mac, illi mer ila ṯikitaḏa ṯi eṯir eni nyor nyuŋwun rerem. 9 kaka ur gwu ŋu ŋari ŋi ṯikitaḏa: ki lomur kaka ṯa klu nyi kwaɽa, a zaara elŋe toru. 10 ner ere orɔ ṯaŋwu ṯuɽuk tɔk mac, kaka ki lomur limɔ li rifga eḏe nyuŋwuri, kwor ŋgi kwete kwir kwukwurna kweri kweni izhaag, 11 iti ilŋiiḏir gwu nyoru kinna mac, ner zi ere erri ŋere ŋizaw ya ŋiki tɔk mac, lakin eḏir ṯa orɔ ŋeḏi Allah eḏi zi ece-na, ŋiti ŋir ŋeḏi ŋɔḏɽor ŋere mac lakin ṯornuṯa ṯi ṯeḏi Allah, 12 na Allah andaci rifgaŋw, nuŋw ecaŋw: tor tir nda təkizi eŋgen kwɔkwɽeny ŋɔḏɽor. 13 kaka luḏinar gwu: yaguub nenyamɽi, lakin izuu nenyuwezi.
Allah weni wirlalu
14 ta, a kwer ari ḏa? Allah witi weṯeni wirlalu manya? wirlalu rac! 15 kaka andicaŋw gwu muuzaŋw, nuŋw ecaŋw: ŋgwa kwenyi gwu ŋimɽi yaḏa, eṯir nyi ṯa yaḏa nanuŋw gwu, na ŋgwa kwenyi gwu ṯugwor yaḏa, eṯuŋw ṯa orɔ kweṯi nyi gwu ṯugwor yaḏa. 16 ṯaŋwu, ner ere orɔ ŋeḏi ṯugwor ṯeḏi kwizi kwere mac ya ŋɔḏɽor ŋuŋun tɔk mac, lakin eṯir orɔ ŋeḏi ŋimɽi ŋeḏi Allah 17 kaka arir gwu firaawunŋw ŋwu, ŋuluḏina: nyi kwumɔŋa alla-na mindaŋ mer eze ŋuma ŋinyi duŋgwɔŋa-na, mindaŋ mer zi ilŋiiḏini yiriny yinyi ṯurmuna nana. 18 ŋwu ṯa, ŋimɽi ŋuŋun yaḏa nani gwu ŋgwa kweṯuŋw naŋni, na eṯuŋw kwuɽbeci ŋgwa ṯugwori lu kweṯuŋw naŋni.
Allah wir Kweleny kwuṯemḏelu
19 ŋa kwenyeca ŋwu: kwɔḏɔ kwunaŋna kinna eḏinḏa loma lere deŋgeri-na? na eya kwiri kweḏi ŋuma eḏi derne eḏizerri ŋeḏi ṯugwor ṯeḏi Allah? 20 a kwiri ṯaŋ, kwor kwalu, eḏi məmilḏici Allah? kwɔmne kwudaɽmina kweca kwɔrṯɔ ŋwu, a: a kwɔḏɔ kwudaɽmaḏi nyi kaka ṯaŋwu? 21 kwɔrṯɔ kwiti kweḏi zulṯa eḏi daɽmaḏa kwɔmne kullu gi kaka kwunaŋnaŋw manya? eḏi daɽmaḏa kwɔmne kwete kwizaw beṯen eḏecice kullu gi kir duŋw lutuput, na kwɔmne kwete kweḏi ŋɔḏɽor domony, a? 22 kezni na Allah, naŋnaŋw gwu keni eḏi zi ruweci ŋirŋaza lu ŋuŋun, na ŋuma lu ŋuŋun tɔk, nuŋw miḏa ṯugwori ṯindinyana ṯi nana ləlu tuk ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋeḏi kwɔmne kwudaɽmina, kwinḏi eḏi kiraḏa lu ŋirŋaza ŋi, 23 eḏizilŋiiḏini ŋurṯua ŋeḏi ŋiniṯ ŋuŋun, ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋeḏi kwɔmne kwudaɽmina, kwinḏi eḏinḏa ŋimɽya ŋuŋun, kwukitaŋw kerreny tuk eḏenḏi ki ŋiniṯ-na. 24 a kwirir kinna kla limɔŋw zi ornuṯi, liti lir leḏi yahuuḏ ṯuɽuk mac lakin lir leḏi umam tɔk. 25 kaka andicaŋw zi gwu huuza ŋgi, ŋwu:
kla liti lir linyi mac,
lenyji ruzi lizi linyi;
na ŋgwa kwiti kwamɽari mac,
enyeca: nyi kwamɽa ŋa.
26 na kezir ṯa wa, wecerzi gwu ŋwu: a liti liri linyi mac,
er zi enjici yiriny yeni nyor nyeḏi Allah wumiiḏu.
27 nezi izaya ari ŋeḏi izrayiil ŋwu: ma kinna ŋwuɽu ŋweḏi nyor nyeḏi izrayiil orɔ kaka kufurṯa kir ṯije ṯeḏi ṯujul, er ṯa uɽuḏene lu lɔkwɔ domony er kilaw. 28 kaka inḏi gwu Kweleny eḏi ṯimazi hukma kworɔ ŋuma ŋi-na, fitak. 29 kaka andizazi izaya ŋiɽya ŋi, ŋwu:
eŋgi Kweleny kweḏi litezir ere ṯaci nyuŋwuzi lola lu,
eŋgir orɔ kaka zaḏuum ŋwuzi amuura gi.
ṯiṯugwudana ṯeḏi izrayiil eḏiidi
30 ta a kwer ari ḏa? lizi lir umam, linderṯa liti leṯinaŋnini ṯofḏana mac, limafi ṯofḏana ṯəmna ṯi; 31 na izrayiil orɔ kla leṯinaŋnini ṯofḏana ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋeḏi kuruu, ner ere eḏi ŋuma mac eḏizerri ŋeḏi kuruu ŋga. 32 lɔḏɔ? kaka iti eṯir gwu naŋnini ṯəmna ṯi mac, lakin eṯir naŋnini ŋɔḏɽor ŋi, nezi kal ŋga ṯugwudazi, 33 kaka luḏinar gwu, ŋwu:
izarṯi, nyi ŋgwu kwukita kali lu kezir-na weni ziyuun,
kinḏi eḏi ṯugwudazi lizi,
kal kinde kiri kete kinḏi zi eḏi zi kakaṯu;
na ŋgwa kweṯalliḏa ŋunduŋwu ṯugwori nana, a ṯurony ere …