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.”
Allah-ŋǝ lizi-li luuŋwun licca-ŋwsi-na.
1 Nyii ŋgwɔ kwandisa rerrem ethi Kwɔrɔstɔ-na, nyii kwiti kwukǝkkǝ ŋǝluŋi mac; ṯɔgwor ṯiinyi ṯir shuhuuḏ kwiinyi Ṯigɽim-thi Ṯirllinǝlɔ ter, 2 nǝthiny-gwɔ ṯɔrɔɔnyina ṯɔppa, nǝ ǝṯi-nyii ṯɔgwor yatha dooɽe. 3 Kaka nǝthiny-gwɔ sɔɔrɔma beṯṯen, mindaŋ eŋgi-nyii ollone nǝ ǝŋgir-nyii alla Kwɔrɔstɔ-ŋw naana pǝk ŋiɽaŋal-ŋi ŋǝthi liyǝŋgǝri liinyi, lir lizi liinyi. 4 Lir Israa-iil, limǝsi Allah ruusi nyɔr nyuuŋwun nyir nyoŋwor. Nǝrǝthi ŋinithi, wa@ḏ, Sherii@ǝ, ṯɔgwɔccalɔ, nǝ ŋa ŋigittathɔŋw-ŋi ethisi inḏǝthǝ, 5 nǝroro ŋwɔɔla ŋwɔthi Papa-ŋa lǝthi kerreny-ŋwɔ, nǝ ŋizigwunǝŋ-ŋi nǝ Kwɔrɔstɔ ruuthǝ ki-jinis-nǝ kweeŋen. Nǝ Allah wimthi kwomne tatap, ethɔŋw ɔrtanni dok-dok. Amiin.
6 Laakin nǝreere oro kaka ŋiɽaŋal ŋǝthi Allah ŋimǝ bǝriyǝnni mac. Kaka niti nɔrɔ-gwɔ gŋwɔɔla tatap ŋwa mac ŋwuruuthu ki Israa-iil-na ethoro ŋwɔthi Israa-iil. 7 Nǝ nǝreere oro tatap mac nyɔr nyǝthi Ibraahiim kaka nɔrɔr-gwɔ ŋwɔɔla ŋwuuŋwun; laakin nǝ Allah ǝccǝ Ibraahiim-ŋwɔ, “Is-haag-ŋgi ǝri oro ŋwɔɔla ŋwɔɔŋa.” 8 Ŋǝniŋw nyɔr kinya nyǝthi aŋna nyiti nyir nyɔr nyǝthi Allah mac, laakin nǝroro nyigittathir-nyi nyuruusǝsi Allah ŋwɔɔla ŋwuuŋwun rerrem. 9 Nǝ ŋiɽaŋal ŋɔ ŋǝthi wa@ḏ ǝniŋw, “Mǝnyii aaɽa ki-lɔɔmɔr-la ṯǝ lir kaka kɔlɔ a Saara ǝthi tɔɔrɔ tir toŋwor.” 10 Nǝreere oro ŋɔ dak mac, laakin nǝ Rifga ethe nyɔɔrɔ kwɔr-ŋgi kwette kwir papa kwǝri kwǝni Is-haag, 11 nǝ niti nilŋinar kinnǝni mac, mindaŋ ethisi mǝ ǝrri ŋeere ŋisaaw alla ŋigii, laakin nǝr-tǝ oro ŋǝthi ṯɔgwor ṯǝthi Allah ethisi allana, nǝreere ǝni ŋothɽor ŋeere mac, laakin nǝtǝ ṯumunǝ oro ṯuuŋwun-lɔ dɔṯṯɔk. 12 Nǝrǝccǝ Rifga-ŋwɔ, “Kira tir nda ŋwɔkkici eŋgen kwokwɔɽony ŋothɽor.” 13 Kaka nɔlɔɔthɔnar-gwɔ ŋaarɔŋw, “Nyii kwamɽa Ya@guub-ŋwɔ, laakin @iisɔ-tǝ nǝnyii firasi.”
14 E-ta a kwǝr aari tha? Allah wir ḏaalima? Bǝri-mǝ! 15 Kaka nǝccǝ-ŋgwɔ Muusǝ-ŋw, “Kwǝnyii ǝthici ŋimɽiyǝ-na ŋgwa kwɔnaŋna-nyii ethisi ǝthici-nǝ, nǝ ǝnyii-gwɔ ṯɔgwor yatha naanɔ-gwɔ ŋgwa kwɔnaŋna-nyii ethi-gwɔ ṯɔgwor ṯiinyi yatha.” 16 Ŋwɔṯaŋw nǝreere ǝni ŋǝṯisi kwizigwunǝŋ naŋni mac alla ethisi ǝrri, laakin nǝroro ŋǝthi ŋimɽi ŋǝthi Allah ṯɔɽɔk. 17 Nǝ Kiṯaab-na Kirllinǝlɔ ter nǝ Allah ǝccǝ Fir@awn-ŋwɔ, “Nyii kwǝlliŋǝ-nǝ sǝbǝb-gi ŋgwɔ ethoro mǝlik, mindaŋ mǝ ŋɔma ŋiinyi ruwǝnnǝlɔ dɔŋgwɔŋa-na, mindaŋ mǝ yiriny yiinyi andanni wurǝyuŋi naana tatap.” 18 Ŋwɔṯaŋw ǝṯɔŋw ǝthici kweere nyithak ŋimɽiyǝ-nǝ ŋgwa kwǝṯɔŋw naŋni, nǝ ǝṯɔŋw ɔnḏici kweere nyithak ṯɔgwori kwǝṯɔŋw naŋni.
Ŋirŋasa ŋǝthi Allah nǝ ŋimɽi ŋuuŋun.
19 A kwinḏiny-pǝ ethi ǝccǝŋw, “Nǝ Allah wotho wǝṯi-nyji kette kaṯṯi? Ǝyǝ kwǝthi ŋɔma ethisi dirnaca-lɔ ŋǝthi ṯɔgwor ṯuuŋwun?” 20 A kwǝni-thi ǝyǝ ŋa ŋgwɔ kwir kwiziŋwunǝŋ ethi mǝmlithici Allah? Kwomne kwǝṯir ṯoo kwǝthi ŋɔma ethi ǝccǝ kworṯowa-ŋwɔ, “A kwotho kwuthuuthi-nyii ŋwɔ-a?” 21 Kworṯo kwǝthi ŋwii kwiti kwǝthi hɔrriyya kɔlɔɔ-la mac-a ethi ṯoo dɔŋw ṯǝ kila lɔtɔpɔt kwomne kwette kwǝthi ŋothɽor ŋisaaw beṯṯen, nǝ dɔŋw ṯǝ kila lette-lette ethi ṯoo kwomne kwir ter kwǝthi ŋothɽor ŋette nyithak-a? 22 E-ta mǝ Allah naŋni ethi ruwǝzi ŋirŋasa-lɔ ŋuuŋun, nǝ ethi aari a@lina ŋɔma ŋuuŋun, nǝ tok nɔŋw mithǝ ṯɔgwori ṯindinyanna-thi ṯurvǝ naana lǝlu-ttuk ṯǝthi ŋgwa kwuthuuthur, kwinḏi ethi kee ŋirŋasa-ŋi, 23 nǝ nɔŋw naŋni ethi ruwǝzi ŋinithǝ-lɔ ŋuuŋun ŋɔppa, ŋa ŋibalsar-nyji naana, nyiiŋǝ kila lir lǝthi ŋimɽi ŋuuŋun nyiiŋǝ kila limǝŋwsi kette-lɔ cɔgwo-cɔwop ethaavi ŋinithi ŋuuŋun. 24 Nǝ nyiiŋǝ kila lɔrnɔṯɔŋwsi, liti lɔrnɔṯɔŋwsi ki Yahuuḏ-nǝ ṯɔɽɔk mac, laakin ki Umam-na tok. 25 Kaka nandisa-ŋgwɔ Hawsha@-ŋgi naarɔ-ŋgwɔŋw,
“Kila liti lir lizi liinyi mac ǝnyji ruusi ‘lizi liinyi’,
nǝ kila liti lamɽa-nyji mac nyji ǝccǝŋw ‘nyii kwamɽa-ŋǝsi’.”
26 “Nǝ kǝzir-ṯǝ wa wette-wette nǝccǝr-siŋw,
‘Ŋaaŋa liti lir lizi liinyi mac’,
ǝrsi ǝccǝŋw ŋaaŋa linḏi ethoro nyɔr nyir nyoŋwor nyǝthi
Allah wumiithɔ.”
27 Nǝ Isha@ya aari kwɔɔla ŋiɽaŋal-ŋi ŋǝthi Israa-iil, nɔŋwaarɔŋw, “Mǝ kinnǝni ŋwɔɔɽɔ ŋwɔthi nyɔr nyǝthi Israa-iil oro kaka kifirṯa kǝthi bahar, ǝrtǝ kilaaw kila lǝɽinnǝ ṯɔɽɔk; 28 kaka ninḏi-gwɔ Kweeleny ethi ṯimmasi hɔkwɔma wuuŋwun kworo fittak ki-lizi lǝthi ṯurmun.” 29 Kaka nandisa Isha@ya ŋiɽiiya-ŋi naarɔ-ŋgwɔŋw,
“Ǝŋgi-nyji Kweeleny kwǝthi ŋɔma ere ǝɽicci nyuŋwsi
nyɔɔrɔ mac,
ǝŋgiroro kaka Saḏɔɔm-ŋwɔ, mindaŋ ǝŋgir aaɽanni
@amɔɔra-ŋwɔ.”
Israa-iil-ŋǝ Kwɔrɔstɔ-gi.
30 E-ta a kwǝr aari tha? Umam witi wɔnaŋninna ŋirllalɔ mac, wɔmaavi ŋirllalɔ ṯǝmminǝ-thi; 31 laakin Israa-iil kwɔnaŋninna ŋirllalɔ ki-ṯɔgwagiza-la ṯǝthi Sherii@a nɔŋweere ɔvthasi mac ethisi ṯimmasi kworo ŋǝthi Sherii@a ŋgwa. 32 Arpa? Kaka niti ninaŋninnǝr-gwɔlɔ ṯǝmminǝ-thi mac, laakin nǝr naŋninnalɔ ŋothɽor-ŋi, ŋwɔṯaŋw nǝr-mǝ ṯɔgdanni kall-gi. 33 Kaka nɔlɔɔthɔnar-gwɔ ŋaarɔŋw,
“Iisar-ṯi nyii ŋgwɔ kwɔgette kaali-lɔ Sihyɔɔn-na kǝthi-gi
ṯɔgdasi lizi,
liiɽiiya linḏisi ethisi ṯiŋaṯṯa;
nǝ Weere kwǝmminci ŋunduŋw a ṯɔrony ere yee-na
kwokwony mac.”